South Carolina’s new softball coach Ashley Chastain wants to create a standard for fighting spirit

South Carolina Softball Coach Ashley Chastain Q&A on 107.5 The Game

Last month, South Carolina named the former Charlotte softball head coach as its new head softball coach.

On Friday, Chastain appeared in a Q&A interview on radio on 107.5 The Game, where she discussed all things South Carolina since becoming head coach.

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During the Q&A, Chastain discussed the new standard and expectations she wants to create at South Carolina.

“There’s no reason the program shouldn’t have a chance to go to Oklahoma City every year,” Chastain said. “We’re going to have to build on that, but it starts with the belief and the thought process every day when the kids walk into the building.”

The road the team has to travel to reach Oklahoma City is a long one, but Chastain says it all starts with success at the conference level.

“Reaching the top half of the SEC and hosting a regional while being a national seed is our path to Oklahoma City and we have to start achieving those goals. It starts with becoming more competitive in the league and bringing the players here that we need to compete at the top of the league,” Chastain said.

However, it has become more difficult not just for South Carolina, but for the rest of the SEC, to reach the top of the SEC.

On Monday, Oklahoma and Texas officially joined the conference to expand the conference to 16 teams. Oklahoma has won four consecutive national championships, and Texas has met Oklahoma in two of the four championships, including this past season.

“It’s the Premier League of softball and it’s really exciting that it just keeps getting better. It just raises the bar and every aspect of the sport,” Chastain said. “It forces us to be better and be able to compete with them, but it definitely makes it harder.”

While Chastain believes finishing in the top half of the SEC will pay off heading into the playoffs, she believes it all starts with confidence in the locker room.

“I believe it starts with who’s in the locker room, from the players we have to the coaching staff and the support we have, and just instilling the belief in where the program should be,” Chastain said.

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Chastain also shared her recipe for building a team.

“I think you have to recruit first and then you have to develop,” Chastain said. “You have to go out there and find the right players that can pitch, hit and defend at this level, because you have to be good in all areas. And then when they come on campus, you create that cohesive belief in the locker room that we can go to Oklahoma City.”

Chastain hopes to start her journey by leading South Carolina to the Super Regionals for the first time since 2018 and to the Women’s College World Series for the first time since 1997.