Sports

Alabama Baseball Regional Tournament Central: Schedule, How to Watch, Bracket Breakdown

By Joe Gaither Sports Illustrated

Updated May 30, 2026 4:10 AM

The Alabama Crimson Tide drew the 7-seed in the upcoming NCAA Baseball Tournament, earning an opportunity to host the NCAA Regional round in Tuscaloosa. Rob Vaughn's squad will host Alabama State, USC Upstate, and Oklahoma State in Sewell-Thomas Stadium for the right to go to the Super Regionals.

"Obviously got three really good teams here that we're hosting here this weekend," Vaughn said. "So excited to get out there and compete and fly around the yard. It starts with Alabama State tomorrow night. So yeah, good day of work out there today. So now it's rest, recover, hydrate, and get ready for a long weekend."

Alabama and Alabama State have played twice already in midweek affairs with the Crimson Tide coming up with two victories. Vaughn dismissed the prior matchups due to the unique approach of midweek games versus the do or die nature of the NCAA Regional. He furthered that point by selecting Alabama's ace to take the mound against the Hornets to open the weekend.

"Fay's going to go Friday night. So Tyler's going to go out there Friday night," Vaughn said. "We've looked at a lot of different things. I'm a big believer in respecting your opponent and going about it the right way. I think Alabama State deserves our best. So that's what they're going to get tomorrow night."

Live Updates from Tuscaloosa Regional, 1-Seed Alabama vs. 4-Seed Alabama State

The Crimson Tide dominated Alabama State 21-3 to stay in the winner's side of the bracket. Alabama takes on USC Upstate on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT.

"Coach Vaughn said before the game, he told us just focus where your feet are at," Alabama centerfielder Bryce Fowler said. "So that was a big thing, and obviously, we handled business tonight. Now our attention turns to USC Upstate, and hopefully, it'd be nice to score 21 runs again and have a hit parade like that. Just come out and focus on ourselves and the task at hand."

How to Watch: 7-Seed Alabama vs. USC Upstate in the Tuscaloosa Regional

Who: 7-seed Alabama (38-19, 18-12 SEC) vs. USC Upstate (34-28, 13-11 Big South Conference)

What: NCAA Regional Game 4

When: Saturday, May 30, 6 p.m. CT

Where: Sewell-Thomas Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

TV: ESPN +

Radio: Crimson Tide Sports Network. LISTEN LIVE

Series: Alabama and USC Upstate have never played in baseball.

Last Meeting: The Crimson Tide and Spartans have never played in baseball.

Last time out, Alabama: The Crimson Tide used 15 hits, and took advantage of eight walks, four errors, and four wild pitches to beat Alabama State 21-3 in their first NCAA Regional matchup of the weekend. Alabama had four different players hit home runs as the Crimson Tide cruised to an easy win.

Last time out, USC Upstate: The Spartans upset Oklahoma State 8-5 in their first game of the NCAA Regional. USC Upstate struck out 10 batters and scored in each of the first four innings to upset the Cowboys.

Tuscaloosa Regional Information

Alabama, (37-19)
Oklahoma State, (37-20)
USC Upstate, (31-27)
Alabama State, (31-21)

Friday

Game 1 - #2 Oklahoma St. (37-20) vs. #3 USC Upstate (33-28), 1 p.m. CT, ESPN+
Game 2 - #1 Alabama (37-19) vs. #4 Alabama St. (34-21), 6 p.m. CT, SEC Network

Saturday

Game 3 - Oklahoma State vs. Alabama State - 1 p.m. CT
Game 4 - USC Upstate vs. Alabama - 6 p.m. CT

Sunday

Game 5 - Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 - 2 p.m. CT
Game 6 - Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 - 7 p.m. CT

Monday

Game 7 - IF Necessary - Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 - TBD

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Threads, and Blue Sky for the latest news.

Alabama Crimson Tide On SI

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/alabama as Alabama Baseball Regional Tournament Central: Schedule, How to Watch, Bracket Breakdown.

This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 1:00 PM.