Line Drive Softball has spoken with several sources at this weekend’s PGF Show Me the Money event in Newberry, Fla. and all have confirmed the details regarding the dismissal of long-time head softball coach Beverly Smith earlier today.

According to one source close to the SEC school’s softball team:

“It came out of nowhere and we were totally blindsided. There was a Zoom call and that’s how they were told.”

One parent tied to the Gamecocks program said:

“No one saw this coming after this much time had passed after the end of the season. Recruiting was in full swing.”

The school issued a release earlier today confirming the news under the title of Beverly Smith Will Not Return as Gamecocks’ Head Softball Coach.

Here is the entirety of that release:

Beverly Smith will not return as University of South Carolina softball coach, Gamecocks Athletics Director Ray Tanner announced today.

Smith was named Carolina’s softball coach on July 15, 2010.  In her 14 seasons as the program’s head coach, the Gamecocks had a 461-323 (.588) overall record and a 102-219 (.318) mark in the Southeastern Conference.  Her 461 wins at South Carolina is second in school history, behind Hall of Fame coach Joyce Compton’s 951 victories.

South Carolina went to the post-season nine times, advancing to a Super Regional in 2018, which was the best finish in Smith’s tenure, finishing with a 49-17 overall mark and a third-place finish in the SEC with a 15-9 mark.

Smith coached two NFCA All-Americans, 10 All-SEC and 15 All-Region players.

This past season, Carolina finished 36-24 overall, 8-16 in SEC play and concluded its season in the NCAA Durham Regional. 

The team was ranked as high as 17th in national polls and finished the regular season with a No. 27 NCAA RPI Ranking.

Since softball became an NCAA Championship in 1982, South Carolina’s softball program has been to 24 NCAA Regionals, winning five regional titles and advancing to the College World Series three times, the latest in 1997.

This is the fourth head coach let go by Tanner in recent weeks following the dismal of the USC baseball, golf and equestrian coaches.

One parent at today’s game said he was sitting next to Gamecocks Assistant Coach Kevin McGuire when the college coach received a call telling him of the news. According to several sources, the entire staff including other assistants Jake Epstein and Katie Repole will not be retained.

According to a source close to the university’s softball team:

“There is no one in the wings to be hired, no one that the school is looking at to step in immediately.”