Alabama softball shuts out USC Upstate, advances to 4th straight Super Regional
By Ethan Stone
Published:
Alabama softball just secured a 4th straight Super Regional appearance after blanking USC Upstate on Sunday, 9-0.
The Crimson Tide leaned on an electric outing from pitcher Vic Moten, who took a no-hitter into the 6th inning and struck out 5 Upstate batters. Alea Johnson came in to put USC Upstate to bed in the 7th inning and allowed zero hits with 1 strikeout across 3 batters faced.
While Moten and Johnson were stellar in the pitching circle, Jena Young, Audrey Vandagriff and Brooke Wells held it down on the offensive end. Young was especially potent, blasting 2 home runs and accounting for 4 RBIs with 3 total hits. Wells and Vandagriff each launched home runs of their own and combined to tally 5 hits and 4 RBIs.
Alabama, the No. 1 overall national seed, was particularly dominant to open its 2026 NCAA Tournament campaign. The Crimson Tide did not allow a single run all weekend, outscoring opponents 20-0. Alabama beat USC Upstate 8-0 on Day 1 and Belmont 3-0 on Day 2.
The Crimson Tide will face the winner of the Baton Rouge regional final between LSU vs. Virginia Tech, which is currently ongoing over on ESPN+. The Tigers need only win once on Sunday to face Alabama next weekend while Virginia Tech needs a pair of wins, having lost once already on Saturday.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
