Although Chattanooga State has been a virtual fixture in the NJCAA Division I softball tournament for more than two decades, won the championship in 2012 and more recently finished third in 2014 and 2015, only head coach Blythe Golden from this year’s Lady Tigers has been there.
Golden coached Chattanooga State in those last two visits to St. George, Utah, and previously was an assistant coach there with Gulf Coast State from Panama City, Fla. She was the catcher on a Gulf Coast State team that finished second in the national tournament one of the years it was held in Florida – her two-run home run beat Chatt State in the losers-bracket final.
Golden’s 2017 Lady Tigers are back in St. George and are scheduled to play San Jacinto-South from Texas at 9 p.m. EDT Wednesday in the 16-team tournament. Chattanooga State is 44-11 and seeded 10th and San Jac South is the No. 7 seed at 41-19.
Alabama got two teams in the tournament after playoffs with South Carolina’s top two, and Snead State at 30-39 got in as the 16th seed with Wallace State-Hanceville 12th at 41-19.
Chattanooga State had a good practice in St. George on Monday, Golden said by phone.