The Longhorns are set to host McLennan Community College on Thursday at Red and Charline McCombs Field in Austin. The team looks to remain undefeated after starting the season with two resounding wins. 

Texas gave a complete performance in its last game, defeating Temple College 7-0. Senior pitcher Tiarra Davis led the way for the Longhorns, recording an efficient nine strikeouts in seven innings of work.

“I loved that [Davis] maintained a low pitch count,” head coach Connie Clark said. “We had to rely on her because we had some banged up pitchers, but she attacked the strike zone nicely and did a really good job overall.”

Offensively, the Longhorns have stepped up to the plate with an air of confidence throughout the fall season. They have tallied 19 runs in their first two games, paired with 23 hits. And nearly every player in burnt orange has found a way to contribute.

“It’s expected,” senior third baseman Celina Felix said. “We just let all of the hard work at practice pay off by going up to the plate, not overthinking, having fun and doing what we’re here to do.”

Each fall contest helps Clark gauge the team’s strengths and weaknesses heading into the spring campaign. Texas also gets the chance to experiment with new strategies and lineups without the consequence  of falling in the standings. 

“I think that we’ll maybe add in a little more short-game this next time,” Clark said last Friday. “We may run some new defensive schemes out there as well. We mostly just trot them out there and ask them to be athletes though because we’re a little limited on our time in these games.”

Texas looks to keep building a foundation for February as the fall season extends through mid-November. The Longhorns will take the field at 7 p.m. on Thursday against McLennan Community College at 7 p.m. And while the competition may not be as tough as it is in the spring, Clark wants her team to stay focused on improving in each matchup.

“We’re really just trying to stay the course,” Clark said. “We want to switch our brains off at the plate and be very decisive on the pitches we’re looking for. That’s going to help us more than anything over the long haul.”

This story has been updated since its original publication. An earlier version incorrectly stated Davis recorded 11 strikeouts.