TAMPA, Fla. | The No. 5 University of Alabama in Huntsville softball team embarks on the program's 20th consecutive NCAA postseason appearance at the South 1 Regional with a first-round matchup on Thursday at 2 p.m. CT as the fourth seed against fifth-seeded Mississippi College on the campus of the University of Tampa.
 
The Chargers earned the automatic berth out of the Gulf South Conference as the champions of the league tournament, as UAH went undefeated last week on the way to the program's ninth GSC Championship.
 
UAH enters the NCAA tournament with a 44-9 overall record that includes a 25-4 mark in conference play this season, which garnered the Chargers the 2023 GSC Regular Season Championship. The Chargers are coming off four wins at the GSC tournament that included victories over West Florida, Auburn Montgomery, Mississippi College and West Alabama.
 
The Chargers are 66-50 all-time in the NCAA postseason over 24 previous appearances in the South Regional, as the Blue & White last won the regional championship in 2011. UAH is 12-10 all-time against MC, including a 1-1 record between the two programs in the NCAA tournament.
 
Katie Bracken – the GSC Pitcher of the Year – has enjoyed a stellar start to her collegiate career, as she most recently led the Chargers to the GSC tournament title with 11.2 innings and three earned runs allowed over four undefeated games. She now boasts a GSC-low 1.67 ERA over 126.0 innings pitched to go along with a team-best 147 strikeouts after garnering GSC Tournament Most Outstanding Performer honors last weekend.
 
The Chargers offense boasts five players batting .350 or higher with slugging percentages of .480 or higher after the GSC tournament run, led by Kinley Adams with a .439 batting average to rank second in the GSC.
 
Lawren Hayes has been UAH's top offensive performer overall in the 2023 campaign with a .418 batting average out of the lead-off spot in addition to a roster-best 109 total bases from 13 doubles, seven triples and two home runs.
 
The Choctaws start out the South Regional as the No. 15 team in NCAA Division II with an overall record of 42-10 that includes a 24-6 record in the GSC regular season. Mississippi College's powerful offense is led by McCall Lee with 17 doubles, 15 homers and 67 RBI, while the Choctaws pitching staff holds 3.64 team ERA.
 
The winner of Thursday's game moves on to play the winner of No. 1 seed Tampa and No. 8 seed Tuskegee's matchup on Friday at 11 a.m. CT, while the loser takes on the loser of TU and UT in an elimination game on Friday at 2 p.m. CT.