Overview
- Alabama opens the Tuscaloosa Regional on Friday at noon CT against USC Upstate at Rhoads Stadium, with Belmont and Southeastern Louisiana in the four‑team, double‑elimination bracket.
- Belmont’s Maya Johnson leads Division I with a 0.66 ERA and Southeastern Louisiana’s Cera Blanchard ranks third at 1.08, setting up a test for Alabama’s aces Jocelyn Briski and Vic Moten.
- Despite a 7-1 loss to Texas in the SEC title game, Alabama secured the tournament’s top seed, while No. 2 seed Texas starts the Austin Regional against Wagner.
- The SEC’s depth frames the national picture with 12 league teams in the 64‑team field and six of the top eight seeds; pre‑tournament polls placed Alabama No. 2 (USA Softball) and No. 3 (NFCA).
- Regionals run May 15–17 with top seeds hosting, winners advance to next week’s super regionals, and the Women’s College World Series begins May 28 in Oklahoma City; this is Alabama’s second No. 1 seed and 27th straight NCAA berth.