Aging Gressfully in the Circle
Sam Gress brings an impressive resume and a wealth of experience to the South Carolina softball program. The sixth-year graduate student followed coach Ashley Chastain Woodard from Charlotte to Carolina after two solid years with the 49ers and a previous three-year stint at N.C. State.
“They call me grandma and great grandma now since we have some fifth years on the team,” said Gress, who is 24 years old and is in the master’s program for Sport and Entertainment Management. “They’ll call me ‘old lady’ and any sort of variation on that.
“I try to use every ounce of experience that I have into helping them in whatever they’re going through. I always want to be somebody they can go to no matter what they’re going through, as a teammate and as a friend.”
The “old lady” can still bring it, however. She earned First and Second Team All-Conference and All-Region honors at Charlotte, and her experience in the circle will be relied on for the Gamecocks this spring.
“The experience I have playing high level competition helps with my mindset,” Gress said of playing in the SEC. “We’re taught not to back down from anybody, trust our game, our preparation, and our training. The SEC is the best conference in college softball, but it excites me to compete against the best players. That’s what you want to do. That’s the mindset that the coaches have instilled into us.”
A native of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Gress comes from a competitive family with her father having played college basketball at Susquehanna University, one brother working as a PGA professional, and another brother who played junior college baseball.
“I come from a family of athletes, and I was always chasing them,” said Gress, who in addition to earning many accolades on the diamond, was an outstanding basketball player who was nominated as a McDonald’s All-American. “There were opportunities for basketball, but I always knew softball was what I wanted to do in college and as long as I could. Basketball was something I loved to do with my dad. I just love the competitive nature of softball though and what it teaches you about failure. It teaches you how to deal with failure and come out on the other side to be successful.”

“This is not going to be a rebuilding year for us. I want this to be a year where South Carolina makes a statement in the SEC.”
Gress’ path to South Carolina was a bit of a winding road.
“My recruiting journey is a little bit unusual because my junior year of high school, I had committed to Ohio University, but then those coaches left to go to Pitt. I had also been considering Saint Francis University (PA), and those coaches ended up at N.C. State,” said Gress, who noted that both staffs were still interested in her, but Pitt didn’t offer what she intended to study. “I went to N.C. State for three years (which included a red-shirt year as well as the “COVID year”), and I don’t regret going there. I met some really amazing people, but my love for the game kind of went away.”
Gress entered the transfer portal and found a fresh start in Charlotte where she flourished.
“The second I met those coaches, it felt like home,” Gress said. “Over two years, those coaches changed my life forever. They gave me another shot to play the game I love. They got me to where I am today as a person and a player. They pushed me so much and helped me grow so much. I will forever be grateful for that, and that’s why I’m here now.”
Fast forward to the end of last spring when Chastain Woodard was named head coach at South Carolina, and Gress had another decision to make.
“I was hoping and praying she would ask me to come with her,” Gress said. “They all changed my life two years ago. It was a no-brainer for me to finish my career playing for them. I couldn’t imagine playing with anybody else. Coach Ash is the best pitching coach in the country with the way she develops pitchers. As much as I loved Charlotte and everything there, one thing that I’ve learned is that it’s the people that matter. The people make the experience for you.”
When she is done playing softball, Gress is considering becoming a coach or perhaps opening a facility for children to train for various sports.
“I have a passion for youth sports and want to have an impact on it,” Gress said. “I want to create a space for kids to come and play, train, and become better people. I started playing softball when I was five years old. I was always competitive because of my brothers. I was always playing with older girls and playing up, and that taught me how to compete at a higher level.”
As “grandma” gets ready to play for the garnet and black, she is determined to help set the tone and take on a leadership role.
“This is not going to be a rebuilding year for us,” Gress said. “I want this to be a year where South Carolina makes a statement in the SEC. That’s what we train for every day. I love it here so much.”