Ansley Ard

2014 Dugout Club Interview

Ard’s 2013 Game-by-Game Statistics
Ard’s 2014 Game-by-Game Statistics
Ard’s 2015 Game-by-Game Statistics
Ard’s 2016 Game-by-Game Statistics

• 2015-16 NFCA Scholar Athlete
• 2016 SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll
• 2014-15 NFCA Scholar Athlete
• 2015 SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll
• 2013-14 NFCA Scholar-Athlete
• 2014 SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll
• 2012-13 NFCA Scholar-Athlete
• 2012-13 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll
• SEC Player of the Week (March 21, 2016)

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: Finished her career with the 10th-best batting average in program history (.324) … Holds the fifth-highest fielding percentage for a Gamecock outfielder in the Southeastern Conference era (since 1997) at .979 … Closed out her playing time at 12th on the all-time stolen-bases list (30), 11th in stolen bases per game (0.16) … A four-time SEC Academic Honor Roll member and also a four-time recipient of a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Scholar-Athlete certificate. 2016 (SENIOR): Drew 52 starts in the outfield, 46 in right … Also started six games in right field and played in four more games … Tied for the team lead with three triples while standing fourth on the team with a .319 batting average … Stole seven bases and was only caught once … Started the year with a 3-for-3 day with an RBI vs. No. 2/2 Michigan (2/12) … Posted a squeeze bunt, which accounted for one of two RBI, in the North Carolina win (2/17) … On the same day she learned she had been accepted into physical therapy school, she went 2-for-3 with two RBI, knocking in the game-winner against Coastal Carolina (2/23) … In her only career pitching appearance, notched a win with an inning of shutout relief vs. Southern Utah (2/26) … Hit three homers on the year, two in the same week en route to SEC Offensive Player of the Week accolades … The first was a grand slam that gave SC the lead in the game-one win over Buffalo (3/16) … Drove in the game-tying run in the second game against the Bulls … Tied the second game of the series against No. 12/12 Georgia with her run before knocking a walk-off home run in the seventh in the first triumph over the Bulldogs (3/20) … College Sports Madness also honored her as its National Field Player of the Week on March 22 … After that 2-for-3 day against the Bulldogs, she added three more in SEC play, on the road at No. 3/3 Auburn (3/26-1), at Arkansas (4/8) and at No. 16/14 Missouri (5/7) … Stole two bases in the series against the Hogs … Had the game-winning two-run triple in the win over Furman (4/26) … Had a two-RBI single that proved to be the difference in the win at No. 16/14 Missouri … Had hits in both games of the SEC Tournament, including a double against No. 10/9 Tennessee (5/12) … Tripled in Saturday’s winner’s bracket game at No. 7/7 Florida State as part of the NCAA Tallahassee Regional … Named to the SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll and to the NFCA Scholar-Athlete list. 2015 (JUNIOR): Drew 35 starts in the outfield, mostly in right … Led the team with six sacrifice hits … Ranked third on the team with a .315 batting average while standing second with five outfield assists … Stole nine bases in 12 tries … Had two three-hit days on the year, the first coming against North Carolina, as she went 3-for-3 with two runs, two RBI and a home run … Scored the game-winning run after starting the rally with a two-out walk in the seventh against Western Kentucky (3/11) … Also scored the game-winner in the shutout of USC Upstate (4/7) … Ended the Georgia Southern win with her bunt single (4/21) … Posted a 2-for-2 day, scoring a run in the Tallahassee Regional win over Dartmouth (5/16) … Named to the SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll and to the NFCA Scholar-Athlete list. 2014 (SOPHOMORE): Started 29 games, including at least four in all three outfield spots, while playing in 43 games … Most of her starts came in left … Led the Gamecocks in stolen bases, swiping nine bags on the year … In her first start, went 3-for-3 with a triple, a walk, a run and a stolen base in the win over Presbyterian (2/8) … At Charlotte (2/19), she went 2-for-3 with her second career homer, a grand slam, in the victory … Also went 2-for-3 as the designated player in the win over UNC Wilmington (2/23) … Collected two-hit days at Tennessee (3/23), in the second game against Furman (3/25) and vs. Campbell (4/8) … In the Longwood win (4/25), went 3-for-3 with two doubles, two runs scored, three RBI and a stolen base … In the NCAA Tournament triumph over Fordham (5/17), she posted a 2-for-2 outing with a run scored and two RBI … A member of the SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll as well as being named an NFCA Scholar-Athlete. 2013 (FRESHMAN): Appeared in 37 games, drawing 12 starts … Of those starts, 11 came as the designated player and one came in center field … That lone fielding start came in the game-one win at Auburn (4/19), scoring a run in the flex spot … Hit .321 on the year, including a .400 mark as a pinch hitter … Drove in nine runs, with all of them coming with runners in scoring position and two outs … One of those came in a pinch-hitting appearance against Charleston Southern (2/24), posting a grand slam in the 17-3 win … The grand slam came after she tried to call time on the same pitch … Scored 16 runs and went 5-for-7 in the stolen-base category … Went 3-for-3 in the second game at Furman (3/13) as the designated player … Went 2-for-2 as a pinch hitter in the first win over Charlotte (4/24), doubling in her first plate appearance before driving in a run with an infield single in her second … A member of the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll … Also an NFCA Scholar-Athlete. HIGH SCHOOL: Four-year letter-winner in softball for coach Teresa Alexander at Wilson Hall … Helped the Barons to the South Carolina Independent School Association 3A quarterfinals and a share of the conference title in 2012 … Hit .652 as a senior, scoring 43 runs and stealing 21 bases … Named 2012 SCISA Softball Player of the Year … Hit 25 homers over her last three years at Wilson Hall … Four-time all-region and all-state member in SCISA as selected by the High School Sports Report (HSSR) … Two-time region MVP … Played travel ball with the Southern Force … Also earned four letters in both basketball and track at Wilson Hall and three in volleyball … Three-time team MVP and all-region and all-state member in basketball … Scored 1,959 points in her career on the hardwood … Owns the Wilson Hall record in the 400-meter dash at 60.3 … Two-time state champion in shot put and a member of the winning 4x100m relay team, coached by her mother Stacy … Earned SCISA’s Bill Simpson Female Athlete of the Year award in 2012 … A WLTX Player of the Week who also was a state finalist for Wendy’s High School Heisman and Gatorade Player of the Year. PERSONAL: Ansley Wells Ard is the daughter of Mark and Stacy Ard … Has one brother, Walker … Considered signing with Georgia before committing to South Carolina … Lists Jennie Finch as her favorite athlete … Says her high school softball coach Teresa Alexander was her biggest influence in softball … Her greatest athletic thrill was hitting a home run in the Colorado Independence Tournament Championship … Majoring in exercise science and wants to become a physical therapist.