USC Upstate‘s softball program opens its fifth NCAA Regional appearance Friday afternoon when the Spartans face the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. Eastern on national television.
The Spartans enter the regional at 36-21 overall and 12-6 in Big South play, having claimed the conference’s automatic bid with a sweep of the tournament at Hawkins Field at Cyrill Stadium in Spartanburg earlier this month. The three-peat — Upstate’s third consecutive Big South tournament championship — extended what program officials have called a dynasty stretch dating to 2024 and 2025 regional appearances at Alabama and Clemson, respectively.
Alabama arrives at this regional with a nation-leading 49-7 record and a 19-5 mark in the Southeastern Conference. The Crimson Tide claimed a share of the SEC’s regular-season title and enter as the No. 1 national seed in the 64-team NCAA field.
The all-time series between the programs tilts heavily toward Alabama at 2-0. The last meeting came at this same site in May 2024, when the Tide edged the Spartans 1-0. Before that, Alabama handed Upstate a 7-1 defeat at the 2014 Tuscaloosa Regional during the Spartans’ first Division I tournament appearance.
Sophomore outfielder Sophia Kardatzke is expected to be a key offensive contributor for Upstate Friday. Kardatzke missed the first 28 games of the season with a knee injury but returned to produce at a .404 average in the back half of the schedule, collecting 36 hits, 21 runs scored, six doubles, six home runs, and 27 RBI. She earned Second Team All-Conference and was named Big South Player of the Week on three occasions during April.
Outfielder Taliyah Thomas is one of eight players on the current Upstate roster who was also in uniform at the 2024 Tuscaloosa Regional. Thomas was recently named to the NFCA All-Region Third Team for the second consecutive season, reflecting the senior-level contributions that have anchored the program’s three-peat run.
Alabama’s watch player is sophomore infielder Brooke Wells, who is batting .404 with 61 hits, 22 home runs, 61 RBI, and 34 runs scored. Wells earned her first career All-SEC honor this season and was named to the NFCA All-Region First Team in the South Region.
The Tuscaloosa Regional also features Southeastern Louisiana and Belmont. The Friday afternoon bracket pairs Alabama against USC Upstate on national television, while Southeastern Louisiana meets Belmont at 3:30 p.m.Saturday’s schedule features three more games that will determine which two teams advance toward the regional final on Sunday.
If Upstate beats Alabama, the Spartans would advance to Saturday’s winner’s bracket game at 2 p.m. A first-game loss would push the Spartans into the Saturday elimination game at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. The program has never advanced past an NCAA Regional, but the combination of tournament experience and a deeper roster than in prior years has coaches and fans optimistic.
For Spartanburg, the Spartans’ continued postseason run represents one of the highest-profile athletic achievements the county can claim in 2026. USC Upstate’s Cyrill Stadium, which sat 36,000 fans for last week’s tournament, was filled to capacity across multiple sessions during the home tournament. The program has now earned five NCAA bids in its Division I era: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2024, and 2026.
