Professional Baseball Player Announces Return to South Carolina Softball

Jamie Mackay announced her intention to pursue a fifth year of eligibility with the Gamecocks. A recent court decision may have put a damper on her plans.

South Carolina senior Jamie Mackay (20) is congratulated by teammates after her solo home run during the top of the seventh inning at McWhorter Stadium in Clemson Tuesday, April 14, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Former South Carolina catcher Jamie Mackay announced on Thursday that she intends to return to Columbia and use her fifth year of eligibility to play one last season for the Gamecocks.

Mackay, a member of the Class of 2022, was thought to have finished her career in Columbia this past spring after playing three seasons for Ole Miss. During her senior season at South Carolina, Mackay batted .258 and set career highs in games played (51), hits (31), home runs (8) and runs batted in with 20.

Mackay took a very unusual path to playing Division 1 softball. She grew up playing baseball in California and had aspirations of becoming the first female Division 1 baseball player. She did not receive any Division I offers for baseball, although she did receive offers from Divisions II and III.

Mackay decided she wanted the Division I experience, so she picked up the sport of softball when she started at Ole Miss. Mackay still had a love for baseball and continued to play the sport, eventually earning a spot on the women's U.S. National Baseball Team.

In November 2025, Mackay, a Southern California native, was drafted in the second round by her hometown team, the Los Angeles Queens of the Women's Pro Baseball League. She played for the Queens this past summer in the league's inaugural season, where she hit .556 with four home runs and 11 RBIs over the course of seven games.

Jamie Mackay of the Los Angeles Queens bats against the New York Heights in the inaugural game of the Women's Pro Baseball League at Robin Roberts Stadium Aug. 1, 2026. The Queens defeated the Heights 10-8. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

A day after her announcement, Mackay's plan to return to Columbia is currently on hold. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the NCAA and granted a stay pending appeal in the case of Wisne v. NCAA.

The stay puts a hold on an injunction handed down on July 31 by U.S. District Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney of the District of Colorado. Sweeney's decision to rule against the NCAA's age-based eligibility model essentially granted the entire Class of 2022 a fifth year of eligibility.

The NCAA appealed the decision and requested a stay pending the final outcome of its appeal. The stay was granted Friday.

Today's order now sidelines a majority of Class of 2022 athletes until a determinate decision is reached in the case. If the Wisne plaintiffs ultimately prevail, the the college sports world will be turned upside down as rosters could expand dramatically across all sports, including softball.

That appears to be what Mackay is hoping for. It remains to be seen if she will ever wear a Gamecock uniform again. However, unlike the majority of softball players who turned pro ahead of the 2026 summer, Mackay is eligible to return to softball because she played baseball. She will just need to file for a temporary restraining order to return to the Gamecocks.