The Chattanooga softball team opens play in the 2025 Southern Conference Tournament Thursday at 10:00 a.m. Fifth-seeded Mercer beat No. 8 Furman in the first game of the tournament and went on to take down fourth-seed and host Wofford in the afternoon matchup.
Links for streaming video on ESPN+ and live stats can be found online at GoMocs.com on the softball schedule page. Updates throughout the game can be found on X and Instagram.
SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
GAME DAY INFORMATION
No.
1 Mocs vs. No. 5 Mercer
Thursday, May 8
10:00 a.m.
Spartanburg, S.C. | Hope Field
Links for live stats and video streaming on ESPN+ can be found online at GoMocs.com.
Chattanooga and Mercer have met 62 times since the Mocs first season in 1994. UTC holds a narrow 32-30 lead in the series while the Bears hold a 19-11 record in Southern Conference action. In the SoCon Tournament the two programs are deadlocked at 3-3. UTC beat Mercer 10-1 in five innings last season in Greensboro, N.C.
The two teams faced off earlier this season in Macon, Ga., with the Mocs winning the Saturday double header. However, Sunday’s meeting was washed out. UTC won the first game 2-1 and earned a 6-0 shutout in the second.
Chattanooga finished the regular season at 39-13 overall and 15-5 in league play, beating ETSU in the final game to secure its 16th SoCon title outright. UTC is hitting .299 with 122 extra base hits that include 71 doubles, 15 triples and 36 home runs with 219 RBI. Olivia Lipari, named the 2025 SoCon Player of the Year, leads UTC with a .375 batting average. She ranks 28th in the NCAA for doubles with 16 and second in the conference. She is third in the SoCon with a .701 slugging percentage and second for walks per game. Camryn Cernuto is second on the team at the plate with a .338 batting average, a team-best 15 sacrifice hits, four triples (along with Zoe Wright) and 17 steals in 18 tries.
Peja Goold, two-time SoCon Pitcher of the Year including 2025, leads the SoCon with a 1.50 ERA, 11th in the NCAA and is third in the nation with eight shutouts on the year while her 23 victories ranks fifth in the NCAA.
The Bears are 33-23 overall and finished fifth in the SoCon standings with a league mark of 11-9. They are on a seven-game win streak that includes victories over Furman (11-7) and Wofford (5-2) Wednesday on the opening day of the SoCon Tournament. Mercer is hitting .278 as a team led by Tori Hedgecock with a .362 batting average. She has 14 home runs and 10 doubles with 57 RBI. The Bears pitching staff has an ERA of 3.34 led by Gabby Ellis at 2.51. She is 9-5 on the year with two shutouts, six complete games and 56 strikeouts.