The 13-time Southern Conference Regular Season champion Chattanooga Lady Mocs softball team began their fall schedule on Sept. 24 with a 9-2 victory against Tennessee Wesleyan in a nine-inning contest. The Lady Mocs continue their fall preparations on Friday with a doubleheader against Roane State set for 5 p.m. at Frost Stadium.
"Saturday was an opportunity for the coaches to see everyone have an opportunity to get at bats and playing time," said head coach Frank Reed. "You could tell that we had six freshmen and we are still trying to find out which student-athletes are going to step and become our leaders. There is no doubt that some of those freshmen are going to have to contribute in our lineup for us to be successful."
The two seniors in pitcher and designated player Michelle Fuzzard (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and shortstop Jessica Traxler (Chino Hills, Calif.) had multi-hit and multi-RBI games for the Lady Mocs. Fuzzard tossed the first three innings for Chattanooga before handing the ball off in the circle to freshman Taylor Deason (Clarksville, Tenn.).
"As far as a freshman coming in, we dumped a lot of innings on Tayor [Deason] and she did a fantastic job," stated Reed. "She pitched really well, hit her spots and was very poised in the circle. When she did not get the strikeout, she was able to put balls in positions, so that our defense could make the plays."
Coming off a championship season in 2011 that included a trip to the finals of the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional, the Lady Mocs have a lot of holes to fill as the squad graduated two pitchers, three starting outfielders and a third baseman.
"We just have to figure out the roles for each of our players," said Reed. "We spent a lot of time trying to help figure that out for them by placing them in a position. It was probably a little nerve racking for them, but it enables them to completely understand that position."
Another belief that coach Reed believes in is that following a few weeks in the fall that freshman have to become sophomores, sophomores grow into juniors, juniors develop into seniors and seniors progress into coaches on the field. This year that adjustment has been slower with a larger underclassmen class.
Chattanooga batted a 13-player line up that saw three-to-four at bats against Tennessee Wesleyan. The offense began to roll in the latter innings coming up with clutch hits with runners in scoring position.
"I thought that we took a lot of pitches early," said Reed." I think that is just being timid and not as aggressive as we would have liked. Hopefully, we will work on that a little bit this week and see some improvement in the doubleheader on Friday."
With a team that is now built on speed, freshman Cheyenne Willis (Winchester, Tenn.) was able to stretch two singles into doubles, but the Lady Mocs as a team were very active on the base paths.
Defensively, the Lady Mocs were quick and made some great plays, but with a younger squad, there were some mistakes made. The coaches are helping the players to learn from their mistakes.
Chattanooga welcomes Roane State on Friday night for a doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. at Frost Stadium. The Lady Mocs hold a 10-team tournament at Frost Stadium and adjacent Warner Park on Oct. 8-9 as Calhoun, Chattanooga State, Georgia, Lipscomb, Middle Tennessee State, Milligan, Motlow State, Shorter and Tennessee Tech are welcomed to the Scenic City. Chattanooga battles Georgia on Oct. 8 at 5:45 p.m. and hosts Shorter and Chattanooga State the following day in a doubleheader set for 4 p.m.