JACKSON, Miss. - Fresh off a second straight CCS Tournament Championship, the Belhaven University softball team is headed back to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the sixth consecutive season and will host an NCAA Regional for the first time in program history later this week at McLeod Field.

The No. 1 seed Blazers earned the automatic bid after battling through the elimination bracket to win five straight games and claim back-to-back CCS titles in Oxford, Alabama. Belhaven enters the postseason at 37-9 overall and will open regional play on Thursday at 11:00 a.m. CST against No. 4 seed Westminster (Pa.).

Belhaven has not faced any of the other three teams in the regional this season.

The regional field also includes No. 2 seed Emory and No. 3 seed Berry.

Emory enters the tournament at 25-12 after finishing as runner-up in the UAA Championship, while Berry comes in at 30-13 after sweeping Trinity (Tx.) on the final day of the SAA Tournament to secure the conference title. Westminster earned its NCAA bid after winning the PAC Championship and enters regional play with a 30-9 record.

The Blazers have continued to build momentum throughout the second half of the season, winning the CCS regular season title with a 15-1 conference record before making their postseason run last weekend.

Belhaven's lineup has been one of the most productive offenses in the CCS all season. The Blazers lead the conference in batting average (.344), runs scored (283), hits (364), and RBI (259). Several hitters also finished near the top of the league leaderboards, including Maryanna Guy, Melissa Lopera, and Kaleigh Steverson.

In the circle, Macy Funderburk has been one of the top pitchers in the region. The junior was recently named NFCA Division III Pitcher of the Week after going 5-0 during the CCS Tournament while earning tournament MVP honors for the second straight year. She enters the NCAA Tournament with a 15-4 record and a 1.74 ERA.

Belhaven's postseason experience has become one of the program's strengths under head coach Kevin Griffin, but this year marks a new step for the program as the Blazers prepare to host on their home field for the first time.

Additional tournament information, including game times and ticket details, will be announced on blazers.belhaven.edu as it becomes available.

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