When No. 4 Texas softball takes the diamond on Friday to face No. 2 Oklahoma, it will mark the 16th consecutive year that the two programs have gone head-to-head.
These two softball powerhouses have created many memorable matchups against one another throughout the years, and fans will likely pack the Red & Charline McCombs Field, eagerly anticipating another competitive Red River Rivalry series between two of the NCAA’s best programs.
However, for a Texas team that has lost three of its last six games, this upcoming weekend isn’t just about the rivalry — it’s about redemption.
The Longhorns suffered their first series loss of the season to No. 3 Alabama on the road this past weekend, and their time in Tuscaloosa revealed key weaknesses that this year’s powerful Oklahoma team could expose.
The Sooners have established a five-game win streak, with their only loss of the conference season being the second game in their series against No. 18 LSU. Granted, they haven’t yet found themselves taking on top-15 ranked opponents on back-to-back weekends like the Longhorns have, but their prowess so far has shown in both their statistics and results.
“They’ve got some video game-like numbers,” head coach Mike White said. “There’s a lot to like about what they’re doing, but we’ve also got a lot of talent on our side as well. So it’s going to come down to using our fans and playing at home in front of a good crowd and hopefully a good performance by our pitching staff.”
White’s pitching staff has faltered a bit recently, which became more prominently clear against Alabama on Friday when he utilized four different pitchers in a failed attempt to win the game while avoiding using junior pitcher Teagan Kavan for the second day.
To conquer the Sooners, White will need his team firing on all cylinders. It could get difficult to slow Oklahoma down if it gets into an offensive groove, meaning that the Longhorns will have to work offensively to develop a similar rhythm.
“We know we’re going to have to score runs,” White said. “(We need to) limit the damage that they may cause, that’s by limiting (pitching) errors.”
Regardless of the outcome this weekend, each team will likely still be seen in high regard compared to other conference and NCAA opponents. Texas being swept in last year’s Red River Rivalry series is proof that this doesn’t make or break either team’s season, as the Longhorns went on to defeat the Sooners on their way to an NCAA Title.
The Longhorns’ main focus is remaining present and focusing on their own level of play.
“The game doesn’t know we lost the last series — only we know,” White said. “We can only control what we do, and that is being aggressive, hunting pitches, putting up as many runs as we can (and) executing game plans.”
