MONTGOMERY, Ala. | The University of Alabama in Huntsville softball team is set for its 19th straight appearance in the NCAA Division II tournament, opening up play at the South 1 Regional on Thursday as the fifth seed against No. 4 seed Nova Southeastern. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. on the campus of host and top seed Auburn Montgomery.
 
UAH has reached the tournament every year it has been held since 2003 and is 63-48 all-time in the postseason event, and the Chargers have played 36 different opponents in the tournament including a 2010 showdown with Thursday's opponent which resulted in a 7-4 win for the Chargers.
 
UAH earned the at-large berth to the tournament with its 38-15 overall record, a mark that was aided especially by a strong late-season push that saw the Chargers go 21-2 from the start of April.
 
That included a run through the GSC tournament in which UAH advanced to the championship game, and the strong finish to the year has the Chargers back in the national rankings at No. 24.
 
Three other schools participating in the South 1 and South 2 Regionals are ranked including No. 3 AUM, No. 6 Tampa, and No. 12 Valdosta State.
 
Thursday's opposition is the first team just outside of the rankings as the Sharks wrapped up the regular season going 37-12.
 
Included among those victories is a 6-1 triumph over UAH in the season's first weekend at Gulf Shores, and other impressive wins on the resume for the Sharks include a road sweep at Tampa in early March.
 
The Sharks feature a strong pitching staff with a team ERA of just 1.72. The leader of the bunch is Ashley Connor who has struck out 94 while holding opponents to a .200 batting average on her way to owning a 17-3 record and a 1.29 ERA.
 
In the South 1 Regional's other game on Thursday, top-seeded AUM will take on No. 8 seed Tuskegee.