The Chattanooga Mocs softball team hosts its home-opener Friday at 4 p.m. as part of the 2014 Frost Classic. The 10-team tournament begins at 11 a.m.
Friday morning and runs until Sunday’s last game beginning at 1:30 p.m. Frost Stadium and Warner Park host 25 games total over the three-day weekend.
“The Frost Classic sort of kicks off the softball season for Chattanooga,” Head Coach Frank Reed said. “Even though the team has played two tournaments coming in, it’s the first chance for Chattanooga fans to see the team play at home. And our team enjoys being on its home field.”
The Mocs begin the Frost Classic with a matchup against the Butler Bulldogs and close out the night with a 6:30 p.m. start against Northwestern State. At the same times Saturday, Chattanooga takes on Radford and Toledo, respectively, before wrapping up the tournament Sunday with a 1:30 p.m. first-pitch against Campbell.
UTC holds a 2-0 mark over Butler coming into Friday’s game, and commands a 3-0 record against Northwestern State going into the night’s marquee game. It will be the first time Chattanooga has taken on Butler since 2010, winning 2-0 over the Bulldogs, and the first time facing Northwestern State since 2000. Former Mocs assistant coach Donald Pickett is the head coach of the Lady Demons.
Saturday’s 4 p.m. game against Radford pins the 1-0 Highlanders against the Mocs for just their fifth game of the season. Radford managed to play just one game over the week, a 5-4 win over Charlotte, due to cancellations at the UNCG Triad Blue/Gold in Greensboro, N.C.
The 6:30 p.m. matchup brings Toledo to the Frost Classic for the second season in a row. The Rockets were 1-4 in last year’s Classic but did not meet with Chattanooga. The Rockets are 1-4 to begin the season, opening last weekend at the UNLV Easton Desert Classic in Las Vegas, Nev. Toledo took a 3-1 win over Utah Valley, but suffered losses to Oregon, Utah, Cal State Northridge and Seattle.
Sunday’s final game pins Chattanooga against Campbell for the first time since 2011. A nail-biter in Athens, Ga., Chattanooga took the Camels to nine innings to claim a 9-7 win at the Bulldog Invitational. Coming into the tournament, Campbell is 5-4 with wins over Valparaiso, Seton Hall, Stetson and two wins over Elon.
Other teams participating in the Frost Classic include Tennessee Tech, Austin Peay, Ohio and Middle Tennessee. And as a note of interest, former Moc Tiffany (Baker) Wilkinson returns as an assistant coach with Tennessee Tech.
Tickets for the Frost Classic are on sale now and are available at GoMocs.com. Single-day passes are $8 and seniors/student single day passes are available for $5. UTC students are admitted free with a valid Mocs Card.