INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - After making history on Sunday afternoon with its 5-1 win over No. 3 seed Winthrop to become the first USC Upstate team to win a Big South Tournament Championship, the USC Upstate softball team is heading back to the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2017. This will be the program's sixth NCAA Regional appearance, its fourth time going to Alabama for the event.  

Head coach Chris Hawkins was pleased following the NCAA Selection Show saying, "I'm really excited to be in the Tuscaloosa Regional! Coach Murphy really puts on a good one! This is great growth for our program and culture! We might surprise some people!  During the Division I era of my career, three of our six of our regional appearances have been at Alabama and this makes four. I'm really looking forward to it!" 

Upstate softball had another exceptional season after going 30-21 overall and 13-5 in conference play. The Spartans collected both the Big South Regular Season Championship along with the Big South Tournament Championship this weekend. Head coach Chris Hawkins saw seven Spartans receive Big South post season honors while also being named the Big South Coach of the Year of the second time in three seasons. Upstate entered the Big South Softball Tournament as the No. 1 seed and worked its way through the winner's bracket before coming up short in Saturday's final against No. 3 seed Winthrop. The Spartans dominated in Sunday's contest and walked away with the hardware. Senior pitcher Alyssa Kelly won two games in the tournament for Upstate and had a combined 11 strikeouts and surrendered only two runs, thus earning herself the honor of Tournament MVP.  

The Spartans are joined in the Tuscaloosa Regional by Southeastern Louisiana (45-13), Clemson (34-17), and host No. 14 seed Alabama (33-17). 

Alabama softball will host the regional after going 33-17 overall and 10-14 in conference play. The Alabama Crimson Tide earned its 25th-straight postseason bid and 19th-straight as a host, coming in as the No. 14 overall seed. Alabama most recently fell 3-2 to LSU in the opening round of the SEC Softball Tournament.  

The Clemson Tigers enter the Tuscaloosa Regional after finishing the season 34-17 overall and 15-9 in ACC play. Clemson most recently fell 4-3 in 10 innings to Duke in the ACC Softball Championship Semifinals. The program is making its fourth-consecutive NCAA postseason appearance.  

Southeastern Louisiana is set to make its first ever NCAA appearance after going 45-13 overall this season and 17-7 in conference play. The Lions finished their season going undefeated through the 2024 North Oaks Health System Southland Conference Softball Championship to become Southland Conference Champions for the first time in conference history. 

NCAA Regional action at Rhoads Stadium begins Friday, May 17 at 1 p.m. CT with Clemson (34-17) facing Southeastern Louisiana (45-13) on the ACC Network before Alabama (33-17) and USC Upstate (30-21) face off at 3:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+. 

Tickets will go on sale Monday at 9 a.m. CT on RollTide.com. All-session reserved tickets are $40 and brickyard tickets are $35. If available, single session tickets will go on sale Thursday, May 16 on RollTide.com. 

The winner of the Tuscaloosa Regional will match up against the winner of the Knoxville Regional, featuring No. 3 Tennessee (40-10), Virginia (32-18), Miami Ohio (48-7) and Dayton (33-19). 
 

Tickets on Sale for Sparty's Ball – Saturday, May 18   
Support USC Upstate Athletics at Sparty's Ball, the largest fundraiser of the year for the Upstate Athletic Fund. The UAF impacts current and future generations of Spartans, developing champions on the field, building scholars in the classroom, and preparing leaders for life. Presented by the Sports Medicine Institute, a division of Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, Sparty's Ball features live and silent auction items, delicious food from Cribbs Catering, beverages, and live entertainment from Under the Sun, and held at a new location, Indigo Hall in downtown Spartanburg. Come dressed in your Spartan best—cocktail attire is required. For details and tickets, log onto www.upstatespartans.com/spartysball.   
  
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