South Carolina softball to play in prestigious early-season tournament

This February, South Carolina softball will play in a prestigious, invitation-only event. Ashley Chastain Woodard’s team will travel to California for five games, four against NCAA Tournament teams from the 2025 season, as part of the 2026 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.

The Gamecocks will take on Washington, Nebraska, Oregon, UCLA, and St. Mary’s across three days. The Bruins were the team that ended USC’s 2025 season in the NCAA Tournament Super Regional round.

South Carolina has only played in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic once before, going 3-2 in five games during the 2015 season.

Chastain Woodard, who was the National Coach of the Year during her first season back at her alma mater last spring, led her team through three tournaments in 2025. South Carolina went undefeated (14-0) in all three Columbia-hosted events.

The 2026 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic is the first tournament announced for the 2026 schedule.

From the South Carolina Athletics release:

Join GamecockCentral now for $1 your first week and enjoy a complimentary year of The Athletic – included with your membership.

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Head softball coach Ashley Chastain Woodard will lead South Carolina into the invitation-only Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic for just the second time in program history this February. The Gamecocks will face off against four NCAA Tournament programs, including a pair of Women’s College World Series participants, at the event.

“We are honored and humbled to be invited to play in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic,” said the Gamecocks’ leader and 2025 National Coach of the Year. “This has been a prestigious event in our game for a really long time. The top-level competition will only make us better for the SEC stretch of the season and beyond as every game will feel like a postseason matchup. We are excited to represent South Carolina on the West Coast in front of our families and fans and look forward to the tournament!”

The Gamecocks will play five games over three days at the Big League Dreams Sports Park in Cathedral City, Calif., returning to the event for the first time since 2015, when they went 3-2 at the tournament.

South Carolina will open with NCAA Regional participant Washington on Thu., Feb. 19. On Day 2, the Gamecocks will face Nebraska, which advanced to the NCAA Super Regionals after finishing second in the Big Ten, in the morning before meeting Women’s College World Series finisher Oregon, which finished first in the Big Ten, that afternoon.

Saturday’s doubleheader begins with a rematch of the 2025 NCAA Super Regional between South Carolina and UCLA. The Gamecocks will wrap up their tournament schedule against Saint Mary’s that night.

South Carolina returns a majority of its starters from last season’s NCAA Super Regional team, including its top four batting average hitters, top three RBI producers and top pitcher.

Discuss South Carolina softball on The Insiders Forum!