Softball | January 31, 2023
Each week, the University of South Carolina Aiken will produce notes. This week, USC Aiken hosts Francis Marion on Saturday, Feb. 4 before hosting Catawba a day later.
Coming Off A Solid Season
Head coach
Jaclin Poole's team is coming off a 29-22 season that saw them earn the No. 6 seed in the PBC Tournament. The squad registered two wins over No. 12 North Georgia during the year.
Emily Ayers earned all-tournament team accolades. Ayers, along with
Jena Dewalt, KB Moore and
Lakyn Phillips picked up all-conference honors, tying the program's most in school history. Ayers, Dewalt and Phillips all return to the squad in 2023.
Stanley's Return
Redshirt-senior
Jessica Stanley played in four games before suffering a season-ending injury a year ago. In four games, she hit .429 and was coming off a 2021 season that saw her hit .328 during the Covid-19 shortened season.
Stealing Isn't A Crime
In 2022, USC Aiken recorded 83 steals in 92 attempts (90.2 percent success rate). Of the 83 stolen bases, the Pacers return student-athletes that swiped 72 bags (86.7 percent). Should
Jena Dewalt and
Skylar Morley each have as successful of a year as they did last year, both student-athletes would enter the school's record book for career steals in 2023.
In The Circle
Head coach
Jaclin Poole's team returns the entire pitching staff from the 2022 season. The trio of
Payton Baker,
Lakyn Phillips and
Rebekah Cook combined for 37 complete games, eight shutouts, 289 strikeouts and three saves on the season.
Newcomers
USC Aiken boasts nine freshmen and one transfer to the 2023 squad. The rookies include
Jakayla McKelvey,
Savannah Ballentine,
Riley Daniel,
Grace Ann Thompkins,
Caroline Ballentine,
Ella Stone,
Marlena Perez,
Cameron Greene and
Kadence Adams. The transfer is
Shi Cain, who previously played at Erskine.
Inside The Numbers
This week, USC Aiken opens the season at home against Francis Marion on Saturday, Feb. 4 before hosting Catawba on Sunday, Feb. 5. Since moving to Division II, the Pacers are 223-187 (54.4 percent) in Saturday games and 119-138 (46.3 percent) in Sunday contests. During the same time, the team has never played on Feb. 4 and is 4-2 on Feb. 5.
Against The Opponents
This week, USC Aiken opens the season at home against Francis Marion on Saturday, Feb. 4 before hosting Catawba on Sunday, Feb. 5. The Pacers trail the all-time series to the Patriots 46-30-1 and lead the all-time series against the Indians 21-9.
