No. 4 Seed UAH vs. No. 5 Seed Valdosta State
WHEN	Thursday, May 10 at 2:30 p.m. CDT
WHERE	West Palm Beach, Fla.
FOLLOW	Live Stats | Live Video
SOCIAL MEDIA	Twitter (@GameDayUAH)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. | The No. 16 University of Alabama in Huntsville softball team will open up play in the 2018 NCAA South 1 Regional on Thursday afternoon as the No. 4 seed, battling fifth-seeded Valdosta State at 2:30 p.m. CDT. The Chargers enter the contest at 35-15 on the season, while VSU owns a 41-11 mark heading into the national postseason.
 
UAH earned its 16th straight berth to the NCAA tournament after its successful regular season that saw the team finish third in the Gulf South Conference while boasting seven all-GSC selections including the 2018 GSC Co-Freshman of the Year in Kiara Akles.
 
The team's biggest strength is its offense that ranks among the best in the nation as the Chargers enter the tournament ranked fourth in Division II in on-base percentage, fifth in slugging percentage, sixth in scoring, eighth in home runs per game, and 13th in batting average.
 
Eleven batters are hitting over .300 for the Chargers who bat .348 as a team, and the team has hit 63 home runs on the season including 14 and 12 from the freshman duo of Alaina Hampton and Akles, respectively.
 
Hampton has parlayed those home runs into a total of 55 RBI on the season, and that marks ranks second in the GSC and 25th in the country.
 
The Chargers have also been selective with the bat, exhibiting patience as evidenced by the team's 190 walks that allows the team to get on-base at a .440 rate, and Reagan Malone has led the team in that area, drawing 34 walks on the year to rank 21st among all Division II players.
 
UAH's offensive prowess helped them earn a regular season sweep at Valdosta State back in March as the Chargers won 11-8, 10-0 in five innings, and 8-4 in the three-game series.
 
In those three games, the Chargers combined to hit eight home runs, and when the two teams met in the GSC tournament last weekend, UAH hit two more though they were not enough as Valdosta State had three of their own in winning 8-5.
 
The Blazers are led by GSC Player of the Year Jessica Mohl who is hitting .458 on the season with 19 doubles, seven triples, nine home runs, and 45 RBI, while Kasie Johnson and her 2.39 ERA to go along with 71 strikeouts leads VSU in the circle.
 
UAH is 57-41 all-time in the national tournament including a 9-6 mark against its most frequent opponent VSU, but the two teams have not met since 2015 when the Blazers were a 5-2 winner over the Chargers in an elimination game.
 
This appearance marks UAH's 21st overall, and the team has won at least one game in national postseason play in 10 straight berths.