🥎 Staying home! Aspen Boulware, the No. 1 prospect in the country, commits to South Carolina!

Aspen Boulware, the No. 1 player in the country for the class of 2027, has committed to South Carolina softball, giving the Gamecocks arguably the biggest pledge in program history.

South Carolina has seen a recruiting uptick under the direction of second-year head coach Ashley Chastain-Woodard, but Boulware takes things to another level, giving the Gamecocks their highest-ranked pledge of the modern recruiting era.

The Gray Collegiate five-star infielder chose South Carolina over Oklahoma, Florida State, Georgia, Florida, and Texas Tech, and had offers from pretty much the entire country.

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As the No. 1 player in the class of 2027, according to Softball America/On3, Boulware is also the No. 1 middle infielder in the class and the No. 1 prospect in the state of South Carolina.

Growing up in the Midlands, Boulware has always been familiar with the South Carolina program and certainly took notice of the team’s run last year that finished one out away from the College World Series.

Boulware told GamecockCentral last month that her camp experience at South Carolina this summer helped her become more familiar with the program.

“There’s a lot of girls there that I knew just from like, there was a girl from Lexington, Karley (Shelton), and then Precious Bross,” Boulware said. “She transferred from Georgia. She played at Irmo. And so just being able to have conversations with those girls while I’m in the camp was very nice. I could ask them questions and stuff like that. And so I really like that it was very homey. Whenever we go, they’re saying’s like, ‘Welcome Home,’ and so that really transferred into the camp. But yeah, I really enjoyed it. They let me be myself there, and the team, they’re really nice.”

Boulware comes from an athletic family, to say the least.

Her mom, the former Jessica van der Linden, was an All-American and one of the most accomplished softball players in Florida State history.

Those who have followed Palmetto State athletics for years will recognize her dad, Michael Boulware, and uncle Peter. The two brothers starred at Columbia’s Spring Valley High School before starring at FSU and then in the NFL.

Now, Aspen is making her own path as the top softball prospect in the country — and now a South Carolina commitment.

“So Coach Ashley, she gave very like mom vibes, I like that,” Boulware told GamecockCentral last month. “She works with mostly the pitchers, so she wouldn’t be like on the field with me or like hitting in the cages with me. But I kind of like that type of feel with her. And then Coach Katie, she’s more hard going. And not like crazy, but I grew up with my dad. He played in NFL. He’s like that. And so I’m used to it and I want to be told what I need to do to fix it. And she kind of gives me that. She gives me instruction, which I like. And so kind of having the two to balance each other is important to me. So I like that about USC.”

The 2024-2025 Gatorade Player of the Year in the state, Boulware had an incredible sophomore year leading Gray to a state title under coach Doug Frye.

Boulware batted .573 with 22 home runs, 67 runs scored, and 44 RBI. She added nine doubles and eight triples, with 34 walks and 26 stolen bases, compiling a .696 on-base percentage and an incredible OPS of 2.379.

At the WBSC U-18 Women’s Softball World Cup Finals last week, Boulware made the All-World team, hitting .588 in six games with two home runs and an OPS of 1.926, while playing center field.

South Carolina has been on a recruiting hot streak in recent weeks, putting together a 2027 recruiting class that is now ranked No. 9 in the country.

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