FMU softball to play in Georgia for NCAA regionals

FLORENCE, SC – The Francis Marion University softball program, the automatic qualifier from Conference Carolinas, learned its destination in the NCAA Division II National Tournament on Monday morning (May 6).

Francis Marion (45-11) will travel to Dahlonega, Ga., for one of two Southeast Subregionals.  The four-team double-elimination tournament will be played Thursday through Saturday (May 9-11) at the University of North Georgia’s Haines & Carolyn Hill Stadium at Lynn Cottrell Park.

The third-seeded and 20th-ranked Patriots will play sixth-seeded Columbus State University (35-22) on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.  The other first-round game will have second-seeded and sixth-ranked University of North Georgia (47-10) playing seventh-seeded Flagler College (34-22) at 2 p.m.  North Georgia is the defending national champion.

The winners from Thursday’s contests will play at noon on Friday, while the losers will play at 2:30 p.m.  A second elimination game will follow at 5 p.m.  The championship game is set for Saturday at noon.

The 64-team NCAA Tournament field, which includes 23 automatic qualifiers and 41 at-large selections, was announced Monday morning.  Four teams will participate at each of 16 sub-regional sites in double-elimination tournaments, with all competition taking place May 9-11.  The tournament at UNG is one of two host sites in the Southeast Region, as top-seeded and eighth-ranked Wingate University will host four teams as well.

The winner of each sub-regional will advance to the NCAA II Super Regionals, May 14-15 at on-campus sites.  The Super Regional winner will advance to the NCAA Division II College World Series, May 19-25 at Boombah-Soldiers Creek Park in Orlando, Fla.

The Patriots won their second straight Conference Carolinas Tournament championship in FMU’s third year as a conference member. Columbus State is the tournament championship of the Peach Belt Conference, besting North Georgia in the best two-out-of-three championship series this past weekend.

This is Francis Marion’s fifth-ever bid to the NCAA national tournament and its third in a row.  FMU went 1-2 in last year’s sub-regional after going 0-2 in 2022, was part of the Southeast Regional in 2010, and advanced to the Division II World Series in 2008.  It will also be the program’s 10th national tournament invitation all-time, including AIAW and NAIA affiliation.

Francis Marion faced five squads included in the field of 64 during the 2024 regular season and compiled a 7-3 mark in those contests.


DAHLONEGA, GA Sub-Regional for the Southeast Region of NCAA Division II
Thursday, May 9
2:00 p.m. Game #1: #2 North Georgia vs. #7 Flagler
4:30 p.m. Game #2: #3 Francis Marion vs. #6 Columbus State
Friday, May 10
12:00 p.m. Game #3: Game #1 Winner vs. Game #2 Winner
2:30 p.m. Game #4: Game #1 Loser vs. Game #2 Loser (Elimination Game)
5:00 p.m. Game #5: Loser Game #3 vs. Winner Game #4 (Elimination Game)
Saturday, May 11
12:00 p.m. Game #6 Winner Game #3 vs. Winner Game #5
If Necessary Game #7: If necessary (Game #5 winner wins Game #6)

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