USC Upstate softball is a No. 4 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, traveling to play in the Tuscaloosa Regional.
The Spartans (36-21) are fresh off a three-peat in the Big South Softball Championship, as they beat Winthrop 12-2 on May 9.
USC Upstate will open the weekend with a game against the top overall seed Alabama on May 15, with the other game in its regional between Belmont and Southeast Louisiana. The Crimson Tide are the host team.
NCAA tournament Tuscaloosa Regional schedule
All times Eastern
This will be updated as times are made available.
USC Upstate softball NCAA tournament history
Last year the Spartans lost in the Clemson Regional, falling to both the Tigers and Kentucky to end their season 39-16 overall.
USC Upstate has made 11 NCAA tournament appearances under coach Chris Hawkins, and seven were in the Division I era. Hawkins just won his 10th conference championship overall and has been with the program since 1994.
This is the third straight NCAA tournament regional appearance for the program. From 2013-17, the Spartans went to five in a row but didn’t make the tournament again until 2024.
Hawkins has won at least 30 games each year since 2022. USC Upstate moved to the Big South in 2018.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: USC Upstate softball to play Alabama in NCAA Tournament