When Emily Vinson finished her junior season at Longwood, transferring was the last thing on her mind. The Farmville, Virginia, school had become home, and she was coming off the best offensive stretch of her college career. A year earlier, her defensive excellence had earned her a Rawlings Gold Glove Award from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association — an honor reserved for just nine of the best defensive players in Division I softball.
In today’s college sports landscape, standout players at mid-major programs are often top targets for Power Five schools in the transfer portal. But Vinson had no desire to leave. She loved Longwood.
“My last game at Longwood, we lost. I had no intention of leaving,” Vinson said. “It was kind of like, ‘OK, look forward to next year’ type of thing.”
That changed when South Carolina hired Ashley Chastain Woodard as its new head softball coach. Vinson, a native of Elgin, South Carolina, and a former Lugoff-Elgin High School standout, saw an opportunity to return home. She entered the transfer portal — but only with one destination in mind.
“I had that conversation with (Longwood coach Megan Brown), and it was more like, ‘I’m not going in the portal fishing for a bigger opportunity,’” Vinson said. “It’s been my dream to play for South Carolina and play at home. So that’s what I was going in for. It was South Carolina or bust. Either I go to South Carolina, or I stay at Longwood. There wasn’t really anything in between.”
Vinson and Chastain Woodard were already familiar with each other from competing in the Big South — Chastain Woodard had previously coached at Charlotte — so there was mutual respect. Vinson believed in her vision.
“When you play against someone, you get the true version of them,” Vinson said. “You see things you wouldn’t just going through the recruiting process. I had a unique perspective, and I knew she’d do good things at South Carolina. I believed she’d turn the program around.”
Chastain Woodard, for her part, knew what Vinson brought to the table.
“She was obviously the best player on Longwood’s roster,” the coach said. “And the fact that she entered the portal just hoping South Carolina would take her — that said a lot.”
On August 19, Vinson announced her commitment to the Gamecocks. It was the realization of a lifelong dream.
“I always say I’m really blessed that I left a place I loved and came to another place I love,” Vinson said.
The decision has paid off for both sides. Chastain Woodard called Vinson’s addition one of the best moves she made last summer.
“She gives us so much heart and perspective,” she said. “She doesn’t take a second for granted. She put all her eggs in one basket, and it worked out — and I’m really grateful for that.”
Now part of a strong local core on the Gamecocks roster, Vinson says the pride those players bring to the field is what sets South Carolina apart.
“The cool thing about this team is we have a few of those players — Emily Vinson, Lexie Winters, Nealy Lamb,” South Carolina head coach Ashley Chastain Woodard said. “They grew up coming to these games, coming to this stadium. I have pictures of Emily with Cocky when she was just a little girl, dreaming of wearing that uniform, just waiting for someone to give her a shot to be part of the program.”
Now that dream has come true. And even after nearly a full season, Vinson still can’t quite believe it.
“Every time I put the uniform on, it still doesn’t feel real,” she said.
Vinson has become a mainstay in South Carolina’s outfield, appearing in 49 of the Gamecocks’ 50 games this season. Her batting average (.194) may not turn heads, but her defensive play speaks volumes — most notably a home run robbery against Clemson that landed her on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays. She holds a solid .962 fielding percentage and has come through with timely offense, including a recent three-hit performance and her second home run as a Gamecock in a game against Auburn.
“She’s starting to heat up at just the right time,” Chastain Woodard said. “It’s like lightning in a bottle — you can’t put a price tag on that.”
Vinson knows her primary role is defense, but she also understands the importance of contributing at the plate.
“Obviously my role isn’t to hit home runs — it’s defense,” she said. “But if I can get on base for players like Quincee Lilio and the top of our lineup, that puts us in a much better spot to succeed down the stretch.”
Her time in Columbia is winding down. South Carolina’s final home series against Alabama began with a tough 13–1 loss Thursday night. The series carries major postseason implications, with SEC Tournament and NCAA seeding on the line. On Friday, the Gamecocks will honor their seniors — a moment Vinson admits she’s not quite ready for.
“I joke that I’m in denial about it being Senior Day,” she said. “I never really gave up on the dream of being here, but as I got deeper into college, it just felt like the chances kept getting slimmer.”
That’s what makes this season so special for her.
“I just feel a lot of gratitude — to get one last year here, to graduate on time, to have fun, to play, and to finally do all the things I dreamed of doing in school,” Vinson said. “It feels like everything came full circle — like putting a big bow on my career.”
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