South Carolina softball lands talented transfer portal pitcher
South Carolina softball coach Ashley Chastain Woodard guided the Gamecocks to one of their top seasons in recent memory. However, the first-year head coach has bigger plans for year two. Following her team’s Super Regional exit in this year’s NCAA Tournament, Chastain Woodard and her staff have gone to work mining the transfer portal and looking for players who can help USC take the next step. On Wednesday, they landed a big piece.
Right-handed pitcher Emma Friedel announced her transfer portal commitment to the Gamecocks on social media. Said Friedel, “I’M GOING GARNET. Thanking Jesus for this opportunity. See you in COLA for the next 2!!!”
Friedel makes her way to Columbia from Kennesaw State, where she played two seasons for head coach Tripp McKay. Following the Owls’ dismissal of McKay, she hit the portal with two years of eligibility remaining.
South Carolina softball transfer portal headquarters
While at KSU, Friedel transitioned from a high-upside fourth option as a true freshman in 2024 to the team’s top arm as a sophomore. This spring, she logged a solid 3.42 ERA but showcased elite strikeout stuff, fanning 132 batters in 127 innings. She has battled walks at times, but South Carolina’s top three arms (Sam Gress, Jori Heard, and Nealy Lamb) were excellent at limiting the free passes, speaking to the Gamecock coaching staff’s ability to develop pitchers and improve their command. Friedel will be tasked with helping replace Gress, who made the All-SEC team this season.
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This season, Friedel surrendered just a .201 batting average to opposing hitters. Though against a lower level of competition, that number was better than anyone in garnet and black. She also tossed 10 complete games for the Owls in her career.
Friedel joins former Mississippi State pitcher Josey Marron, former NC State outfielder Tori Ensley, former Florida Gator infielder Alyssa Hovermale, and former Ole Miss infielder Tate Davis as players committed to South Carolina out of the transfer portal.
