Stetson softball achieved a stunning upset by defeating Florida State 8-3 in the NCAA Tournament opener. This victory marks Stetson's second-ever win in the tournament and their first against a power-conference opponent since 2024.
The NCAA softball tournament is only a few hours old. Yet, Stetson has already produced a signature upset.
The Hatters muscled their way to an early lead over host Florida State and then just kept extending it in the Tallahassee Regional opener on May 15. They won 8-3 at JoAnne Graf Field.
The stunner over the nationās ninth-ranked squad gave Stetson its second NCAA Tournament victory ever, joining a 2014 triumph over UCF. It also served as the Hattersā first win over the Seminoles since 1987 and first over a power-conference opponent since beating Maryland on Feb. 25, 2024.
Here are three takeaways.
Amber Chumley rounds the bases after a home run as Stetson softball beat Florida State, 8-3, in the NCAA Tallahassee Regional at JoAnne Graf Field on Friday, May 15, 2026.
How explosive was Stetson on Friday? By the end of the fourth inning, it had already established a new program record for runs in an NCAA Tournament game with seven.
Amber Chumley led the charge.
The left fielder went 3-for-4 with four RBIs. She singled to lead off the second inning and came around for the first run of the game when catcher Logan Forman smashed a homer over the left-field wall.
Stetson softball defeated Florida State 8-3 in their NCAA Tournament opener.
Stetson's last win over Florida State was in 1987.
This win is Stetson's second NCAA Tournament victory ever and their first against a power-conference opponent since 2024.
Amber Chumley spearheaded the productive lineup for Stetson in their victory.
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After FSU got a run back in the bottom of the second, Chumley ripped a three-run dinger of her own to give the Hatters a 5-1 cushion.
They pushed it to 7-3 with two tallies on a single by center fielder Annabella McClerren in the fourth inning and solidified it at 8-3 with a sixth-inning, RBI single by Chumley. Who else?
Forman and right fielder Gia Napoli notched two hits apiece.
Stetson's Hayley Arnold pitches against Florida State in the NCAA Tallahassee Regional at JoAnne Graf Field on Friday, May 15, 2026.
Off a trio of standout pitching performances in the ASUN Tournament, Stetson's sophomore right-handers, Hayley Arnold and Ava Braswell, kept rolling against the Seminoles.
Battling a lineup ranked 16th in the country at 7.42 runs per game, Arnold drew the start and limited Florida State to three runs. Anna Hinde blasted a solo shot to center field in the second inning, and Ashtyn Danley lined a two-run jack over the wall in the third.
Arnold threw five innings. She struck out three, walked two and surrendered five hits before Braswell entered out of the bullpen.
Braswell allowed two hits and a walk across her two shutout frames to close the contest.
The Hattersā snapped the Seminolesā streak of 13 straight victories in regional openers.
After their historic win, the Hatters didnāt immediately know their next opponent.
It will be either UCF or Jacksonville State, the two programs that square off in the Regionalās second game of the afternoon. The Knights hold the second seed. The Gamecocks slot third.
Stetson already met UCF in the regular season. On April 15, the Hatters hung with the Knights, then ranked 20th, in Orlando. Stetson jumped ahead 1-0 in the first inning before UCF grabbed two runs in the bottom of the third and prevailed 5-3.
The Hattersā second regional matchup is set for noon on May 16.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Stetson softball upsets FSU in NCAA Tournament Tallahassee Regional