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Tuscaloosa Regional: Schedule & Updates

Get the latest schedule, matchups, and live updates from the Tuscaloosa NCAA Softball Regional.
Maren Angus-Coombs, Nicole Reitz|
Alabama was named the No. 1 overall seed for the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament.
Alabama was named the No. 1 overall seed for the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament. | Gary Cosby Jr.-Tuscaloosa News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

For the second time in program history, the Alabama Crimson Tide was named the No. 1 overall seed for the 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament.

The Crimson Tide will welcome Southeastern Louisiana, Belmont, and USC Upstate to the Tuscaloosa Regional, which begins Friday, May 15, at Rhoads Stadium.

Friday, May 15

Game 1: Alabama 8, USC Update 0

Alabama freshman Kaitlyn Pallozzi dazzled in her NCAA Tournament debut for the Crimson Tide, holding USC Upstate to just four hits in a five-inning complete game.

Marlie Giles and Audrey Vandagriff both homered for Alabama and Alexis Pupillo was 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs.

Vandagriff was the only other Alabama batter to have a multi-hit game, finishing with a 2-for-2 game.

Game 2: Southeastern Louisiana 0, Belmont 2

It was a wild ending but the Belmont Bruins upset Southeastern Lousiana to open the NCAA Tournament.

Maya Johnson struck out eight and allowed only four hits. She made the game-ending play at home on a dropped third strike that kicked to the first base dugout. Johnson covered home and made the tag for the game's final out.

The Bruins scored one in the first and one in the sixth and outhit Southeastern Louisiana 7-4.

Lydia Vanderwoude and Tallulah Eichholz drove in the two runs for the Bruins.

Cera Blanchard was handed the loss for the Lions, allowing two earned runs on five hits and three strikeouts in five innings of work.

Saturday, May 16

Game 3: Alabama 3, Belmont 0

A Jocelyn Briski vs. Maya Johnson pitcher’s duel was all the hype prior to this matchup, but the Crimson Tide’s gritty offense, nor the sold-out crowd at Rhodes House, was going to let that happen in the first inning. 

A two-run RBI from Marlie Giles started the scoring and snapped Johnson’s 25-straight scoreless inning streak. Audrey Vandagriff knocked in an RBI for insurance. 

Briski, meanwhile, held a perfect game through five innings. In the one-hit shutout, she collected seven strikeouts with just one walk on 53 pitches thrown. 

Johnson recovered from the first inning and continued to fend off Alabama’s hitters, but her own offense didn’t get through Briski until Tallulah Eichholz singled up the middle. Johnson ended her outing with seven strikeouts and 118 pitches thrown. 

Game 4: USC Upstate 5, Southeastern Louisiana 4

In a close seventh inning that nearly allowed the Lions to come back, Maddie Drerup held down the offense to keep USC Upstate’s season alive. 

The Spartans got ahead first with two runs in the third inning due to Abby Polk scoring on a throwing error and Carson Shaw roping in an RBI. Hallie Burns proceeded to struggle on the mound for the Lions, and she walked in two runs to give USC Upstate more power. Taliyah Thomas added one more insurance RBI in the bottom of the sixth. 

But then the Lions found some life in the seventh inning. The offense capitalized on a throwing error, which allowed Veronica Puckett to score their first run of the game. Katie Lott singled through the left side for two RBIs, and Shenita Tucker drove in the runner on third. 

Drerup managed to get out of the game and was charged with the win. 

Game 5: USC Upstate 10, Belmont 1

For the first time in program history, USC Upstate is moving on to the Regional final.

Without ace Maya Johnson on the mound, the Bruins had a rough beginning to this matchup. Ellie Giles got the start and allowed the Spartans to score four in the first, including a two-RBI double from Laney Jennings. 

Johnson eventually entered in the fourth inning but a double from Abby Polk and another from Jennings extended the Spartans’ lead. The ace lasted half the inning before Hannah Leierer took over. 

With one run on the board, the Bruins threatened in the sixth inning with bases loaded and forced Ashlyn Brown off the mound, but Maddie Drerup was able to force fly outs. 

The Spartans continued to keep tacking on the insurance runs and three runs were driven in in the seventh before Belmont could close out the inning. 

Sunday, May 17

Game 6: Alabama 9, USC Upstate 0

The long ball from the Crimson Tide and a dominant one-hit performance from freshman Vic Moten took Alabama to a Regional title. 

Audrey Vandagriff’s two-run home run in the second inning, followed by a two-run shot from Jena Young and a solo out-of-the-parker from Brooke Wells in the third inning, gave Alabama plenty of cushion. 

Wells doubled in the sixth inning, Salen Hawkins singled in an RBI, and Young added another homer for two more RBIs in the seventh to extend the lead. 

Moten took a perfect game into the sixth inning, but a single from USC Upstate’s Mackenzei Bernal-Mahagan broke it up. Moten ended the outing with five strikeouts across six innings before Alea Johnson came in for relief. 

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.

Nicole Reitz
NICOLE REITZ

Nicole Reitz graduated from Indiana University Indianapolis with a degree in sports journalism in 2022 and has been writing about softball and baseball since 2018 .Her work has been published in various publications like Softball America, the Indianapolis Star, and SoxOn35th.

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