How Ashley Chastain wants to go about building her team at South Carolina

South Carolina hired former Charlotte softball head coach Ashley Chastain as their next softball head coach on Tuesday.

In her opening press conference Wednesday, Chastain talked about how she will build her coaching staff over the coming days and her roster for the future.

“I’m really excited to tell you about the staff I am putting together. It’s going to be a staff that has deep Carolina roots and a staff that is very loyal,” Chastain said.

Not only does Chastain want the staff to have local roots, Chastain also feels that her staff will help a lot with player development and finding the best players.

“The staff will be the best in the country at player development, player connections and recruiting,” Chastain said.

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Chastain also promised she and her staff will recruit players from coast to coast to give themselves the best chance to win the SEC.

“That’s what we are here to do. It is to win the league and it [the SEC] is the premier league for softball in the country,” Chastain said.

Chastain also wants to build her roster locally through recruiting.

“With recruiting, it is going to be really important for my staff and I to put a fence up around the state. We want the best players in the region to the flagship school and be Gamecocks for life,” Chastain said.

With in-state rival Clemson as the biggest competition for local recruiting, Chastain feels that putting a fence around the state starts with the team environment.

“We have to create an environment that players want to be a part of. My staff and I are going to work really hard at creating that environment,” Chastain said. “It’s a holistic approach of giving them the best player development that we can give them.”

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Chastain wants the culture of the team to go beyond just on-the-field play.

“It’s being able to guarantee to them that they are going to walk in the program and become a better player and a better person by growing them off the field and challenging them on the field,” Chastain said. “We have to create a winning culture of winning championships.”

Before arriving in Charlotte in June of 2019, Chastain served as a pitching coach at Ole Miss, Michigan State and the College of Charleston.

During her playing career at South Carolina, Chastain pitched three seasons for the Gamecocks, including leading the team in innings pitched, games started and ERA in her junior season.

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