Softball Rakes in Awards; Coach, Player and Pitcher of the Year

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — The Chattanooga softball team earned plenty of recognition from the Southern Conference claiming three of the four major awards, two all-conference second teamers and an all-freshman team selection.
 
Olivia Lipari was named the league’s Player of the Year. Peja Goold earned her second straight SoCon Pitcher of the Year nod and Frank Reed was named the SoCon Coach of the Year.
 
Taylor Long and Camryn Cernuto were each named to the All-Conference Second Team and Lexi Cooley earned a spot on the league’s All-Freshman Team.
 
Olivia Lipari became just the sixth Chattanooga player to be named the SoCon Player of the Year and the first since 2012.
 
She leads the Mocs at the plate hitting .375 and is ranked fifth in the conference. The Oviedo, Fla., senior leads UTC in doubles, is second in the SoCon and 28^th in the NCAA and is second in the league for walks with 33.
 
Peja Goold was named the conference Pitcher of the Year for the second straight season. She is third in the NCAA for shutouts, fifth for wins, ninth for strikeouts and leads the Southern Conference in seven other statistical categories.
 
The Stockton, Calif., junior has eight shutouts, 23 wins and 224 strikeouts. She was named the SoCon Player of the Week twice and earned six honors from the Tennessee Sports Writers Association.
 
She becomes the fourth Chattanooga pitcher to earn the honor in back-to-back seasons.
 
Frank Reed earned his seventh SoCon Coach of the Year honor, leading the Mocs to their 16^th regular season crown. The Mocs put together a 14-game win streak this season, fifth longest in program history, and went 15-5 in league play.
 
Reed is in his 24^th season at Chattanooga and is three wins away from 800 Division I victories. He topped the 1,200 mark for his career last season.
 
Long was masterful in the final three innings Sunday against ETSU, striking out eight of the final nine batters she faced to clinch the Mocs SoCon regular season title.
 
The Calhoun, Ga., native has a 2.32 ERA, fifth best in the conference. Her 157 strikeouts is second at UTC and SoCon. She is 19^th in the NCAA for strikeouts per seven innings, best in the SoCon, 29^th for strikeouts and 39^th with four shutouts.
 
Cernuto has a .338 batting average, second for the Mocs and 13^th in the league standings. She leads the conference in triples and ranks eighth in the NCAA for sac bunts per game.
 
The Mt. Juliet, Tenn., native is 17-of-18 for stolen bases and is sixth all-time at UTC with 35 in just two seasons. In centerfield, she has 65 putouts, three assists, one error and a double play.
 
All 43 of Cooley’s starts are in right field. The freshman has the Mocs longest on base streak of the season at 17 consecutive games and put together a six-game hit streak.
 
The Athens, Tenn., freshman is hitting .258 with five doubles, a triple and a home run with 10 RBI.
 
Chattanooga is the No. 1 seed in the upcoming SoCon Tournament and received a first-round bye. The Mocs will play at 10:00 a.m. Thursday morning against #4 Wofford, #5 Mercer or #8 Furman. Mercer and Furman will face off in the first round in a play in game. The winner of that game will take on Wofford.
 
All games will be live streamed on ESPN+. Links for streaming and live stats can be found online at GoMocs.com or SoConSports.com.
 
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Player of the Year
Olivia Lipari, Sr., UTL, Chattanooga
 
Pitcher of the Year
Peja Goold, Jr., RHP, Chattanooga
 
Freshman of the Year
Macy Michael, INF, UNCG
 
Coach of the Year
Frank Reed, Chattanooga
 
First Team
P – Peja Goold, Jr., Chattanooga
P – Margaret Axelson, Jr., Wofford
C – Betsy Eatmon, So., UNCG
C – Hope Ingle, Sr., Wofford
INF – Tori Hedgecock, Sr., Mercer
INF – Olivia Shaw, So., Samford
INF – Olivia Lipari, Sr., Chattanooga
INF – Lily Bell, So., Western Carolina
OF – Hallie Langford, R-Sr., Mercer
OF – Kaylyn Belfield, Jr., UNCG
OF – Grace Loftin, Sr., UNCG
DP or UT/Non-P – Olivia Shaw, So., Samford
UT/P – Jorde Chartrand, Sr., UNCG
 
Second Team
P – Taylor Long, Jr., Chattanooga
P – Abby Greenwood, So., Wofford
C – Sietske Drijvers, Jr., Mercer
INF – Cameron Young, Sr., ETSU
INF – Macy Michael, Fr., UNCG
INF – Grier Bruce, Sr., Samford
INF – Sarah Squillace, Sr., Samford
OF – Caitlin Goldwait, Sr., Furman
OF – McKayla Cothran, Sr., Samford
OF – Camryn Cernuto, Sr., Chattanooga
DP or UT/Non-P – Sylvia Burroughs, Jr., Furman
UT/P – Sara Muir, Sr., ETSU
 
All-Freshman
Hannah Rivers, INF, Mercer
Grace Jones, P/INF, Mercer
Hadley Gardner, OF, UNCG
Macy Michael, INF, UNCG
Joi Hubbard, UTL, Samford
Ella Nelson, INF, Samford
Lexi Cooley, UTL, Chattanooga
Natalya Salo, P, Wofford
Rivers Sampson, OF, Wofford
Brianna Stanley, INF, Wofford