CHATTANOOGA --- Following a 5-0 start to the season, the Chattanooga Mocs softball team opens up its 2019 home slate by hosting the Chattanooga Challenge at Frost Stadium this weekend from Friday through Sunday.

Chattanooga (5-0, 0-0) swept tournament play at the Phyllis Rafter Memorial Tournament on the campus of Kennesaw State. UTC won all five games including wins over a pair of 2018 NCAA Tournament teams in Ohio and KSU.

Aly Walker (player) and Celie Hudson (pitcher) earned the first Southern Conference POTW honors of the season for their play last weekend. Walker batted a blistering .529 (9-for-17) with four doubles and six RBI while Hudson pitched to a 2-0 record and a 2.00 ERA over 14.0 innings.

Tournament and ticket information as well as additional Chattanooga softball information are below.
 
TICKETS
Purchase tickets for the Chattanooga Challenge HERE. All-Tournament passes are $25 while single day passes are $10. Students admitted to all UTC softball games FREE with valid Mocs ID.

CHATTANOOGA CHALLENGE | CENTRAL
Participating Teams: Chattanooga, Dayton, Indiana St., Kennesaw St. Toledo, Tennessee Tech
Fri, Feb. 15          vs. TN Tech - 1:30 p.m.            (LIVE STATS) (WATCH)
Fri, Feb. 15          vs. Indiana St. - 4 p.m.             (LIVE STATS) (WATCH)
Sat, Feb. 16         vs. Dayton – 1:30 p.m.             (LIVE STATS) (WATCH)
Sat, Feb. 16         vs. Kennesaw St. - 4 p.m.        (LIVE STATS) (WATCH).
 
NOTEABLE | GAME NOTES
- Walker batted .529 (9-for-17) with four doubles, six RBI and seven runs scored… slugged at a .765% percentage… named SoCon Player of the Week for first time in career… currently 8^th all-time with .353 career batting average.
- Hudson went 2-0 with 2.00 ERA in 14.0 innings in the circle… tossed pair of complete game wins including one-hitter in 10-2 win over Morehead State… named SoCon Pitcher of the Week for second time of career.
- Ramirez was a perfect 3-0 with a 2.10 ERA in 16.1 innings… one of only two freshman across NCAA DI to toss 16.0+ innings and record 3+ wins… one of 21 pitchers in nation to win 3+ games during the opening weekend.
- Chattanooga batted .350 (49-for-140) as a team and slugged .529% last weekend... eight doubles, triple and five homeruns… lead SoCon in homeruns (5), hits (49), runs (39), RBI (38)… out-scored opponents 39-12.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEWS
TN Tech | Friday, 1:30 p.m. | 2019: 2-2, 0-0 OVC
Tennessee Tech enters the weekend with a 2-2 record after splitting four games at the Southern Miss Black & Gold Invitational. TTU earned wins over Jackson State (7-3) and Houston Baptist (7-6) while dropping contests to Southern Miss (8-6) and Central Arkansas (4-1). The Golden Eagles finished 16-33, 7-15 OVC in 2018 and return 12 letter winners to this year's team.  
 
Indiana St. | Friday, 4 p.m. | 2019: 2-0, 0-0 MVC
Indiana State opened the season with a three-game series at Stetson and captured the first two games (6-4, 10-2) before the Sunday finale was cancelled due to weather. ISU batted .328 in the two games while scoring 16 runs in 12 innings. The Sycamores defeated UTC last season, 3-2, and finished 26-28, 12-14 MVC. 

Dayton | Saturday, 1:30 p.m. | 2019: 3-2, 0-0 A10
Dayton opened up the 2019 campaign in Charleston, S.C., at the Charleston Southern Willie Jewell Invitational. The Flyers won three out of five with wins over Maryland Eastern Shore (14-0), South Dakota (4-3) and Charleston Southern (3-2). UD went 31-15 overall and 15-8 in A10 play last season on its way to a third-place finish in the conference.

Kennesaw St. | Saturday, 4 p.m. | 2019: 1-4, 0-0 ASUN
Kennesaw State hosted UTC, among others, last weekend as part the Phyllis Rafter Memorial Tournament. KSU went 1-4 and dropped games to Chattanooga (15-4), Ohio (7-2) and two to Eastern Illinois (11-5, 8-0). The Owls finished last season 39-17 overall and 14-3 in ASUN play and made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2018 after winning the league's tournament and automatic bid.


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