The USC Upstate Spartans are dancing again. For the third consecutive season, the USC Upstate softball team has punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament, solidifying a three-peat as Big South Conference champions. This remarkable run marks the program's fifth trip to the NCAA Division I Regionals, and they're heading back to a familiar destination: the Tuscaloosa Regional.
This isn't just another tournament appearance—it's a homecoming of sorts. The Spartans' journey to the Big Dance actually began in Tuscaloosa, with three straight trips from 2013 to 2015. They've since made stops in Auburn (2016) and Knoxville (2017), before returning to their roots with a 2024 appearance in Tuscaloosa and a 2025 trip to Clemson. Now, in 2026, the story comes full circle as Upstate prepares to face the nation's top overall seed, the University of Alabama, on Friday, May 15th.
This season has been a testament to resilience and growth. The Spartans boast eight players who were part of the 2024 Tuscaloosa roster—Abby Polk, Maddie Drerup, Grace McKee, Ashlyn Brown, Carson Shaw, Amie Johnson, Taliyah Thomas, and Emily Stern. At the same time, 12 players will experience their first NCAA Tournament action, creating a perfect blend of veteran leadership and fresh energy. The team also welcomed back key players Taliyah Thomas and Sophia Kardatzke from injury, adding depth to an already determined squad.
Upstate's preparation for this moment was no accident. A challenging late-February road trip to the Jane B. Moore Memorial at Auburn tested their mettle against tournament-caliber teams like Auburn, Troy, and Virginia Tech—the Hokies themselves eventual regional qualifiers. That experience paid dividends as the Spartans finished the regular season with a stellar 36-21 record (12-6 in Big South play) and entered the conference tournament as the No. 2 seed and host.
In the Big South Championships, Upstate showed their championship form. They opened with a shutout victory over No. 3 seed Radford, followed by a commanding 5-1 win over top-seeded Winthrop. In the championship finale, the Spartans left no doubt, run-ruling the Eagles to secure their spot in the NCAA Tournament once again. Now, the Spartans are ready to write the next chapter of their story in Tuscaloosa.