Head coach Frank Reed's 2016 softball squad is comprised of six freshmen who are expected to provide depth at a variety of positions.
 
"We were redesigning our team," head coach Frank Reed stated. "We were looking at a lot of dynamics – corner, outfield, a middle possibility, someone behind the plate and a pitcher who was a multiple-purpose player."

Three in this class played for the Fury Chattanooga travel team, in addition two California natives were teammates on their high school and travel teams.
 
As an outfielder, Alyssa Coppinger (Whitwell, Tenn.) was a four-year letter winner at Whitwell High School and played travel ball for Fury '97. Her accolades include being four-time all-district, two-time all-state and three-time Best of Preps honoree. She was also named the 6A Player of the Year in 2015.
 
"Alyssa has shown homerun power," Reed shared. "She runs well and has a good knowledge of running the bases."

A third baseman, Katie Corum (Knoxville, Tenn.) earned all-district four times and all-state her senior year at Halls High School. Her resume features an All-KIL PrepXtra first-team selection three times from 2013-15. In 2015, she hit .526 with 14 home runs and 47 RBI.
 
"We really weren't sure what we were going to do at the corner or third base so it was good we brought Katie in because we had some injuries there," explained Reed. "In the fall, she showed a lot of poise on defense at third base and has a really good arm and a lot of desire to be out there."

Jordan Fortel (Greeneville, Tenn.) comes from Greeneville High School and the Fury '97 of Chattanooga. She was named Player of the Year by the Johnson City Press and PrepExtra in 2015 and TSSAA All-State four times.
 
"Jordan has a big-time homerun power," said Reed. "She should put up the big numbers for us there. She's a strong girl, so she should be able to throw the ball past some people."

Fortel is an utility player, featuring skills at hitting and pitching. Her senior year, she posted an ERA of .86 and batted .636 with 15 home runs.
 
"Jordan is a really great hitter and pitcher and can play outfield," Reed explained. "For us, it's going to be trying to find a pace for her where we're not over burning her. There may be times where she's in the outfield, and we may need for her to be on the mound."

Then there is Halie Williamson (Soddy-Daisy, Tenn.), who is a five-year letter winner from Boyd-Buchanan High School. She was named the team MVP every year and all-district three times. Williamson was a Best of Preps honoree and a member of Fury '96.
 
"When you talk about the term utility player, Halie is truly that sense of a player," commented Reed.  "She can play middle infield. She can play in the outfield. She can catch for you if you needed her to. Halie runs the bases well and hits the ball pretty well. It's going to be hard not to find some place for her to play."
 
Emma Sturdivant (Orange, Calf.) and Amanda Beltran (Orange, Calif.) both graduated from Villa Park High School and played for California Cruisesrs 16u and 18u and Explosion 18u.
 
At first base, Sturdivant was ranked on the "Players to Watch List" by the OC Register and OC Sidelines Blog in 2015 and was named the best offensive player on her squad. Sturdivant was also an all-league honoree her junior and senior years.
 
"Emma had some issues with her non-throwing arm's shoulder, which I think limited her a lot in her defensive and offensive play in the fall," Reed said. "So it was really hard to get a good feel for how she's going to play moving forward."

Beltran, a catcher, joined the Mocs in January. She was named MVP on her high school squad and league in 2015. Beltran's junior year she was the Defensive Player of the Year and her senior season she was given the Silver Slugger Award.
 
"We expect big things from her behind the plate," Reed added. "She has a little catching up to do having missed the fall. Hopefully she'll jump right in there and find a role."

UTC opens the season at the NTC Tournament Friday, Feb. 12 in Clermont, Fla. Chattanooga faces Morgan State, Liberty, Akron and Bethune-Cookman twice. The Mocs kick off home action with the Chattanooga Spring Classic Feb. 19-21 at Frost Stadium against Dayton, Detroit Mercy, UT Martin, IPFW and Wright State twice.