Nov. 3, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Hi Gamecock fans!!

It’s finally my turn. I am Ashley Chastain, a junior pitcher here at South Carolina. Let’s start with a little about me. I love Starbucks, warm weather, good music, my family and friends, my teammates, my adorable kitty cat Roxy, and of course Carolina softball. I am majoring in history and minoring in education. I am a history nerd and love to visit historical places. Well, that’s enough about me; now to the softball side of things.

From a pitching point of view, the fall has been a great learning experience. Our team welcomed aboard a new pitching coach this year, Rick Pauly. Since my first pitching session with Coach Pauly, I have learned incredible amounts. I know that my fellow pitchers and I are very grateful for all the time and work he is putting in with us. He’s making sure that we are fully prepared so we can be the best that we can be as a pitching staff when the season starts in February. Coach Pauly always tells us that he is happy with the work and progress, but he is never satisfied. This is a great mental approach for us to have in order to keep us working hard everyday and holding us accountable to be the best pitchers possible. As a team, we were excited about how the fall season turned out but know that we still have a lot to work to do before our spring season rolls around. Even though our games for this semester are over, we are still working hard everyday during weights, conditioning, and individuals, so that, as a team, we can hit the field with full force when we return from Christmas break to get ready for the SEC.

I am pumped about the upcoming spring season and cannot wait for it to get here! Thank you to our families, friends and fans for your love and support. See you in February. GO COCKS!