The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball team is back where the coaches and players feel they belong -- atop the Southern Conference and heading to the NCAA tournament. Now the Mocs get to take on some familiar foes to open the next round of the postseason.
The Mocs (35-13) start the NCAA tourney Friday with a rematch against South Alabama, which UTC beat 3-1 on Feb. 20 when the Jaguars were ranked No. 22. UTC and USA will meet at 4 p.m. EDT Friday in the Auburn Regional, where the No. 4 overall-seeded Tigers are set to take on Tennessee Tech at 6:30.
UTC has faced every team in the Auburn Regional this season. In addition to the win over South Alabama, the Mocs lost 12-1 to Auburn on Feb. 8 in the Plainsman Invitational and beat TTU 6-4 on March 31 at Frost Stadium.
UTC players and fans watched Sunday night's selection show at Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant downtown to see their name and destination announced on ESPNU.
The Mocs enter the tournament with a respectable NCAA RPI in the Top 50 and wins over Top 25 teams Kansas and the Jaguars in the early part of the season.
UTC earned the SoCon's automatic bid to the tournament Saturday afternoon with a 3-1 win over Mercer for a second consecutive trip to the NCAA tourney. Even as they celebrated that victory, they were beginning to look ahead to the next round of play and the chance to perhaps pull an upset or two.
"It feels good to get into the tournament," senior outfielder Nicole Osterman said following the title game. "Maybe people see us as an underdog, but we have a good chance at doing well in the NCAA tournament also. So we'll see what happens."
UTC struggled down the stretch of the regular season but was able to turn it on in the league tournament, which was held on the Mocs' home field.
"If we don't stay within ourselves and play Chattanooga ball, that's when we mess up," UTC senior pitcher Taylor Deason said. "But when we do stay within ourselves and play Chattanooga ball, I don't think there's anyone who can beat us."
For a team with several homegrown players, the chance to win a championship in front of their friends, family and fans was a special moment -- and one that now puts them into position to go farther if things go their way.
"I love playing for my hometown," said Sam Taylor, a junior center fielder from Gordon Lee. "I see little girls that come up to me and say, 'We saw you at the game. Great job.' I love bringing that energy to Chattanooga because I live just down the road."
Now the Mocs' fans -- young and old -- get a chance to see what this team can do on an even bigger stage.
Lady Vols 8th overall
Tennessee used its run to the Southeastern Conference title game to grab the No . 8 seed in the NCAA tournament and will open play Friday against Longwood in the Knoxville Regional.
Virginia Tech and Utah also will be in Knoxville playing for a trip to a super regional.
The Vols lost 6-5 in nine innings to Auburn in the SEC tournament final Saturday night in Baton Rouge, La.
Trailing 3-0, Tennessee (42-14) scored a run in the fourth inning and took the lead with a three-run fifth that began with a double by Chattanooga's Tory Lewis. Meghan Gregg's homer in the top of the seventh gave the Lady Vols a 5-3 lead, but Auburn (49-9) scored two in the bottom of the inning -- one on a dropped fly to shallow left field -- to force extra innings and won in the ninth for the first SEC title in program history.
Contact Jim Tanner at sports@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/JFTanner.