INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The No. 7-ranked Valdosta State softball team learned Wednesday that it is third in the initial NCAA South Region rankings, released by the NCAA.  
 
Auburn Montgomery leads the initial poll, followed by Tampa, VSU, Nova Southeastern and Embry-Riddle round out the top five.  Alabama Huntsville is sixth, followed by Rollins, Mississippi College, Saint Leo and West Florida is tenth.  There will be two more public rankings, prior to the NCAA Division II Softball Championship field being announced May 9 at 10 a.m. ET on NCAA.com.  Click here for the NCAA Region Rankings.
 
The South Region will have eight teams qualify for the regional.  Each of the three conferences in the region, the Gulf South, Sunshine State and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, will have each of the conference tournament champions earn an automatic bid to the regional.  
 
This year, the format returns to two regional sites with four teams at each site, May 12-14.  Normally the top two earn hosting duties.  The winners of the two sites then will meet for a best-of-three series at the highest remaining seed May 19-20.  The winner of the "Super Regional" will advance to the NCAA Division II Softball Championship, scheduled for May 26-30 at The Regency Athletic Complex in Denver, Colo.
 
The Blazers are No. 7 in the newest NFCA Top 25 and are 28-7 overall and 20-3 in Gulf South Conference play this season.  VSU closes the GSC slate this weekend as it travels to No. 20 West Florida for a three-game series.  The series begins with a doubleheader on Saturday, Apr. 23 at 2 p.m. ET, followed by a single game Sunday, Apr. 24 at 2 p.m. ET.  Click here for the NFCA Top 25.  
 
VSU won the NCAA South Regional in 2021, and advanced to the Division II Softball Championship last season, marking the program's fifth trip to the final site.  The Blazers are 56-38 all-time in the NCAA postseason and are looking for their 19^th trip to the Big Dance.  The 56 victories are eighth-most in D2 Softball history.  VSU won the national championship in 2012 and has runner-up finishes in 2010 and 2014.  

Check back with vstateblazers.com next Wednesday afternoon for the second NCAA Region Rankings.