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No. 21 Softball Hosts No. 22 LSU for Three-Game Series
Softball  . 

No. 21 Softball Hosts No. 22 LSU for Three-Game Series

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The 21st ranked South Carolina softball team begins a three-game SEC series Friday (Mar. 20), when the Gamecocks host No. 22 LSU.

Friday’s game is “Electric Carolina Night” where the first 300 fans will receive a Neon Gamecock T-shirts! Sunday is Junior Gamecock Club and Lexi Winters Day. All Junior Gamecock Club members will receive FREE admission to the game and fans will receive a Lexi Winters button.

#21 South Carolina Gamecocks (20-10, 0-3)
#21 South Carolina Gamecocks (20-10, 0-3)
vs.
#22 LSU Tigers (19-9, 1-5)
#22 LSU Tigers (19-9, 1-5)
Columbia, S.C. | Carolina Softball Stadium

Weekend Schedule

SERIES INFORMATION
Series History: LSU leads 54-22
Trend: South Carolina won 2
Last Meeting: South Carolina 4, LSU 1 | Mar. 30, 2025 | Baton Rouge, La.

#21 South Carolina Gamecocks 19-10, 0-3 SEC
Coach: Ashley Woodard | 2nd Season
AVG Leader: .424 | Quincee Lilio
RBI Leader: 32 | Karley Shelton
Home Run Leader: 6 | Arianna Rodi and Tori Ensley
ERA Leader: 1.50 | Jori Heard
Strikeout Leader: 53 | Emma Friedel
Wins Leader: 8 | Emma Friedel

#22 LSU Tigers 19-9, 1-5 SEC
Coach: Beth Torina | 15th Season
AVG Leader: .338 | Sierra Daniel
RBI Leader: 20 | Tori Edwards
Home Run Leader: 5 | Tori Edwards
ERA Leader: 1.61 | Tatum Clopton
Strikeout Leader: 57 | Jayden Heavener
Wins Leader: 6 | Tatum Clopton and Jayden Heavener

LEADING OFF

  • The 2026 season is the 53rd season for the Carolina Softball team.
  • This week in the polls the Gamecocks are ranked No. 21 by the NFCA, No. 24 by USA Softball/ESPN and No. 25 by D1Softball.
  • They’re 32nd in the RPI with an overall strength of schedule of 24.
  • Carolina opened SEC play with the defending National Champion for the second straight season. They opened 2025 at Oklahoma.
  • South Carolina won the series last year in Louisiana. The Gamecocks earned a doubleheader sweep on Sunday to take the series against then-No. 3 LSU.
  • The Gamecocks and Tigers first met in 1982, when Carolina swept a three-game series at the Orlando Invitational April 2-4.
  • Arianna Rodi hit her 50th career home run against Queens on March 1.
    • She currently sits 7th among active NCAA players in career home runs.
    • Rodi also ranks 3rd among active NCAA players in career walks.
    • Quincee Lilio is 30th among active NCAA players in career walks.
  • As a team, South Carolina ranks 11th in the nation in walks.
  • They also rank 15th in the nation in hit by pitches, 16th in total runs and triples, 17th in double plays, and 19th in on-base percentage.
  • The Gamecocks rank among the top-30 in: batting average, doubles, ERA, hits, hits allowed per game, RBIs, scoring, and slugging percentage.
  • Arianna Rodi currently is 4th among Division I players with 1.00 walks per game.
    • Quincee Lilio ranks 21st at 0.87 per game.
  • Jori Heard ranks 25th in ERA with a 1.50.
  • Tori Ensley and Nia McKnight are tied for 30th in triples with three.
  • Emma Friedel ranks 31st in the country in strikeouts per game (8.6)
  • Karley Shelton sits 23rd in the nation with 43 total hits.
    • She also ranks 28th with 10 doubles.
  • Jamie Mackay hit walk off home runs in consecutive games to run-rule Boston College (Mar. 13 & 14).
  • Tate Davis had a walk-off single in the bottom of the 7th of Sunday’s game vs BC.
    • Carolina had three straight walk-off wins for the first time since February 21-22, 2025.
  • Against the Eagles on Mar. 13 Carolina hit four home runs for the first time since also hitting four against then-No. 2 Oklahoma last season on March 9.
  • Emma Friedel tied a season-high with nine strikeouts against BC (Mar. 13).

IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME

  • South Carolina is 294-117 (.715) at Carolina Softball Stadium since being built in 2013. That includes a 7-1 record at home while hosting an NCAA Regional and a 1-2 record hosting Super Regionals 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, they have never finished lower than 15th in average or cumulative attendance.
  • In 2025, Carolina ranked 15th in the nation in total attendance and 28th in average attendance. They were 7th and 14th in 2024, 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 190-424-1 (.310) against opponents ranked in the NFCA top 25 since 1995.
  • Broken down by site, the Gamecocks are 91-156 (.368) at home, 49-191 (.204) on the road and 50-77-1 (.395) 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 2,728 games in its softball history, going 1,758-963-7 (.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.

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