No. 9 Gamecocks Host No. 13 Georgia for SEC Home Opener

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The No. 9/9 South Carolina softball team hosts No. 13/13 Georgia for its SEC home opener March 14-16. Friday is Girl Scouts Day, Saturday is Dollar Hot Dog Day and rally towels to the first 200 people, and Sunday the first 200 fans will receive a St. Patrick’s Day themed stein. It’s also Signature Sunday as the team will be signing autographs postgame on the field.

Gameday Information
Series History: Georgia leads 46-33
Trend: South Carolina won 1
Last Meeting: South Carolina 2, Georgia 1 (8) | May 11, 2023 | Fayetteville, Ark.

#9 South Carolina Gamecocks 20-4, 0-3 SEC
Coach: Ashley Chastain Woodard | 1st Season
AVG Leader: .514 | Quincee Lilio
RBI Leader: 30 | Arianna Rodi
Home Run Leader: 10 | Arianna Rodi
ERA Leader: 1.98 | Jori Heard
Strikeout Leader: 60 | Jori Heard
Wins Leader: 10 | Jori Heard

#13 Georgia Bulldogs 20-4, 1-2 SEC
Coach: Tony Baldwin | 4th Season
AVG Leader: .395 | Jaydyn Goodwin
RBI Leader: 25 | Sarah Gordon
Home Run Leader: 5 | Sarah Gordon and Jaydyn Goodwin
ERA Leader: 1.62 | Rachel Gibson
Strikeout Leader: 67 | Lilli Backes
Wins Leader: 9 | Lilli Backes

LEADING OFF

• The 2025 season is the 52nd season for the Carolina Softball team.
• South Carolina continues to be in the top-10 in most of the weekly polls, moving up in both the NFCA and USA Softball polls.
  • The Gamecocks jumped 2 spots to No. 9 in the NFCA/USA Today poll. They moved up one spot to No. 9 in the ESPN/USA Softball. They remained No. 9 in the Softball America poll and No. 14 by D1Softball.
  • It’s Carolina’s highest ranking in the NFCA coaches poll since Feb. 4, 2019.
• This week in the NCAA RPI the Gamecocks are No. 8.
• For the first time in program history every game will be televised on the ESPN family of networks and digital platforms.
  • South Carolina and Georgia are the only two Division I programs to have every game broadcast this season.
• With the win over Youngstown State, the Gamecocks tied the program record from 1976 for most consecutive wins to start a season.
• Quincee Lilio has 13 multi-hit games on the season.
  • Lilio is 7th in the nation in on-base percentage and 14th in batting average, 15th in hits, 24th in walks per game, and 25th in toughest to strikeout.
• Ella Chancey ranks 14th in the nation in doubles and 21st in doubles per game.
• Arianna Rodi has reached base in 19 straight games and had a 11-game hitting streak.
  • Rodi ranks 4th nationally in walks per game, 10th in home runs and home runs per game, and 24th in slugging percentage
• Karley Shelton ranks 4th in doubles, 6th in doubles per game, 12th in runs per game, and 15th in runs.
• Jori Heard ranks 7th nationally in wins and 12th in shutouts.
• Nealy Lamb ranks 17th in the nation in strikeouts per game and 18th in strikeout to walk ratio.
• Brooke Blankenship ranks 2nd in the nation in sacrifice flies.
• South Carolina has outscored their opponents 199-69 on the season, including 43-5 in the fourth inning and 38-6 in the sixth inning.
• As a team the Gamecocks lead the nation in doubles and doubles per game.
• They also rank 3rd in fielding percentage, 5th in walks, 7th in sacrifice flies, 8th in on-base percentage and RBIs per game, and 10th in scoring.
• They also rank in the top-20 in six other categories: RBIs batting average, total runs, double plays per game, slugging percentage, shutouts, and double plays.
• Carolina had the nation’s longest run-rule streak of nine games end against UNLV.
• In Carolina’s win at Charlotte, they hit seven doubles in the game. That’s tied for the fourth most in a game this season in Division I.
• The three doubles in the game by Shelton were the most since Evan Childs against Longwood on Feb. 16, 2010.
• The Gamecocks tied a program record with 12 walks against North Carolina.

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME

• South Carolina is 259-103 (.716) at Carolina Softball Stadium since being built in 2013. That includes a 4-1 record at home while hosting an NCAA regional at Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.
• Prior to 2021, South Carolina had not lost double digit games at home in seven years and has won 20 or more eight of the past nine seasons.
• Since 2016, South Carolina has consistently ranked among the nation’s leaders in attendance. Since that time, excluding the 2021 COVID season that limited attendance, they have never finished lower than 15th in average or cumulative attendance.
• In 2024, Carolina ranked 7th in the nation in total attendance and 14th in average attendance. They were 9th and 11th in 2023, 7th and 13th in 2022, 7th and 11th in 2020, 10th and 13th in 2019, 11th and 13th in 2018, 10th and 11th in 2017, 12th and 15th in 2016.

GAMECOCKS VS. RANKED OPPONENTS

• South Carolina is 174-400-1 (.304) against opponents ranked in the NFCA top 25 since 1995.
• Broken down by site, the Gamecocks are 82-138 (.373) at home, 46-187 (.197) on the road and 47-74-1 (.389) in neutral-site outings.
• In 2025 the Gamecocks are 3-3 against ranked opponents.
• In 2024, the Gamecocks went 9-20 against ranked opponents. They earned victories over #21 Kentucky (twice), #10 Florida, #17 Arkansas, #16 Mississippi State (twice), #11 Clemson, #24 Boston U and #13 Utah.

SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL RECORD

• South Carolina has played 2,660 games in its softball history, going 1,713-940-7 (.646) in its 52 years of history.
• Carolina has posted 30 or more wins in nine of the past 11 full seasons.
• Carolina has protected home well, also, with 17 or more victories coming in friendly confines each of the past 10 full years.

For the latest on South Carolina Softball, visit GamecocksOnline.com or follow the team’s social media accounts on Twitter @GamecockSoftbll, Facebook /GamecockSoftball, and Instagram @GamecockSoftball.