Ashley Chastain is an American, former collegiate softball pitcher and current head coach at South Carolina. She played college softball and was a pitcher for South Carolina.[1]

Ashley Chastain
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamSouth Carolina
ConferenceSEC
Record0–0 (–)
Biographical details
BornPalmetto, Georgia
Alma materSouth Carolina
Playing career
2009–2011South Carolina
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
College Softball
2012South Carolina (GA)
2014–2016College of Charleston (asst)
2017Michigan State (asst.)
2018–2019Ole Miss (asst.)
2020–2024Charlotte
2025–presentSouth Carolina
International Softball
2013Germany National Softball (asst.)
Head coaching record
Overall154–96 (.616)

Playing career

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Chastain played college softball at South Carolina for three seasons and finished eleventh in career relief appearances for the Gamecocks. She led the team in starts, innings pitched and ERA during her junior season.

Coaching career

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College of Charleston

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On October 22, 2013, Chastain was named assistant coach for the College of Charleston softball program.[2]

Michigan State

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On July 20, 2016, Chastain was named the new pitching coach for the Michigan State Spartans softball program.[3]

Ole Miss

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On November 1, 2017, Chastain was named the new pitching coach for the Ole Miss Rebels softball program.[4]

Charlotte

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On June 6, 2019, Chastain was named the new head coach for the Charlotte 49ers softball program.[5] After leading the team to a 14-13 record in 2020 before the season was cut short due to COVID-19, the 49ers went 31-19 in 2021 (their highest win total since 2016) and won their first-ever Conference USA East Division title.

Ahead of the 2022 season, Charlotte for the first time was picked as preseason favorites to win the Conference USA regular-season title.[6] On March 2, 2022, the 49ers defeated their highest-ranked opponent in program history, upsetting No. 6 Virginia Tech 5-2.[7] She finished her tenure at Charlotte with a 154–96 overall record, a 65–32 conference record and two NCAA tournament berths in five seasons.

South Carolina

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On June 11, 2024, Chastain was named the head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks softball program. Chastain is an alumna of the University of South Carolina, having played from 2009 to 2011.[8]

Head coaching record

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Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Charlotte 49ers (Conference USA) (2020–2023)
2020 Charlotte 14–13[a] 2–1 2nd (East) Season canceled due to COVID-19
2021 Charlotte 31–19 14–6 1st (East)
2022 Charlotte 35–23 12–12 4th (East)
2023 Charlotte 35–23 16–7 1st NCAA Regional
Charlotte 49ers (American Athletic Conference) (2024)
2024 Charlotte 39–18 21–6 T-1st NCAA Regional
Charlotte: 154–96 (.616) 65–32 (.670)
South Carolina Gamecocks (SEC) (2025–present)
2025 South Carolina 0–0 0–0
South Carolina: 0–0 (–) 0–0 (–)
Total: 154–96 (.616)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

  1. ^ The season was not played past March 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.


References

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  1. ^ "Chastain Named 49ers Head Softball Coach". Charlotte49ers.com. UNC Charlotte. 6 June 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  2. ^ "Ashley Chastain Completes CofC Softball Staff". CofCSports.com. COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON. 22 October 2013. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  3. ^ "Chastain Joins Softball Staff". MSUSpartans.com. Michigan State Spartan Athletics. 20 July 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  4. ^ "Ole Miss Softball Adds Ashley Chastain as Pitching Coach". OleMissSports.com. University of Mississippi. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  5. ^ "Chastain Named 49ers Head Softball Coach". Charlotte49ers.com. UNC Charlotte. 6 June 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  6. ^ "SB: 2022 Preseason Poll, Team Announced". 8 February 2022.
  7. ^ "Niners Post Biggest Win in School History; Topple No. 6 Hokies, 5-2". 2 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Ashley Chastain Named Gamecock Softball Head Coach". gamecocksonline.com. June 11, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2024.