South Carolina softball's Alana Vawter named to All-SEC team
Gamecock softball’s Alana Vawter found herself on the preseason All-SEC team ahead of the spring season on Wednesday. Vawter, a recent transfer, brings experience and mentorship to South Carolina.
Previously, Vawter played four seasons at Stanford University. There, Vawter was a dominant pitcher and named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top-25 finalist (2023). She was also the PAC 12 pitcher of the week four times.
“Having Alana Vawter come in, you have a seasoned professional, she’s an All-American pitcher with great experience who pitched in the College World Series last year,” head coach Beverly Smith said, “That just gives you an anchor on the staff.”
[GamecockCentral for $1: In-depth coverage and a great community]
For Stanford, Vawter pitched a 1.81 ERA with four shutouts and 155 strikeouts in 2023. Vawter pitched a career-low 1.51 ERA in 2021 and 164 strikeouts in 2022.
In 2023, Vawter joined the NFCA All-America second team and NFCA All-West Region first team. Likewise, Vawter helped the Cardinals make it to the NCAA National Championship tournament in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Vawter also finds herself on the USA Softball player of the year top 50 watchlist. The pressure of having all eyes on you is something Vawter has prepared for this season.
“Pressure is a big thing to think about before the season, how you can take it and roll with it. I think a lot of that is just going to be kind of relying on one another and relying on my teammates just to be there all the time all the way through the season,” Vawter said.
[Newsletters: Get breaking news and analysis from GamecockCentral]
Bringing her experience to South Carolina, Vawter has been a mentor to freshman pitchers. Additionally, Vawter has been help to prepare her team in practice on the mound.
“It’s a great opportunity to hit off of, just named All-SEC preseason so we get to hit off that everyday of practice,” outfielder Riley Blampied said. “I think that’s a great opportunity to prepare us for what we’re going to see during the season.”
