Charlotte transfer Sam Gress shares why she wanted to finish her career with Ashley Chastain at South Carolina

As Sam Gress’ third season at NC State came to a close, she wasn’t feeling like herself anymore. Something was off.

“It was just a time for me where I didn’t enjoy the game anymore,” Gress told GamecockCentral. “I wasn’t happy. A lot of things just weren’t clicking for me and it just wasn’t a good fit.”

While Gress enjoyed her time in Raleigh, she said it wasn’t a “good environment” for her anymore. So she entered the transfer portal after the 2022 season not knowing what would be next.

During that summer, she got a call from Ashley Chastain, a third-year head coach at Charlotte. Almost immediately, Gress and Chastain were both on the same page. They had similar interests of what they were looking for.

“She knew exactly what I was looking for; I was looking for a family environment. And that’s exactly what she told me: ‘You’re going to get exactly what you see from us. And it’s a family environment, it’s a place where you’re going to be pushed both on the field, off the field. It’s a place where you’re going to win, and you’re going to compete at a high level. And it’s a place where you’re just going to get better.’ And that’s exactly what I was looking for, and that’s exactly what I got,” Gress said.

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Gress quickly committed to Chastain and spent the next two years with the 49ers, where they would find plenty of success. Gress helped the team make the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back years. Charlotte also won the AAC Tournament for the first time in program history in 2024.

Because of this newfound success, it caught the attention of South Carolina athletics director Ray Tanner, who was looking for a new head softball coach. He called up Chastain, who played for the Gamecocks during her college career. The two hit it off in a nearly four-hour conversation, and Chastain officially became the program’s next coach last week.

When Chastain decided to take the job at South Carolina, she spoke to Gress about it. With one more year of eligibility left, she was “hoping and praying” Chastain would want her to come along.

And fortunately, she did.

“When they gave me the opportunity to come with them, it was an easy decision for me. Like I said, two years ago, they took a chance on me out of the portal, and I am forever indebted to them. Just everything that they mean to me, everything that they did for me in those two years is completely because of them, all the successes that I’ve had,” Gress said.

“I just couldn’t imagine finishing my career playing for anybody else. And I knew that the second that she took that job and gave me the opportunity to come with her, I knew in my heart that I’m supposed to finish my career playing for her, no matter where she is.”

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In terms of the player South Carolina will be getting, Gress is a good one. In her two years at Charlotte, the right-handed pitcher went 37-24 with a 2.14 ERA in 349.2 innings. She struck out 242 and walked 97.

“I’m a competitor. I’m passionate on the field, I’m intense. And I’m going to give you everything I got when I’m on that field, and you’re going to hear about it, you’re going to see it,” Gress said. “I like to say there’s a fire about me when I’m on the mound, in the circle. And I’m not shy to it either. You’re gonna see a lot of passion. I’m loud on the mound. I bring this sort of presence to the circle, where I involve the entire field with me when I’m out there. I’m a complete competitor, passionate and fiery person on the mound.”

And it won’t just be Gress that South Carolina is getting from Chastain’s old squad. Lexi Winters, Gress’ battery mate for the last two years, committed to the Gamecocks as well. In addition, Chastain will be bringing her coaching staff from the 49ers along for the ride.

“The culture that we had Charlotte, everything that we learned together, I think, being able to bring that to a program like South Carolina, I think it can be refreshing, and I think it’ll be able to translate pretty easily,” Gress said. “When you have a core group of girls coming in with another core group of girls and being able to mesh what the players at South Carolina already know and what we already know, and meshing that together, I think it’s going to be really great and special.”

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