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BUSY START: The UAH softball team will start the new campaign in busy fashion, playing six games in three days at the annual UAH-hosted Chillout which is being held for a second consecutive season at the Metro Kiwanis Sportsplex in the Rocket City. The Chargers will battle Ferris State and Bellarmine on Friday at 1 and 3 p.m., respectively, before turning around to face Maryville at noon and No. 21 Indianapolis at 2 p.m. on Sunday. The full weekend concludes on Sunday with an 11 a.m. contest with Southern Indiana followed by a showdown with No. 9 North Georgia at 1 p.m.
 
NATIONAL ATTENTION FROM THE START: After securing the top seed in the South Region portion of the NCAA tournament a season ago while posting a 48-12 record, the Chargers start the season exactly where they finished last year in the national rankings, checking in at No. 12 in the preseason edition of the NFCA Division II Top 25.
 
LAST YEAR AT THE CHILLOUT: The Chargers set the tone for the season early on last year when the team swept through the Chillout, posting wins over two nationally-ranked opponents en route to a perfect 6-0 weekend.
 
KEY RETURNERS: Though the squad graduated a pair of All-Americans in Mary Kelley – UAH's second-ever four-time All-American – and Macie Couey, the Chargers return a bevy of talent to the 2015 team. Four all-region performers are back in the form of senior Victoria Frith and sophomores Emily Glover, Tyler Harrison and Kaitlyn Bannister, and the team also returns five all-conference selection in the aforementioned five and junior Kimberly Jack.
 
THE COUNTDOWN IS ON: Head coach Les Stuedeman – who was inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Assocation Hall of Fame during the offseason – is nearing yet another career milestone as she enters the weekend with 894 career victories.
 
HIGHLIGHTING THE OPPOSITION: The Chargers will face a strong group of opponents this weekend as in addition to facing the two nationally-ranked teams in Indianapolis and North Georgia, three of the teams UAH will take on this weekend made the NCAA tournament year ago as Bellarmine, Indianapolis and UNG all reached the postseason.
 
SERIES HISTORY: The Chargers have faced each of the six programs scheduled this weekend, and UAH holds the upper hand in each of the six series histories. The all-time series with North Georgia has been the most competitive with UAH holding an 11-8 advantage, while the Blue and White is 6-1-1 all-time against Indianapolis. The Chargers have never lost to Bellarmine (6-0), Southern Indiana (6-0), Maryville (3-0), or Ferris State (1-0).