South Carolina's Ashley Chastain Woodard Is Named Coach of the Year

After a remarkable first season as the Gamecocks head coach, Ashley Chastain Woodard is named the 2025 Coach of the Year in an announcement by D1Softball on Wednesday.

Under Woodard's watch in 2025, South Carolina finished the season with a 44-17 overall record and, for the first time in school history, hosted a Super Regional in Columbia. The Gamecocks would come up just short in thier bid to the College World Series, but it was a great turn around in year one under Woodard.

On Wednesday D1Softball unveiled their softball awards for the 2025 season. Here's what the publication had to say about Woodard: "Taking the reins at her alma mater, Chastain took a team predicted to finish last in the SEC and led them to a top-8 national seed in the NCAA tournament."

South Carolina was picked to finish 15th in the SEC but instead had their first winning SEC record since 2018 and their second in the last 22 years. The 44 overall wins are the most for a first-year head coach in program history and the second most since 2002.