It’s been a busy week for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team.
Coming off a bad-and-good series against Elon last weekend, the Lady Mocs have been focusing on final exams this week but now turn their attention back to softball as they begin a three-game Southern Conference series at Appalachian State.
The two teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader today starting at 1 p.m. and a single game Sunday at 1.
UTC (33-12, 13-2) lost twice to Elon at home last Saturday, which tightened the standings for the SoCon regular-season title. But the Lady Mocs rebounded to win the series finale 6-0 with junior pitcher Nikki Waters pitching a one-hitter and hitting a three-run home run.
Holding a three-game advantage over Elon in losses, the Lady Mocs want to be sharp against ASU’s Mountaineers (22-10, 7-10), who despite a losing conference record have victories over Elon, Virginia Tecn and Charlotte.
Senior catcher Lynleigh Hurndon said she and her UTC teammates will be ready for the challenge after last weekend’s disappointing showing.
“Last weekend was a wakeup call,” Hurndon said Friday as the team traveled to Boone, N.C. “We can’t just show up and expect to win. We have to put our talent on the field.”
Appalachian State is led by Katie Boyd, who is batting .337 with six home runs and 20 RBIs, and the Mountaineers have speed in Sarah Rappe, who leads the SoCon with 22 stolen bases — one more than UTC outfielder Lyndsey Stiles has.
Junior third baseman Tiffany Baker leads the Lady Mocs offense with a .347 batting average and 13 homers. Baker holds the UTC career record with 31 home runs thus far. She needs one more to tie the program’s single-season record of 14, set by Angela Brewer in 2001.
UTC coach Frank Reed has been happy with his team’s preparation this week.
“It’s gone well, considering they’ve had exams to deal with,” Reed said. “They hit well in practice. I think they’re ready. It’s hard this time of year (with exams), but I feel pretty good and hope to carry some momentum out of the last game against Elon.”
Rain in the forecast could affect the Lady Mocs’ schedule against App State, but they say it won’t change their outlook.
“We can’t control the weather,” Hurndon said. “All we can do is be ready to play.”