The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team has been named as the preseason favorite to repeat as the Southern Conference champion in a poll of the leagues coaches. The Mocs recieved 36 points and six of the seven first place votes followed by SoCon newcomer Mercer in second place. UTC placed the most athletes in the preseason all-conference teams with three Mocs making the first team and three on the second team. UTC players on the All-SoCon first team are pitcher Katie Henderson, third baseman Sarah Beth Roberts and outfielder Nicole Osterman, while pitcher Taylor Deason, catcher Anyssa Robles and outfielder Sam Taylor were second-team selections. UTC will open the 2015 season Feb. 6 with games against George Washington and Evansville in the first day of the Plainsman Invitational hosted by Auburn. UTC will make it’s home debut as the host team of the Frost Classic Feb. 27-March 1 at Jim Frost Stadium.
Basketball
Tennessee Wesleyan’s basketball teams split their Appalachian Athletic Conference games Wednesday evening at Truett-McConnell. TWC’s Lady Bulldogs, ranked eighth in NAIA Division II, rose to 21-1 overall and 13-1 in the league with a 69-48 victory, but the men blew an 11-point halftime lead and lost 63-58. Jenna Adams led the way for TWC with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Sira Buley added 16 in the win and Armeka Booker scored 10, as the Lady Bulldogs jumped out to a 45-22 halftime lead and cruised to the easy victory. The TWC men also started strong, and held a 31-20 lead at the half, but Truett-McConnell rallied in the second half, shooting 46.2 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes, to claim the victory. Tucker Bass led the Bulldogs with 17 points, and D’Monta Smith scored 12.
Bryan College swept Point University in an AAC basketball doubleheader Wednesday in Dayton. The Bryan men won 78-61 while the women won 57-53.
Covenant picked up a big USA South road win Wednesday, defeating Piedmont College 69-61 in men’s basketball at Demorest, Ga., but the Scots lost 81-60 in the women’s game. T.J. Cox scored 21 points to lead the Covenant men (5-13, 4-5) to victory, and Bryant Engbers came off the bench to score 10. In the women’s game, the Scots (2-17, 2-9) fell behind early, trailing 41-23 at the half and could never recover. Morgan Woodward and Aleigha Williams each scored 16 points in the loss.
The Southern Conference announced Wednesday that Furman basketball player Holli Wilkins is the league’s student-athlete of the week after she scored 18 points in a loss to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and 12 in Monday’s comeback win over Wofford. Her father is former UTC star and longtime NBA standout Gerald Wilkins. Holli is a a junior communications major with a 3.32 grade point average, and she is 51 points from 1,000 for her Paladins career.
The Georgia Northwestern women’s basketball game against Welch that was scheduled for this evening at the Rossville Athletic Center has been canceled, but the GNTC men’s game against Crown Bible is still on. Tipoff for the Bobcats has been moved up to 7 p.m.
Football
Kamden Young, a four-year starter at Scottsboro High School, has committed to continue his football career at Alabama A&M and plans to sign a letter of intent with the Huntsville school next Wednesday, national signing day. Young is a 6-foot-3, 285-pound lineman who has played center, guard and tackle for the Wildcats.
Baseball
In addition to Lee University moving its baseball season opener up two days to 3 p.m. Friday — at home against Emmanuel — the Hiwassee, Tennessee Wesleyan and Bryan college baseball teams also are set to start Friday. Hiwassee opens at 2 p.m. at Truett-McConnell, TWC plays at 4 p.m. EST at Auburn-Montgomery, and Bryan hosts Toccoa Falls at 6 p.m. in matchups that also include Saturday doubleheaders. The area’s 2015 softball opener is Hiwassee at Lee for a doubleheader Saturday starting at 2 p.m.