UTC hosting GSU, helping storm victims

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team is hoping its weekend series against Southern Conference rival Georgia Southern will have an impact far beyond Jim Frost Stadium.

The Lady Mocs’ final home series of the year starts with a game at 6 tonight.

The players are organizing a clothing drive at Sunday’s noon doubleheader to benefit those who lost homes and belongings in the severe storms that ripped through the area Wednesday.

Donation boxes will be at the gates of the stadium at Warner Park, and fans are asked to bring clothing or other items that could be needed by storm victims. The Red Cross will distribute the items.

UTC reserve catcher Jenni Martin is a graduate of Ringgold High School, which was severely damaged along with much of the town, and she is helping organize the benefit as a way to help the school and city where she grew up.

“It’s heartbreaking to see your whole life destroyed,” Martin said before practice Friday. “I don’t live in Ringgold now, but there’s so many places down there that I remember that are just gone.”

Senior outfielder Lauren Flores also grew up in Catoosa County and attended Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School, and she said the devastation is stunning.

“Even though it was my rival school growing up, I feel bad because it’s so close to home,” she said. “It could have been my parents’ home or someone I did know. I feel for everybody that it happened to.”

Flores and Martin said that it’s hard for college students to know how to help during a disaster but that many have clothing they no longer wear or need.

“We really hope that the students participate and our fan support helps out too,” Martin said. “I’ve put it out on Facebook and Twitter and hope that people come out and give clothes or money or whatever they can. We don’t have a lot of money, but we do have clothes that we don’t wear. And so many people have nothing right now.”

UTC coach Frank Reed said the team’s desire to help others isn’t surprising, and he hopes the Lady Mocs are able to have an impact with this effort.

“The kids are always willing to do something to help others,” he said. “[Ringgold] was Jenni’s school, so she wanted to do something to help, and it’s really taken off. So we hope lots of people will bring out stuff to help.”

While the charitable efforts will be a big part of the weekend, there will be lots of other excitement in the series against the Eagles.

The Lady Mocs (32-12, 14-3) enter the weekend in first place in the conference. They have a two-game lead over the Eagles (28-24, 16-5) with six games remaining in the regular season.

At 11:50 a.m. before Sunday’s doubleheader, UTC will recognize its six seniors: Flores, Tiffany Baker, Della Harrison, Kandice Irwin, Lyndsey Stiles and Nikki Waters.

Flores said she is excited about her final home games as a Lady Moc, but she is more focused on making sure the team can beat Georgia Southern and wrap up another regular-season league title.

“It is senior weekend and that’s important in itself, but it’s important because we want to clinch conference this weekend,” she said. “So that’s what we’re really going for, and senior weekend just happens to be part of it.”