Stetson University walked into JoAnne Graf Field and left with a result that had not happened often in program history. The Hatters beat host Florida State 8-3 on May 15 in the Tallahassee Regional opener, their second NCAA Tournament win of all time and their first in 12 years.

They never trailed. Logan Forman set the tone with a home run in the top of the second inning that put Stetson ahead 2-0, and the Hatters kept adding until they owned the game. Annabella McClerren delivered the decisive blow in the top of the fourth with a two-out, two-run single to right field, helping Stetson build a 7-3 lead after four innings. By the end, Stetson had scored more runs in an NCAA Tournament game than it ever had before.

The win also gave Stetson its second victory ever against Florida State, a detail that underscored just how rare the moment was for the Hatters. They had clinched the ASUN championship the week before the regional opener, then carried that momentum straight into Tallahassee and beat a team playing on its home field. Florida State switched to its third pitcher after Stetson’s leadoff hitter reached base in the top of the sixth inning, moving Bella Dimitrijevic in for Ashtyn Danley as the Seminoles tried to stop the surge.

Stetson’s pitching and defense did the rest. Ava Braswell got the final six outs and did not allow a Seminole run in the sixth inning, preserving the lead and pushing the Hatters into the winner’s bracket of the Tallahassee Regional. For a program that had gone 12 years without playing its first NCAA softball tournament game, the breakthrough was bigger than one upset. It was proof that Stetson could control a regional opener, against a host team, and do it with authority.

Next up was Saturday’s first game against the winner of UCF-Jacksonville State, with Stetson carrying both the confidence of the upset and the burden of proving it could do it again.