Californians part of UTC’s success

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team has come a long way this season to reach today’s game against Texas in the NCAA regional in Tuscaloosa, Ala., with injuries and illness and a rough early portion of the season.

But some Lady Mocs traveled farther than others, none more so than starting infielders Jessica Traxler and Michelle Fuzzard.

Fuzzard, the power-hitting first baseman and pitcher, and shortstop Traxler came from Southern California to play for UTC coach Frank Reed.

“We’ve had several California kids in the program,” Reed said. “Not because they’re from California, but we want kids that can play. They play a very high level of softball out there, and they can’t all stay on the West Coast.”

Fuzzard, a sophomore from Huntington Beach, was discovered by former UTC and Chattanooga State assistant coach Donald Pickett in summer ball and brought to Reed’s attention.

She is UTC’s second-leading hitter with a .350 average and seven home runs for the season. Her homer in the bottom of the seventh inning against Samford lifted UTC to a crucial victory in the Southern Conference tournament last week.

Fuzzard also has an 8-7 pitching record with a 3.51 ERA. She made the All-SoCon first team as a first baseman and the second team as a pitcher. She said she was ready to go somewhere new when she began looking at colleges.

“I decided pretty early on that I didn’t want to be in California. I wanted to experience somewhere else,” Fuzzard said. “I didn’t want to go to a big school, and I looked at some pretty big schools. ... I liked it here where people know who I am. All the athletes are really close here, and I think at the bigger schools it would have kind of been impersonal.”

Reed said Fuzzard was a player he really wanted.

“One of the reasons we looked at her was because she pitched and hit,” he said. “She’s allowed us to have depth at pitching but still have someone that could contribute hitting and at first base.

“Michelle came on an unofficial visit, and we liked her a lot and made an offer that day. ... She was driving from here over to look at a school in North Carolina — to N.C. State, I believe — and she got to the North Carolina line and called and said, ‘Don’t give my scholarship up. I’m coming (to UTC).’”

Traxler, from Chino Hills, learned about UTC after playing summer ball with Fuzzard. The freshman, who made a diving catch to end an inning early in the SoCon tournament final against Georgia Southern, said she knew she was coming into a good situation at UTC.

“We have a lot of talent, and you could just tell during the conference games we knew when to step it up and when we had to get it done,” she said. “To me it was a given that we were going to win because I’m just that confident in our team.”

Traxler said she was impressed with everything about Chattanooga and UTC when she visited the campus.

“When I came on my trip, Coach Reed and Coach (Brad) Irwin just did a great job showing off the school. It was the best recruiting trip that I had,” Traxler said. “I just fell in love with the campus. It wasn’t too big; it wasn’t too small. Just look around — it’s a great campus. I’m happy with where I’m at.”

The California connection won’t be ending any time soon. First baseman/outfielder Kasey Tydingco of Fairfield, Calif., signed in November to join the Lady Mocs next season.

“My contention is if we can get kids to come in here and look — I don’t care how good they are or what schools they’re looking at — we can convince them that this is a great place to play and a great place to compete,” Reed said. “The kids from far away sometimes see it quicker than the local kids, but that’s human nature.”

Since winning the SoCon title in her first season, Traxler has been impressed with how the school and community have rallied behind the team.

“It feels great. We were at Taco Mac the other day, and everyone knew who we were,” Traxler said. “It’s just great to know that we’re such a great team and we’ve accomplished so much already.”

Fuzzard said she enjoys playing where she can compete at a high level and feel welcome. The comfort with her teammates and classmates has made her decision to travel so far from home much easier.

“I knew that I wanted to play Division I softball,” she said. “The coaches made me extremely comfortable, the girls made me feel comfortable and I knew this was going to be a good place for me. ... It was tough leaving my family, but I think they’ll agree that this was the right place to be.”

Baker honored

UTC second baseman Tiffany Baker was named to the All-South Region team Thursday by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

Baker, a sophomore from East Ridge, leads UTC in batting average (.368), homers (12) and RBIs (41). She is the ninth Lady Moc to be chosen all-region. Junior pitcher Brooke Loudermilk made the team last season.