Cayla Drotar

2021 (GRADUATE SENIOR):
Closed out her historic career in 2021 with a .235 batting average at the plate in 33 games with 31 starts and 81 at-bats… In the circle, posted a 5.61 ERA with a 3-7 record in 16 appearances and 10 starts… She tossed two complete games in 43.2 innings of work… Shined with a 2-for-3 performance highlighted with a home run, two RBI and a run in the 9-1 (5) win over No. 20 UCF on 3/20… Went 3-for-4 with a run, four RBI and a home run against No. 17 Missouri on 4/3… Helped Carolina to its first SEC win of the season on 4/11 at Ole Miss… In the contest, she went five innings with just two hits allowed.

2020 (SENIOR): 
Hit .250 in five games at the plate, also posted a 3.26 ERA with a 1-1 record in four appearances in the circle… Season cut short due to an injury against Virginia Tech on Feb. 14 in Clearwater… Finished with three hits in 12 at-bats with a run, a double and home run… Slugged .538 with two walks and a hit by pitch on her way to a .375 on-base percentage… In the circle, with 19.1 innings of work, had eight strikeouts while holding teams to a .213 batting average.

2019 (JUNIOR): 
Hit .288 in 56 games played and 55 starts… Had a team-best 49 RBI and 10 home runs for the second-straight year… Slugged .534 with a .353 on-base percentage thanks in part to 19 free bases (14 of which were walks)… Posted a 12-win season in the circle with a career-best six saves in 130.2 innings of action… Appeared in 34 games with 14 starts in the circle and completed five games… At the plate shined in the Campbell win on Feb. 16 going 3-for-3 with three runs and tied the school record for RBI in a game with eight… Also hit two home runs in that game… Went 3-for-4 with three RBI in a win over Winthrop on Feb. 24… Batted 2-for-3 with an RBI in the win at LSU on Mar. 30… Had four RBI against Georgia on Apr. 27… Went 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBI in a win over Bethune-Cookman in the Tallahassee Regional on May 18… Went 3-for-4 with two RBI in the regional championship against Florida State… In the circle earned two wins over Auburn and two saves over Alabama… 11 RBI in conference games… At the plate produced a career best in at-bats, hits, doubles, home runs, RBI, total bases, walks and strikeouts… In the circle had a career best in saves, walks and wild pitches… Had nine multi-hit games and 11 multi-RBI contests… Finished the year with a three-game hitting streak (longest was eight)… Had an 18-game reached base streak during the season… Named SEC Player of the Week for the first time in her career on Feb. 18… Named to an All-Region team for the second-straight year. 

2018 (SOPHOMORE): 
Led the way as a two-way player for Carolina in 2018… Found success in the circle with a 21-7 record in 35 appearances, 16 of which were complete-game performances… At the plate batted .268 with 10 home runs (one of just three Gamecocks to hit 10 or more home runs in 2018) with a .535 slugging percentage… Hit as many home runs as she allowed in the circle (just 10)… Produced eight multi-hit games on the season with 10 multi-RBI games (one of just three Carolina players with 10 or more)… Showed poise throughout the season in the circle averaging 5.08 innings per appearance with just 1.85 walks per seven innings in contrast to 2.44 strikeouts… Was almost un-hittable in the seventh inning, posting a 0.47 ERA in the inning with just two runs allowed… At the plate went 2-for-3 with a run and three RBI in a win over St. John’s in Miami as she hit her first career home run (2/11)… Produced with three RBI in a victory over Charlotte (2/14)… Went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two doubles (season-high) in a win over Duke (3/20)… Batted 2-for-3 with two runs and three RBI in a win over Missouri after coming out of the game before with a leg injury (4/21)… The (4/21) win over Missouri was also her first-career multi-home run game… Went 1-for-3 with three RBI in a win over Hofstra in the Columbia Regional… Finished with a hit in four of the five Columbia Regional games… In the circle threw a complete-game shutout to open the season in a win over East Carolina (2/9)… Followed that up the next day with a six-inning performance with just three hits allowed and no runs to beat Hofstra (2/10)… Went seven innings with no runs and just two hits to beat South Alabama in Orlando (2/24)… Produced maybe her finest performance of the year in a win over Texas, throw eight shutout innings with just six hits to lead the Gamecocks to a win over the Longhorns (3/13)… In her first SEC game of the year, went seven innings in a win over Ole Miss (3/16)… The next weekend led the Gamecocks to a series-opening win over Tennessee in a seven-inning performance (3/24)… Won the Friday night game for the Gamecocks against Arkansas with seven innings and just one run allowed on seven hits… Went seven innings in the SEC Tournament Semifinal game in a win over Mississippi State… Saw action in three games of the Columbia Regional, including a seven-inning complete-game shutout victory over Liberty (5/20)… Named to the Second-Team All-Region squad. 

2017 (FRESHMAN):
A two-way player for the Gamecocks who made 17 starts and 25 appearances in the circle while also taking 34 at-bats … Posted a 3.53 ERA and a 7-4 record as a rookie … Struck out a season-best six while tossing a one-hitter in her collegiate debut against Presbyterian (2/10) … Posted her first-career hit and got the win in the first game against Indiana (2/17) in Texas … Tallied the win with a six-inning shutout of the Hoosiers (3/4), scattering four hits and two walks … Posted the win with 4.2 innings of work against USC Upstate (3/15) … Also had a hit against the Spartans … Slayed No. 1/2 Florida State (4/14), getting the win in the circle with five innings of work while also posting a pair of doubles against the Seminoles … Added a hit and her first career walk in the start at designated player against the `Noles on Saturday (4/15) … Named SEC Freshman of the Week after the work against the nation’s No. 1 team … Concluded her season-best three-game hit streak with a hit and a run against Charleston Southern (4/18) … Also got the win in the circle with five innings of work, giving up just one run … Battled No. 7/7 Auburn, scattering five hits, three walks and two runs, one earned, in the Friday night setback (4/21) … Picked up the win in the NCAA Tucson Regional opener against St. Francis (5/19), giving up two unearned runs in the five-inning complete game … Named to the SEC First-Year Academic Honor.

HIGH SCHOOL:
Earned six letters at Hartsville HS … Earned six All-America notations from MaxPreps, including making their Medium Schools list in both 2015 and 2016 … Her top honors from MaxPreps came in 2013, as the outlet named her its Freshman of the Year, as well as in 2015, when she made the overall second team as well as the junior listing … Three times, she gained South Carolina’s Gatorade Player of the Year honor … A five-time SC Coaches of Women’s Sports All-State performer … Won two state titles with the Red Foxes, in 2012 and 2016 … As a senior, she went 20-2 with a 0.42 ERA in 130 innings, striking out 204 in the circle while hitting .500 with 10 home runs and 49 RBI … As a junior, she went 21-3 with a 0.68 ERA to go with a .635 batting average, 14 homers and 62 RBI … Earned all-region honors six times … Played for the NC Lightning travel-ball team after previously working with the Carolina Elite group.

PERSONAL:
Cayla Nicole Drotar is the daughter of Timmy and Tammy Drotar … Her nickname is “KK” … Has one younger brother, Josh … Chose South Carolina over Alabama, Georgia and Florida because she loved the coaches and grew up as a Gamecock fan … Lists Derek Jeter as her favorite athlete and Tim McGraw as her favorite singer … Majoring in psychology.