UTC senior Kaiti Dutton, right, hugging associate head coach Amy Herrington-Woodard at the Lady Mocs’ last home game, is ready for the second NCAA regional of her softball career.
UTC Mocs logoAfter perhaps a quicker-than-expected return to the top of the Southern Conference, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team now gets to take on the cream of the crop in the Southeastern Conference.
UTC (34-19) will open play today in the Athens (Ga.) Regional of the NCAA Division I tournament at 5:30 p.m. against Georgia, the No. 4 seed in the tournament coming off winning the SEC tournament last weekend. The Bulldogs (45-12) lead the all-time series with UTC 4-1.
Alabama-Birmingham and North Carolina State also are in the four-team regional in Athens.
The idea of the Lady Mocs returning to the NCAA tournament this year seemed far-fetched when the season began in February. They were coming off a losing season in 2013, and they lost their first five games in 2014.
As the season went by, the team comprised of young players, first-year transfers and only two four-year seniors began to come together. UTC finished second in the SoCon regular-season race and roared through the conference tournament with four straight victories to claim the championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.