Gameco*cks stay within the family for new softball coach (2024)

COLUMBIA— South Carolina knew who it wanted.

Why wait?

Ashley Chastain was hired as the Gameco*cks’ softball coach on Tuesday, the former Gameco*ck agreeing to come back home to replace Beverly Smith. A pitcher from 2009-11, she signed with Joyce Compton, the program's winningest coach, and played her final year under Smith while also serving as a graduate assistant in 2012. Chastain has long been on the Gameco*cks’ radar.

Chastain agreed to USC’s offer three days after Smith was fired. She signed a five-year contract that will pay her $300,000 per season.

She has led the program at Charlotte for the past five seasons and taken the 49ers to two straight NCAA Regionals. The 49ers won a division title and a league title over the last three years before moving from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference, where they won the league championship.

The overall success spoke to USC along with Chastain’s ties to the Gameco*cks, but the conference success spoke louder. A large reason why Smith was fired after 14 seasons, during which she she made 9 of 13 NCAA Tournaments (the 2020 COVID season had no postseason), was that she only had one winning season in the SEC.

Of course, the SEC is a major step up from the AAC. The league again sent all 13 of its teams to the NCAA Tournament in 2024, with two advancing to the Women’s College World Series. Oklahoma and Texas, which will each join the league for the 2025 season, played in the finals with Oklahoma winning its fourth straight national championship.

USC fired Smith because it wants to be competitive in the SEC, not just get into the NCAA Tournament because its RPI is high due to playing in the SEC. The Gameco*cks hope Chastain can get them there.

With two degrees from USC—history and a master’s in secondary education —Chastain also coached pitchers for three seasons at College of Charleston, one season at Michigan State and two seasons at Ole Miss. She was named Softball America Pitching Coach of the Year in 2019.

Bradley to coach men’s golf

Rob Bradley was also approved as men’s golf coach on Tuesday. Bradley spent the last 11 seasons as head coach at Purdue.

Bradley signed a five-year contract worth $240,000 per season.

He led the Boilermakers to four NCAA championship appearances and nine NCAA regional appearances, and the team posted eight of the nine-best team stroke averages in school history during his tenure. In 2018, Bradley coached Purdue to its first Big Ten championship of any kind since 1981.