Gamecocks Ranked in Final NFCA/USA Today Poll of 2017

June 13, 2017

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina earned its first ranking in the final poll of a season under head coach Beverly Smith, as the Gamecocks tied for 25th in the final National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA)/USA Today Poll for 2017.

Finishing the year with a 34-25 overall record, the Gamecocks took 32 points in the final vote, tying fellow Southeastern Conference member Georgia for the final spot in the rankings. The 2017 season saw South Carolina advance into the regional finals for the third time under Smith, this year in the Tucson Regional. The 2017 Gamecocks posted the fifth-best slugging percentage in school history (.430) while tying for third on the single-season home run charts with 45.

Of the 26 teams in the final rankings, South Carolina played 12 of them, including national runner-up LSU and Women’s College World Series participants UCLA, LSU and Texas A&M.

South Carolina was last ranked in a postseason poll after the 2007 year, the last time the Gamecocks advanced into super regionals.

The Gamecocks also appeared in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll results, ranking second among other teams receiving votes.