CHATTANOOGA, TN ? The 2006 Southern Conference Softball Tournament commences on Wednesday, May 10 at Frost Stadium with host school and fourth-seeded Chattanooga taking on fifth-seeded Appalachian State at 10 a.m. in the first game of the tournament.

The Chattanooga-Appalachian State contest will be the first of four games on Wednesday, with the day concluding with the third-seeded Georgia Southern Lady Eagles squaring off against sixth-seeded Elon at 5 p.m.

First-year program Western Carolina will be aiming to effectively defend its regular season championship in the tournament. The Catamounts finished their 2006 regular season campaign as the champions after a season that saw them secure the league regular-season crown one weekend before the final weekend of conference play.

Western Carolina only succumbed four times during league play, finishing with a 16-4 record and a 41-18 record overall. The 41 victories accumulated by the Catamounts left them at the end of the regular season as the only institution in the league with more than 30 wins.

Second-seeded College of Charleston will try and win its second consecutive tournament title after earning its first championship in the 2005 championship in Charleston, SC.

The four games on Wednesday are the first of four straight days of softball action at Frost Stadium. The 2006 SoCon softball champion will be decided on Saturday, May 13 with the championship series set for 1:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon.