TAMPA, Fla., July 21, 2025 – Head Coach Ken Eriksen and the University of South Florida softball team announced that Carley Ernst will be joining the 2025 recruiting class. Ernst joins South Florida after having a stellar first year at Hofstra.
 
"What Carley Ernst does in the circle is so impressive to me," said Coach Eriksen. "She is a competitor, has a bulldog mentality, with no fear. She will make our team stronger. With our young guns coming back in Anne Long and McKenna Schroding, and our veterans in Belle Sardja and Hannah Marien, along with our newcomers (Amelia Jacob and Sydney Shaffer), the USF pitching staff just became the type of staff that gets us deep into the championship season without burning anyone out."
 
Ernst will provide depth to an already deep pitching staff. In her lone season at Hofstra, she earned a spot on the Coastal Athletic Association All-Rookie Team. She appeared in 34 games, including 23 starts in the circle. She earned eight wins and collected six saves. She recorded 82 strikeouts in 131.1 innings of work.
 
During her standout high school career, Ernst struck out 420 batters and threw a no-hitter during her senior season at Hempfield High School. She was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year in 2022 and 2024. She helped lead the Black Knights to back-to-back Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 1 Championships. As a hitter, she tallied 84 hits and 55 RBIs. She led Hempfield with 13 stolen bases in her sophomore campaign.
 
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About USF Softball
The South Florida softball program has been one of the most successful on campus, making 18 NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Women's College World Series in 2012. Under head coach Ken Eriksen, who enters his 29th season in 2026 and has accumulated 1,161 wins, ranking seventh among active DI head softball coaches, USF has produced 10 NFCA All-Americans, two USA Softball Top 10 Players of the Year, and one NFCA Pitcher of the Year. In 2022, Georgina Corrick became the first player in softball history to earn the NCAA Pitching Triple Crown. She led the nation in ERA (0.51), Victories (37), and total strikeouts (418).
 
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