Mocs Look to Ride Momentum Against TSU, UNCG

Wednesday, April 18

Chattanooga, Tenn.

6:00 p.m.

Chattanooga

Tennessee State

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Photo by: Dale Rutemeyer

4/17/2018 2:15:00 PM | Softball

BUY TICKETS (WEDNESDAY)ESPN3 (WEDNESDAY)CHATTANOOGA NOTES

Frank Reed will be going for his 600th career victory as UTC’s head softball coach on Wednesday at home against Tennessee State.

CHATTANOOGA – Winning their last five games and seven of the last eight, the Chattanooga Mocs softball team looks to build on the momentum this week against in-state foe Tennessee State and Southern Conference leader UNCG.

The Mocs will host TSU on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. for a non-conference showdown on Military Appreciation Night. All former and active military personnel will be admitted FREE.

Head coach Frank Reed will be looking to notch his 600^th career victory as a Chattanooga Moc as he currently sits with a 599 wins. The game will be broadcasted LIVE on ESPN3 and through the WatchESPN App platform.

UTC will then head to first-place UNCG (34-8, 9-1 SoCon) this weekend for a crucial three-game set on Saturday and Sunday that could shake up the league standings.

Chattanooga (21-22, 6-4 SoCon) defeated Furman, 2-0, on Saturday afternoon in a rain-shortened series to up their SoCon winning streak to six games. Sophomore Aly Walker belted a two-out, two-run homerun in the bottom of the seventh to help lift the Mocs behind a complete game one-hitter from sophomore pitcher Celie Hudson.

Tickets can be purchased at GoMocs.com on the softball schedule page or by calling the ticket office at (423) 266-MOCS.

Full opponent previews and Chattanooga softball notes can be found below.

» Previewing: Tennessee State (3-38, 0-12 OVC)
Chattanooga and Tennessee State meet for the second time this season and 17^th time in program history on Wednesday. The Mocs down the Tigers, 2-1, earlier this year on Feb. 18 as part of the Chattanooga Challenge. UTC owns the all-time series 15-1.

TSU is led on offense by Sarah Snell who carries a team-high .274 batting average while Katie Schneider follows with a .257 average and a team-best ten RBI. In the circle, Lauren Powell leads the team with 25 appearances and 11 complete games while pitching to a 4.75 ERA.

» Previewing: UNCG (34-8, 9-1 SoCon)* as of 4/17
UNCG carries a top 10 win percentage across all of NCAA DI and enters the week No. 47 in the latest RPI rankings. The Spartans are 5-2 against power five members including a perfect 4-0 mark against the ACC.

In conference play, UNCG swept three-game sets against Western Carolina and Furman while taking both games in a rain-shortened series at ETSU last weekend. They split two games with Mercer, also during a shortened series.

The Spartans offense leads the Southern Conference in runs (230), doubles (62), homeruns (41), RBI (216), slugging percentage (.462) and on-base percentage (.382). They also lead numerous categories in the circle including ERA (1.74), opponent batting average (.198) and earned runs allowed (70).

Marisa Sholtes leads the team with a .352 batting average and ranks first in the SoCon with 11 homeruns, 35 RBI and a .697 slugging percentage. Stephanie Bryden (1.17) and Alicia Bazonski (1.44) sit atop the conference in ERA and have combined to toss 218.0 innings. The duo is limiting opposing hitters to a combined .177 batting average.

» Chattanooga Team Notes | Game Notes

Reed needs just one more victory to notch 600 wins as the head coach of the Chattanooga Mocs.
- He is currently 599-403 at UTC since taking over in 2002 & carries an impressive overall coaching record of 1,075-490 after spending time at nearby Chattanooga State.
- He is the Southern Conference's all-time wins leader and has been named SoCon Coach of the Year a record eight times.
The Chattanooga Mocs softball team continued their hot streak with a pair of wins last week. The Mocs down UAB, 3-1, on Wednesday before earning a walk-off 2-0 win over Furman on Saturday.
- Games two & three of the conference set against the Paladins were washed out and will not be rescheduled.
- Following the wins, UTC has won their last five games, last six SoCon games & seven of the last eight overall.
The 2018 edition of the Chattanooga Mocs offense features 12 different student-athletes with at least one HR this season.
- That marks the most different players to belt a HR in Chattanooga softball history dating back to 1994. Seven of the 12 have recorded multiple HRs.

» Chattanooga Individual Notes | Game Notes

Sophomore pitcher Celie Hudson led the Mocs to two wins last week, tossing two complete games and allowing just one run in 14 innings.
- She earned her first win of the week on April 11 in a 3-1 win over UAB. Hudson struck out three and surrendered three hits in the contest.
- On April 14, Hudson took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning in a 2-0, complete-game win over Furman. The Paris, Tennessee, native fanned four and allowed just one hit as she picked up her second win of the week and ninth of the season.
- She was named the Southern Conference's Pitcher of the Week for her efforts.
Sophomore outfielder Aly Walker belted a two-out, two-run homerun in the bottom of the 7th inning to lift the Mocs over Furman, 2-0, on Saturday afternoon.
- Emma Sturdivant drew a two-out walk ahead of Walker's homerun.
- That was her second homerun and 31st hit of the season.
- Over the last eight games, she is hitting .400 (10-for-25) with a homerun and five RBI while slugging at a .560 clip
The senior trio of Ashley Conner, J.J. Hamill and Brook Womack are all hitting over .300 at the plate and have combined for 111 hits on a .339 batting average.
- Womack (.393) ranks second in the SoCon in batting average while Hamill (.318) and Conner (.307) ranks third and fourth on the team.