The University of Kentucky softball team returns to the friendly confines of the UK Softball Complex this weekend, Apr. 2-3, as it plays host to the Gamecocks of South Carolina.

Familiar faces will be in opposing dugouts as UK?s first-year head coach Eileen Schmidt takes on USC?s Joyce Compton. Schmidt began her coaching career with the Gamecocks in 1995 and worked alongside Compton for two years in Columbia.

?South Carolina is such a good team traditionally. They always find a way to win,? said head coach Eileen Schmidt. ?They have so much history and Joyce Compton is a Hall of Fame coach. She?s a class act all the way.?

The Wildcats have played six straight road games with trips to Mississippi State and No. 4 Tennessee. UK earned its biggest win of the season with an eight-inning win over the Lady Vols and their ace Monica Abbott who had tossed a perfect game in the series opener. Brooke Marnitz homered in the eighth and Meghan Cooper was stellar on the mound as the Wildcats defeated the Lady Vols, 2-1.

?We are excited to get back on the field after a good series against Tennessee,? said Schmidt. ?We would like to build on that. It?s a matter of putting our nose to the grindstone and getting the job done.?

The Wildcats are now 15-27 on the year and 2-13 in the SEC, while the Gamecocks enter this weekend with a 22-14 mark and 5-5 record in league play. USC has won two straight non-conference games after defeating North Carolina twice during a March 29 doubleheader. They had dropped four straight SEC games prior to their current streak.

This will be the 31st meeting all-time between the two schools. USC leads 23-7 in the series after taking two of three games last season in Columbia.

The SEC weekend kicks off with a doubleheader on Saturday, Apr. 2, and wraps up with a single game on Sunday. Start time is slated for 1 p.m. each day at the UK Softball Complex.