CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga softball head coach Frank Reed announced Thursday that Natalie Powers (Glenpool, Okla.), Stephanie Rieck (Chandler, Ariz.), Kaiti Dutton (Tulsa, Okla.) and Chelsea Watson (Spring City, Tenn.) have signed national letters of intent to play with the Lady Mocs starting in the fall of 2010.

"As we continue to build our program, we wanted to seek out individuals that we felt like could take us to a level we have never been before," said head coach Frank Reed. "We felt like we have been able to accomplish that with our 2010 class. The players bring - power, speed and diversity - all the important ingredients it takes to make a championship program. We are expecting great things from this class."

Powers is a switch hitting catcher from Tulsa, Okla., who played at Holland Hall Preparatory School for head coach Dave Bach. She played her first two seasons at Glenpool High School before transitioning to Holland Hall, an elite private high school that offers a rigorous college level academic program. Head coach Dave Simmons and assistant coach Tommy Rogers guided her during the offseason with the Tulsa Eagles Gold travel team. She will be asked to step in and provide depth at catcher for Chattanooga.

"We were really excited when Natalie [Powers] decided to come to UTC," said head coach Frank Reed. "Obviously, she was looking for a lot of things in her college choices. Academics are important to her and having one of the top business schools in the country was definitely a part of her decision. She may be one of the top catchers in the nation and played on one of the top teams in the Tulsa Eagles. We feel like we have a gem in her coming to UTC."

Rieck is a power hitting lefty that has played catcher, first base and outfield in her four-year varsity career with Hamilton High School. At Hamilton, she was named an all-state honorable mention last season and made the first team all-fiesta region during her first three years. She competed competitively with head coach Gary Davis for the Arizona Hotshots. The Chandler, Ariz., native will definitely provide depth at multiple positions including first base and catcher for UTC next fall.

"Stephanie [Rieck] is one of the top players from the Arizona HotShots and coach Gary Davis," said Reed. "Gary has been a personal friend of mine for years. We always think highly of Gary's players because he does it the right way. Stephanie brings us a lot of versatility as left side hitter who can provide power. We look for her to come in and make a difference at UTC."

Dutton is another player who played competitively with the Tulsa Eagles and head coach Dave Simmons, where she was a teammate with fellow signee Natalie Powers. She plays for Union High School and has been named twice to that all-conference first team and last season earned all-state first team. The Tulsa, Okla., native will look to use her speed and left handed bat at UTC next fall in the outfield.

"We thought at one time that our 2010 class was complete, but we had the opportunity to ask Katie [Dutton] to come on board," said Reed. "We were still looking for another power hitter. She is a great outfielder and brings to us another left side hitter that can do tremendous things. She has a lot of speed and we think that she is going to be an awesome fit for what we are going to do in the outfield."

Watson is going into her four season with Rhea County High School coached by Brittany Hayes. She has played third base for the Lady Eagles and also is a member of the Tennessee Raiders travel team that is coached by Jeff Martin. The Spring City, Tenn., native helped to guide the Lady Eagles to their first district championship. Next fall, the right handed hitter will add depth to the Lady Mocs offensive attack.

"Chelsea [Watson] is a local kid that flew under the radar a little bit," said Reed. "She played for coach Jeff Martin, who is one of the premier hitting coaches in the area. Jeff really promoted Chelsea talking about her power and swing. We think that she will be a big asset especially with her bat. We will find out what she can provide defensively when she arrives in the fall."

With these players starting school in the fall of 2010, the current Lady Mocs open the season on Feb. 12 in Clermont, Fla. against Florida Atlantic. Chattanooga's first tournament of the season is the National Training Center Invitational, where the back-to-back Southern Conference Champions will be challenged by Oklahoma, Michigan, Georgia and UCF.

Chattanooga Softball 2010 Class
Name                            Pos              B/T          Hometown (High School)
Natalie Powers                C                 S/R          Glenpool, Okla. (Holland Hall)
Kaiti Dutton                    OF                L/L           Tulsa, Okla. (Union)
Stephanie Rieck          C/1B/OF           L/L           Chandler, Ariz. (Hamilton)
Chelsea Watson             3B                R/R          Spring City, Tenn. (Rhea County)