Softball to Kick Off Season at Gamecock Invitational

Gamecock Invitational Details: Friday, Feb. 6- Sunday, Feb. 8; Columbia, S.C., Carolina Softball Stadium
Live Video: Game 2 vs. South Carolina
Live Coverage: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5
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COLUMBIA, S.C. – Syracuse softball will start its season off at the Gamecock Invitational hosted by South Carolina from Feb. 6–8. Games are set to take place at the Carolina Softball Stadium. The Orange will face Central New York foe Binghamton twice this weekend, along with matchups against South Carolina and Winthrop.

SU will begin play on Friday, Feb. 6, at 10 a.m. against Binghamton before taking on South Carolina later in the day at 3 p.m. The Orange will continue gameplay on Saturday (Feb. 7), facing off with Binghamton once again at 10 a.m., followed by a matchup with Winthrop at 3 p.m. Syracuse will play Winthrop once more on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 10 a.m. to round out its first tournament of the season.

ORANGE UPDATE:
The Orange head into the weekend with a clean slate for the season and many returning faces. The team welcomes back 17 players from the 2025 season, including four who started in 30+ games (infielders Madelyn Lopez, Jadyn Burney, outfielder Gabby Lantier, and catcher/utility Madison Knight), who put up a combined total of 141 runs, 212 hits, 15 home runs and 103 RBIs last season.

Heading into her eighth season, head coach Shannon Doepking welcomed seven newcomers to the team in the offseason, including six freshmen and one transfer. The new freshmen include infielders Kaylee Eubanks and Kendall Gaunt, pitcher Kennedy Woodruff, catcher Grace Weaver, outfielder Mackenzie Knight and utility player Harmony Jackson. Joining the squad from Wichita State is junior infielder Milija Seaton.

In the circle last season, Knight threw a total of 150.0 innings, accumulated 113 strikeouts and a 3.45 ERA. Julianna Verni added 79 strikeouts, pitching through 100.0 innings. Also returning for the Orange are Jackie Pengel, Rose Cano and Sydney Jackson.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
The first matchup of the season will be the 28^th and 29^th meetings between the Orange and Binghamton. While Syracuse leads with a 23-4 record, the two teams split the last doubleheader on April 19, 2023. The Bearcats finished the 2025 season with a 36-14 record and were at the top of the America East Conference. After securing the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament by winning the conference tournament, the team ended their season in the regional round.

'Cuse has not faced off against South Carolina since 2005. Though it is only the third meeting, the Orange have a 2-0 advantage. The Gamecocks are ranked at No.12 by the NFCA poll heading into the season, and welcome ten transfers, including Josey Marron from Mississippi State.

Winthrop finished their 2025 season with a 30-23 record, falling to USC Upstate in the Big South Championship. The last meeting between both teams was in Feb. 2017 in which Syracuse secured the 6-5 win in 11 innings, improving their record to 3-0 over the Eagles.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE:

Friday, Feb. 6: vs. Binghamton at 10 a.m.
Friday, Feb. 6: vs. South Carolina at 3 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 7: vs. Binghamton at 10 a.m.
Saturday, Feb. 7: vs. Winthrop at 3 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 8: vs. Winthrop at 10 a.m.

UP NEXT:
Following the Gamecock Invitational, the Orange will head to Austin, Texas to play in the Bevo Classic hosted by the University of Texas from Friday, Feb. 13 to Sunday, Feb. 15. Syracuse will face Abilene Christian, Texas, NIU and Ohio State.

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