The South Carolina softball team is off to its best start in program history during the NCAA era under first-year head coach Ashley Chastain Woodard.
When Chastain Woodard took over the team this past summer, she was able to bring in several transfers to help out the Gamecocks. These transfers have already made their mark on the 2025 season, such as junior infielder Arianna Rodi or sixth-year pitcher Sam Gress.
But among the group, one stands out among the rest. Redshirt junior utility player Quincee Lilio, an Oklahoma transfer, has been one one the nation's best hitters, leading the country in on-base percentage in just 19 games and is in the top 10 in both batting average and hits.
Career as a Sooner
Before transferring to South Carolina, Lilio spent three seasons at the University of Oklahoma, which is considered one of the powerhouses in the sport as they have won eight national championships, where she was a member of three championship teams from 2022 to 2024.
Lilio would commit to Oklahoma as the No. 5 ranked recruit in the country according to Extra Inning Softball, but she would end up redshirting her freshman season.
In 2023, Lilio made appearances in 47 of Oklahoma’s 62 games and started 12 of them. She had a batting average of .275 and an on-base percentage of .442, the seventh highest on the team.
The following year, Lilio was unable to improve her stats and appeared in 41 games and started just two games all season.
It was after this season that Lilio said she decided to transfer to South Carolina as she wanted to gain experience by getting more playing time while also competing at a high level .
Lilio said what sealed the deal in her decision to come to South Carolina was the family feel of the program and how close all the current players and coaches felt.
Making an impact right away
In the early stages of the 2025 campaign, Lilio has already stood out as one of the focal points of the Gamecock offense. Her current batting average is .569, leading the team amongst players with more than one at bats, while also leading the nation in on-base percentage with .675.
It didn't take long for Lilio to make an impact, either. During her first game as a Gamecock against Virginia, she hit a game-tying RBI double in the bottom of the seventh to set up the winning hit from Sophomore infielder Karley Shelton.
Lilio had another impressive performance just a week later in a 13-0 victory against Georgia State where she tallied up four RBI’s, and reached base in all three at bats including a triple, the second of her career.
“Good preparation, good game plan,” Lilio said following the game. “Just trusting that process and just sticking with it.”
In the series against the Duke Blue Devils Lilio batted .494 in series, scored five runs, and extended her hitting streak to 18 games to help the Gamecocks sweep the series against the No. 8 Blue Devils.
As Lilio continues to put on a show early in the 2025 season, Chastain Woodard said she remains confident in Lilio and praised her ability to affect the opposing team.
“She just kind of has this energy in the box that I think really affects the opposing pitcher. It affects our whole entire offense in a positive way,” Chastain Woodard said. “I'm just really proud of her. It's really hard to do what she's doing, and she's definitely handling it like a pro.”
Lethal duo at the top of the order
While Lilio is the current lead off batter for the Gamecocks, she is followed in the order by Shelton, putting defenses in a very tough spot to begin games.
This combination of Lilio, who gets on base more than anyone on the team, and Shelton, who has hit the second most home runs and scored the most runs, has led to South Carolina out scoring its opponents 165-40.
The one-two punch of both Lilio and Shelton has scored 51 runs for the Gamecocks. It's something Chastain Woodard is proud of.
“The confidence that Quincee is giving to Karley Shelton in the two hole … they have each other's back, which is really about a team, and I'm really proud of her.” Chastain Woodard said.
Lilio was one of 15 new players, transfers and freshmen, to the South Carolina softball team in 2025. Chastain Woodard noted the variety of background on her team in the preseason, and has felt the players really come together, regardless where they previously played.
“It's just the test of time, they've built a relationship," Chastain Woodard said. “You can feel the chemistry on the field, you can feel their excitement in the locker room, just how excited they are to be at the ballpark every day.”
It is not just Lilio and Shleton who have established chemistry within the first month of the season, with Shelton saying that the team's attitude is to keep the bats moving.
“Getting the bat to whoever’s behind me and knowing the person in front of me is doing the same thing," Shelton said. “Just keep passing it through all nine of us.”