The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the winner of last year’s Southern Conference regular-season and tournament softball championships, has been picked by conference coaches to finish first in the league again.
In addition, the Mocs had several selections to the preseason All-SoCon team announced Monday. Senior second baseman Criket Blanco was named to the first team, with sophomore pitcher Cori Jennings, senior shortstop Alyssa Taylor and senior outfielder Sam Taylor on the the second team.
Mocs coach Frank Reed, who led the program to its 10th NCAA appearance last year, is more focused on the season, which starts Friday when the Mocs face Morgan State and Liberty on the opening day of the NTC Tournament in Clermont, Fla.
“I’m happy for our players,” Reed stated in a UTC release. “But it’s preseason. I don’t put a lot of thought into preseason polls.
“What matters is where we are at the end of the season. We have a target on our backs now.”