Pitching duo helps lead South Carolina to first Super Regional in seven years
In poker, a hand of two aces is typically a winning strategy. For South Carolina’s run in the 2025 NCAA Softball Tournament, it’s a perfect one.
After defeating Elon in its opening game of the Columbia Regional, South Carolina used a rotation of its two aces, Sam Gress and Jori Heard, to take two wins against North Florida and advance to the Super Regionals.
In their time on the mound, the duo didn’t give up any runs, allowing nine hits. Heard, who pitched in relief in all three of South Carolina’s games, allowed one hit the entire weekend. Heard also did not walk a batter in her 8.2 innings of work during the weekend regional.
“We’re gonna challenge her to have those performances the rest of the way,” head coach Ashley Chastain Woodard said after the opening win against Elon. “We’re going to challenge her to have those performances the rest of the way.”
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The pair already entered the postseason with a ton of success. Throughout the regular season, Gress and Heard combined for all but 12 of South Carolina’s record-setting 39 wins.
Additionally, Heard’s success at South Carolina carries back to the 2024 season. In an early-season contest against Bethune-Cookman, she became the seventh ever and first since 2007 to pitch a perfect game in program history.
Heard and Gress’s success quickly carried over to the NCAA Tournament after Heard entered in relief during Friday’s contest against Elon. Shortly after taking over for Nealy Lamb, Heard struck out her first batter faced. Heard went on to pitch 5.1 innings in the contest, allowing her only hit of the regional and striking out six batters.
Heard credited part of her success to the nation’s sixth-ranked defense backing her up.
“I’m very grateful for the people I have behind me,” Heard said after the Gamecocks’ win over Elon. “The defense I have is so amazing, and I can trust them.”
However, while Gress’ weekend was strong, the senior found herself in multiple difficult spots early in Saturday’s action. In her opening inning of the tournament, Gress had to work her way out of a bases-loaded two-out jam.
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“I know that I can get out of any jam,” Gress said. “It takes one pitch. We had two outs there, and it takes one pitch.”
It’s Gress’s mindset in the circle that gives Chastain Woodard and the team the “utmost confidence” in her.
“Sam just has such a competitive spirit, she has a competitive heart,” Chastain Woodard said. “… Sam is just kind of the ‘refuse to lose’ mentality. I think that always plays her stuff up, like she always gives herself a chance to get outs no matter what the ball’s doing.”
Chastain Woodard also said that South Carolina’s pitching and defense being elite gives the team a good chance, no matter how the offense is playing.
Although the rotation worked against North Florida, there is still a lot to decide on how the pitchers will be managed against UCLA, Chastain Woodard said.
“Right now, we really like bringing Jori out (of) the bullpen. I think she’s doing really, really well in that role,” Chastain Woodard said. “… I think the two of them, the roles that they played all weekend, obviously really worked for us.”
