Texas downs Arkansas, forces game three of Super Regionals

Texas got the best of Arkansas in a low-scoring affair, setting up a winner-take-all game three on Saturday.

Friday’s game two of the Fayetteville Super Regional between Arkansas and Texas featured a great game between two stout defenses, and even stronger pitching staffs.

The difference, was one inning, and who got the most production at the plate.

Every run scored in the game came in the 3rd inning, with Texas using the magic of the longball to move ahead of Arkansas, and to grab the 3-1 win. The victory by Texas evens the series at 1-1, forcing a “winner-take-all” game three on Saturday afternoon.

After recording a hit and leaving a runner on base through the first two innings of the game, Arkansas finally scored a run on an infield single by [autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag] that scored [autotag]KB Sides[/autotag] to give the Razorbacks the 1-0 lead.

The Longhorns responded by leading off the bottom of the 3rd inning on back-to-back solo home runs by Katie Cimusz and Jenae Jefferson to take the lead away from Arkansas, 2-1.

Mary Iakopo extended the Texas lead to 3-1 on a double to left-center field with one out in the inning. [autotag]Chenise Delce[/autotag] would enter in relief of [autotag]Mary Haff[/autotag], and would strike out the final two batters of the frame.

After the big inning, both pitchers relied on their defense to keep their opposition off of the scoreboard. In 3.2 innings of relief, Delce struck out four batters while allowing just three hits. Hailey Dolcini tossed a complete game for Texas, allowing five hits and striking out two batters.

At the plate, Gibson recorded two of Arkansas’ five hits. Texas’ Alyssa Washington was the only Longhorn to pick up multiple hits.

Game three is set for a 3 p.m CDT first pitch at Bogle Park. The winner will claim a spot in the Women’s College World Series beginning next Thursday in Oklahoma City.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fc3h383th881vsf1 player_id=none image=https://razorbackswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=8826]

Arkansas tops Texas softball 7-1 in game one of the Super Regional

No. 4 Arkansas proved too much for Texas in game one of the Super Regionals.

No. 4 Arkansas proved too much for Texas in game one of the Super Regionals. The Hogs move one game away from the 2022 Women’s College World Series with the 7-1 victory over the Longhorns.

Texas’ Hailey Dolcini and Arkansas’ Chenise Delce took a 0-0 pitchers duel into the fifth inning. The Arkansas bats finally got to Dolcini and exploded for seven runs in the final two frames of the game. Hannah Gammill brought in the game’s first run and the Hogs never looked back.

Texas loaded the bases in both the fifth and seventh innings but only pushed across one run, falling 7-1.

The loss marked the third straight season Texas has dropped game one of a Super Regional.

Game two will take place tomorrow at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN 2. Texas needs a win to fight off elimination and force a winner-take-all game three.

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinions.

Texas will travel to Seattle for NCAA Softball regional

Mike White’s squad will open the tournament against Weber State on Friday.

Texas softball (38-17) is set for a regional trip to Seattle for the 2022 NCAA tournament, making the 17th consecutive postseason bid for the Longhorns. Texas just missed the cut to host a regional for the third straight season.

Mike White’s squad will open the tournament against Weber State on Friday. The regional is hosted by the No. 13 seeded Washington Huskies who will take on Lehigh in game No. 2 of the regional.

Texas is looking for its first trip to the Women’s College World Series since 2013. The Longhorns have been one win away from a return trip to Oklahoma City in back-to-back tournaments.

The winner of the Seattle regional will take on the winner of the Fayetteville Regional in the super regionals.

Here is a full look at the 2022 NCAA softball bracket.

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinions.

Each sport where Texas is currently ranked inside the top 25 nationally

It’s a GREAT time to be a Longhorn! Four No. 1 rankings, eight others fall within the top 25.

It’s a great time to be a Longhorn. Continue reading “Each sport where Texas is currently ranked inside the top 25 nationally”

Texas had the best year of athletics in the nation for 2020-21, here is where each team finished

Texas’ athletic program was the best of the best for the 2020-21 season.

Under athletic director Chris Del Conte, Texas’ athletics department as a whole has seen exuberating success. As of recently, they’ve shown why Texas is one of the top institutions both athletically and academically.

In 2018-19, the Longhorns finished fourth in the Learfield IMG College Director’s Cup standings, which is a competition that is based off how all collegiate sports teams finish their season.

