After a dominant non-conference run, Texas softball is gearing up for its Southeastern Conference debut this weekend, where a gauntlet of heavy hitters awaits.
Riding a 15-game win streak, the Longhorns have only dropped one game. Its 26–1 record currently ties the program’s best start in history, set by the 2006 squad.
Texas’ bullpen, led by sophomore pitcher Teagan Kavan, has been lights out to start the season. The sophomore leads the team in strikeouts and innings pitched and was selected as the SEC Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season on Monday. Junior Citlaly Gutierrez leads the nation with an ERA of .44, while senior pitcher Mac Morgan brings veteran experience.
“I think it helps me out. I think it (puts) less eyes on me,” Kavan said. “I think it’s great that we have five of us that can throw because I think, especially, with the SEC run we’re gonna have to have, we need all five of us to get the job done.”
On the other side of the circle, Texas boasts an explosive lineup, ranking second nationally in batting average. Senior utility Mia Scott leads the team with a .500 average, while junior catcher Reese Atwood, who earned her fourth career National Fastpitch Coaches Association Player of the Week honor, has already hit 10 homers and is just six RBIs away from breaking Texas’ career record.
Texas faces arguably the toughest schedule in the entire country. The SEC holds many positions in the rankings, with 13 teams in the top 25. The Longhorns will face four of the top five teams in conference play.
There isn’t a strong consensus on who the best team in the country is. The difference between Texas, No. 3 Florida, and No.1 Oklahoma is microscopic, and fans will learn a lot more about these three as they play teams of the same caliber.
“It’s definitely going to be a battle,” Atwood said. “I think every team in the SEC has a pretty equal amount of talent. You look at Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma, LSU, A&M, there’s so many teams that are going to compete, and we are in the best softball conference now in the SEC, so it’s just every game that we play is going to be a battle equally.”
Texas will open SEC play on the road against No. 3 Florida this weekend. Florida recently took two of three games against No. 6 Texas A&M despite missing sophomore ace Keagan Rothrock, one of the nation’s top pitchers.
Rothrock will still likely be out against Texas, but the Gators’ bullpen runs deep. New additions freshman Katelynn Oxley and sophomore Ava Brown performed well against A&M and could give Texas’ lineup trouble whether Rothrock returns or not. However, Texas will aim to capitalize on the Gators’ infield errors and miscommunication.
After Florida, Texas will host No. 22 Auburn before navigating a brutal mid-April stretch against No. 7 Tennessee, No. 4 LSU and Oklahoma, the four-time reigning national champions.
There are tons of question marks surrounding the Sooners. They are undefeated but have arguably the weakest strength of schedule out of the top 10. Oklahoma has a solid pitcher Sam Landry, who is coming back from an undisclosed injury, but the Sooners don’t have the pitching depth that Texas does, which showed in their series against South Carolina this past weekend.
Although the Sooners swept the Gamecocks, all three games were one-run wins and the pitching group allowed an uncomfortable amount of walks. The team graduated a large majority of the championship team, but Oklahoma’s offense still looks dangerous. The Sooners will always be the biggest threat to Texas, especially at home.
“It’s definitely a tougher schedule than what we’ve recently had, but this team’s ready,” Atwood said. “We’re ready to take on that battle.”
