CHATTANOOGA --- The Chattanooga Mocs softball team returns to warm temperatures and abundant sunshine this weekend at the USF Under Armour Invitational in Clearwater, Fla., continuing its stretch of 16-straight games in the Sunshine State.

Chattanooga (14-3) began the Florida trip last weekend at the Madeira Beach Invitational III where they played to a 3-2 record, picking up victories over Villanova, Presbyterian and St. John's. UTC dropped an extra-inning decision to Florida A&M and fell in a three-run game against Boston College.

Halie Williamson batted a blistering .462 (6-for-13) with two homeruns and four RBI last weekend. She belted a go-ahead solo homerun in a 2-1 victory over Villanova. Aly Walker finished 6-for-17 (.353) with four RBI and four runs scored while Amanda Beltran chipped in with five hits in 16 at-bats (.313) including a homerun.

Freshman pitcher Mariah Ramirez was named the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Month for her play during February earlier this week. Ramirez went 4-0 with one save a 2.28 ERA in her first month of college action.

For the season, Ramirez has compiled a 5-0 record and 3.03 ERA while striking out 28 and limiting opposing hitters to a .234 average in 39.1 innings of work. Celie Hudson has pitched to a 5-3 record and 2.66 ERA in a team-high 47.1 innings and 10 appearances while Allison Swinford carries 4-0 record and a SoCon-best 0.68 ERA in 20.2 innings.

Full weekend information is below.

USF UNDER ARMOUR INVT'L | TICKETS
All games played at Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex. Information found at link above.
Fri, Mar. 8          vs. W. Michigan – 3 p.m.          (LIVE STATS) (Field #4)
Fri, Mar. 8          vs. CCSU – 5:30 p.m.              (LIVE STATS) (Field #2)
Sat, Mar. 9         vs. (RV) UCF – 2:30 p.m.         (LIVE STATS) (Field #2)
Sat, Mar. 9         vs. Holy Cross – 5 p.m.            (LIVE STATS) (Field #1)
Sun, Mar. 10      vs. Seton Hall – 11:15 a.m.       (LIVE STATS) (Field #8)
 

CHATTANOOGA NOTABLE | GAME NOTES
- Chattanooga continues one of best starts to season in program history… ties best start in first 17 games (14-3)… .824 winning percentage this season ranks 21^st in NCAA DI... head coach Frank Reed nears his 1,100th collegiate coaching victory between Chattanooga State and UTC... Sunday's game against Seton Hall marks Reed's 1,600th career game.
- Mariah Ramirez named SoCon Pitcher of the Month for February… 4-0 with 2.28 ERA and one save during the month… first pitcher since Cori Jennings in 2016 to earn the award… 5-0 with 3.03 ERA and one save this season.
- Aly Walker and Halie Williamson lead the team with .389 batting average this season… Walker (21-for-54) leads the team in hits (21), runs (15) and doubles (4)… Williamson (14-for-36) carries a team-high .489 OBP this season… belted two HRs & drove in four last weekend.
- Chattanooga features four of the top five hitters in the SoCon this season… Walker and Williamson are tied for second with .389 average… Sidney Swantic (.382) and Amanda Beltran (.380) round out the top five.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEWS
W. Michigan | Friday, 3 p.m. | 2019: 2-8, 0-0 MAC
Western Michigan picked up its first two wins of the 2019 season at last weekend's edition of the USF Under Armour Invitational to improve to 2-8 overall. The Broncos have endured a brutal schedule to open the year, facing six 'power five' programs including a pair of teams ranked in the top 15.

WMU opened the year 0-5 in Tempe, Az., at the Kajikawa Classic hosted by No. 12 Arizona State, battling Utah, Stanford, Oregon State, Cal State Northridge and the host Sun Devils before going 2-3 in Clearwater. The offense is led by Mackenzie Swineheart who carries a team-best .406 batting average while Sydney Stefanick anchors the circle with a 2-2 record and 2.47 ERA in a team-high 28.1 innings pitched.

Central Conn. St. | Friday, 5:30 p.m. | 2019: 3-1, 0-0 NEC
Central Connecticut State, a member of the Northeast Conference, carries a 3-1 mark after a successful opening weekend in Norfolk, Va., at the Pirate-Spartan Classic dual hosted by Norfolk State and Hampton. The Blue Devils earned wins over Norfolk State, St. Bonaventure and Morehead State before falling to Hampton.

CCSU and UTC met for the first time in its series history at the USF Invitational last year on March 10, 2018. Chattanooga earned a tight 7-5, extra-inning victory after scoring a pair runs in the top of the eighth. Sydney Bolan paces the offense with two homeruns and a .529 (7-for-13) average while pitcher Carley Stoker is 2-1 with a 3.77 ERA 13.0 innings.

(RV) UCF | Saturday, 2:30 p.m. | 2019: 13-7, 0-0 AAC
Central Florida has been impressive over the opening weeks of the 2019 season, playing to a 13-7 record with a top-25 victory over No. 23 Ohio State. UCF dropped a one-run contests to No. 1 Florida State (2-1) and a two-run game to No. 5 Washington (3-1). The team's play so far has led to two votes in the latest USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Poll.

The Knights defeated the Mocs 3-1 in Clearwater last season and has taken two of three in the full series history. UCF's pitching staff has been lights out this season, carrying a 2.07 staff ERA with 14 complete games and five shutouts. Alea White is 8-5 in the circle and holds a 1.82 ERA with a team-high 80.2 innings pitched. In addition, Breanna Vasquez has compiled a 5-2 record with a 1.24 ERA in 45.1 innings this season.

Holy Cross | Saturday, 5 p.m. | 2019: 1-5, 0-0 Patriot
Holy Cross opened its season at the Maderia Beach Invitational I and finished with a 1-4 record after dropping contests to Quinnipiac, Butler, Akron and Monmouth while claiming a win over Drexel. HC found themselves on the wrong end of a 3-1 decision against North Florida on Tuesday in its most recent action.

Holy Cross and Chattanooga will meet for the first time in series history this weekend. It marks just the seventh game for UTC against the Patriot League since 2002. The Crusaders have been solid in the circle this season with a 2.39 team ERA and 40 strikeouts in 41.0 total innings. Kelly Nelson is 1-1 with a 0.74 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 19.0 innings this season.

Seton Hall | Sunday, 11 a.m. | 2019: 7-6, 0-0 BIG EAST
Seton Hall has been road warriors so far this season after competing in Las Vegas at the Marucci Desert Classic and in Denton, Texas at the North Texas Tournament. The Pirates returned home to host four games in South Orange, N.J., eventually splitting the contests to compile its 7-6 record in 2019.

Seton Hall and Chattanooga will also meet for the first time in series history. UTC is 2-0 against BIG EAST teams this season, claiming wins over Villanova and St. John's last weekend in Maderia Beach. The Pirates have batted .269 as a team this season and are led by Hailey Ateaga who holds team-highs in batting average (.447), hits (17), doubles (8) and RBI (10).


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