Ashley Chastain on transfer portal usage: 'We've got to do it all'

Nowadays, when a coach takes over a college sports program, across the board, they need to be dialed in with the transfer portal to hit the ground running. So, of course, that’s the plan for new South Carolina softball coach Ashley Chastain.

She was introduced as the new Gamecock head coach this week and held her introductory press conference, where the topic of roster construction in the transfer portal era was brought up. Whether it’s adding players from the portal, from JUCO schools, or straight from high school, Chastain knows she needs to keep all avenues open in recruiting.

“I mean, we’ve got to do it all,” she shared. “I think, with what we want to do with the program and the level that we want to win, like, we’re going to be really good at all of it.”

Specifically, Chastain feels she’s done well building through the transfer portal at her last stop in Charlotte.

“So you know, the transfer portal, we have a lot of experience with the last few years at Charlotte. I think it was the way that we brought a lot of experience into the program that I was leading at that time — and had some success in a short amount of time. But yeah, I mean, I think you have to use the portal.”

Ashley Chastain is a big supporter of the portal in general. While many coaches outwardly loathe the recent transfer changes, she’s all for it.

“I think it’s a great way to give players opportunities at a new start,” shared Chastain. “Everyone has a story, everyone has a different journey, and I think it’s really important to get to know that in the recruiting process as we go through the portal. But we’re embracing it.”

She won’t forget about high school recruits, though. After all, to build proper continuity, you do need to keep some three and four-year players around.

“We want to get the best high school players in the country, but we also want to get the best players out of the portal, and we need both. Like, we need to bring both in and make that cohesive and marry those things together to have the team that we can have here.”

In her very first season, high school recruits will be nice to have, but Carolina is going to need plenty of portal players to fill out a competitive roster.

“So we’re running full force in the portal,” says Chastain, “and excited about those opportunities over the next few months as we build this team.”