No. 13 Gamecocks Set for Mary Nutter Classic

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – The 13th ranked South Carolina softball team heads to the West Coast for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic February 19-21. The Gamecocks will play five games at the Big League Dreams Sports Park, taking on three nationally ranked opponents and a fourth who is receiving votes in the most recent NFCA poll. Carolina will face Washington, No. 10 Nebraska, No. 18 Oregon, No. 9 UCLA, and Saint Mary’s. Every game from the tournament will be streamed online with a FloSports subscription.

#13 South Carolina Gamecocks 7-2, 0-0 SEC
Coach: Ashley Woodard | 2nd Season
AVG Leader: .481 | Tate Davis
RBI Leader: 14 | Karley Shelton
Home Run Leader: 2 | Arianna Rodi and Karley Shelton
ERA Leader: 0.78 | Julie Kelley
Strikeout Leader: 14 | Emma Friedel
Wins Leader: 2 | Emma Friedel

RV Washington Huskies 7-3, 0-0 Big Ten
Coach: Heather Tarr | 22nd Season
Series History: Washington leads 6-4
Trend: Washington won 3
Last Meeting: Washington 5, South Carolina 4 | Feb. 15, 2020 | Clearwater, Fla.

#10 Nebraska Cornhuskers 6-4, 0-0 Big Ten
Coach: Rhonda Revelle | 34th Season
Series History: Nebraska leads 5-2
Trend: Nebraska won 1
Last Meeting: Nebraska 9, South Carolina 1 | Feb. 16, 2003 | Las Vegas

#18 Oregon Ducks 5-4, 0-0 Big Ten
Coach: Melyssa Lombardi | 8th Season
Series History: Oregon leads 4-2
Trend: Oregon won 1
Last Meeting: Oregon 3, South Carolina 0 | Feb. 16, 2008 | Las Vegas

#9 UCLA Bruins 7-3, 0-0 Big Ten
Coach: Kelly Inouye-Perez | 20th Season
Series History: UCLA leads 14-2
Trend: UCLA won 2
Last Meeting: UCLA 5, South Carolina 0 | May 25, 2025 | Columbia

Saint Mary’s Gaels 5-3, 0-0 WCC
Coach: Sonja Garnett | 8th Season
Series History: First Meeting

LEADING OFF

• The 2026 season is the 53rd season for the Carolina Softball team.
• This week in the polls the Gamecocks are ranked No. 13 by the NFCA, No. 19 by D1Softball and Softball America, and No. 22 by USA Softball/ESPN.
• This is the second time Carolina has played in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. In 2015 the Gamecocks went 3-2, defeating LIU Brooklyn, Stanford, and #21 Cal. They dropped games to #9 Florida State in 10 innings and Northwestern.
• As a team, South Carolina ranks among the Top-10 in the nation in four categories.
  • Walks and on-base percentage (4th) and scoring and batting average (9th).
  • They also rank in the Top-20 in five other categories; total runs (15), hit by pitch (17), RBIs per game (18), shutouts (18), and doubles per game (20).
• Quincee Lilio and Arianna Rodi currently rank tied for 5th in the nation with 1.33 walks per game.
• Lilio also ranks 15th in the nation in on-base percentage at .657.
• Karley Shelton went 4-for-4 against Kennesaw State, becoming the first Gamecock since Denver Bryant on May 8, 2024.
• The Gamecocks scored 18 runs against Winthrop on Feb. 8, it was the most runs in a game since also scoring 18 against UC San Diego on Feb. 17. 2024.
• Tori Ensley finished a triple shy of the cycle against Winthrop.
  • She also finished with six RBIs, the most by a Gamecock since Katie Prebble drove home six on April 8, 2022 against ETSU.
• Arianna Rodi started the season by being named to the Top 50 Watch List for the 2026 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.
• Rodi was named the Preseason No. 34 overall player by D1Softball and the No. 4 first baseman.
• Karley Shelton was ranked as the No. 9 player at her second base by D1Softball.
• Rodi, Shelton, and Lexi Winters were ranked No. 47, 68, and 89 by Softball America.
• Rodi and Shelton were ranked No. 4 at their positions by Softball America, while Winters was the No. 7 catcher.
• Ansley Bennett was named to Softball America’s Top-100 Freshman Watch List.
• Bennett and Kai Byers were named to the D1Softball Preseason Top-100 Freshman to Watch list.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS IS NOTHING NEW FOR SC

• South Carolina is 308-80 (.794) over the past nine years in games outside the SEC.
• Notable wins include UCLA, Clemson, Duke, Texas Tech, Boston U, Utah, Texas, Penn State, Houston, Arizona State, North Carolina, Florida State, California, Virginia Tech, USF, Long Beach State, Hofstra, Liberty, and UCF.
• Carolina will play 28 non-conference games in 2026, 21 of which will be played at Carolina Softball Stadium.

GAMECOCKS VS. RANKED OPPONENTS

• South Carolina is 190-418-1 (.313) against opponents ranked in the NFCA top 25 since 1995.
• Broken down by site, the Gamecocks are 91-153 (.373) at home, 49-191 (.204) on the road and 50-74-1 (.404) in neutral-site outings.
• In 2025 the Gamecocks were 16-14 against ranked opponents.
• In 2024, the Gamecocks went 9-20 against ranked opponents.

SOUTH CAROLINA HISTORICAL RECORD

• South Carolina has played 2,706 games in its softball history, going 1,745-955-7 (.646) in its 53 years of history.
• Carolina has posted 30 or more wins in 10 of the past 12 full seasons.
• Carolina has protected home well, also, with 17 or more victories coming in friendly confines each of the past 11 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.