That was their highest finish in the national all-sports rankings since 2005-06, but Del Conte and the program have hit a new high. For the first time ever, the Longhorns have won the Director’s Cup. In doing so, they have also become the first school outside of Stanford to win it since 1994.

How dominant was Texas sports throughout the 2020-21 season? The Longhorns recorded three NCAA Championships, the most by Texas since the 1989-90 season. On top of that, they took home 13 Big 12 conference titles.

If you were to add in Texas’ football program from the 2020 season to the list above, who although underwhelmed from an expectations standpoint, it’d be another top 25 finish at No. 19 overall.

With the baseball season ending just days ago, we now know where each respective Texas program finished amongst their peers for the 2020-21 season. Let’s take a look at where each program finished the season and played a large part in Texas winning the Director’s Cup.

Texas softball will play Oklahoma State in decisive Game 3 on Sunday for WCWS trip

After a 4-2 win on Saturday, Texas softball forced a decisive Game 3 on Sunday against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

In the Stillwater Super Regional on Saturday, Texas’ Shea O’Leary pitched a full game to lift the Longhorns over the Oklahoma State Cowboys 4-2. It was the first time that Texas was able to defeat Oklahoma State this season.

It extended the series to a deciding third game on Sunday with a berth in the Women’s College World Series on the line. Oklahoma State will start ace pitcher Carrie Eberle, while Texas will again have O’Leary on the mound.

“Momentum’s something in this game and we created some momentum today. We’ll keep that going through tomorrow and we’ll have to make sure it’s a dogfight tomorrow. But I’m sure OSU’s gonna come out and fight us hard. We know that,” Texas head coach Mike White stated at the conclusion of the game on Saturday.

Texas’ junior catcher Mary Iakopo hit a clutch two-run home run in the sixth inning on Saturday to take control of the game. It was her 16th homer, which moved her into a tie with Lindsey Stephens (2014) for the most in a single season in school history.

Here’s how to tune in to the crucial Game 3 matchup between Texas and Oklahoma State on Sunday:

When

Sunday, May 30 at 3:15 p.m. CST

Where

Stillwater, Oklahoma

How to watch

ESPN

How to listen

105.3 FM

When, where, how to watch Texas softball in the super regionals

Here’s how to tune in to watch the Texas Longhorns battle Oklahoma State in the 2021 NCAA softball super regionals.

[mm-video type=video id=01f6k42y0ddt43fe8ba9 playlist_id=01eqbz52bnpekkafqb player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f6k42y0ddt43fe8ba9/01f6k42y0ddt43fe8ba9-41fae5c3249aabd98b5666e45fadae89.jpg]

No. 11 Texas softball narrowly scraped past No. 10 Oregon in the NCAA Austin regionals last weekend.

After a roughly five hour delay due to weather, the Longhorns and the Ducks took it to extra innings on Sunday night. Oregon eventually won 3-2 off of a walk-off single from Terra McGowan in the eighth inning.

Game two, which began at approximately 11:20 p.m. CST, was an intense defensive battle that Texas fortunately closed out by a score of 1-0. Next, the Longhorns will face No. 7 Oklahoma State in the super regionals. The two programs have met four times this season, where Oklahoma State has won every game.

What began with 64 teams is now down to 16. Here’s how to tune in to Texas vs. Oklahoma State in the super regionals:

When

Friday, May 28 (4 p.m. CT)

Saturday, May 29 (3 p.m. CT)

Sunday, May 30 (5 p.m. CT) — if necessary

Where

Stillwater, Oklahoma

How to watch

ESPN2 (Friday), ESPN (Saturday), ESPNU (Sunday)

How to listen

105.3 FM

No. 1 Oklahoma run-rules No. 7/8 Texas for third straight day, moves to 33-0

No. 1 Oklahoma softball run-ruled No. 7/8 Texas for the third straight day on Sunday to move to an astonishing 33-0 on the season.

No. 1 Oklahoma softball has been on a demolition derby in 2021 absolutely obliterating their way to the top ranking in the country and an undefeated record.

This weekend, the Sooners welcomed in what appeared to be their stiffest test of the season in No. 7/8 Texas, but you wouldn’t know it with how the games have unfolded. After getting the run-rule win in the opener on Friday night and doing it again on Saturday afternoon, they completed the trifecta on Sunday getting the sweep with a 9-0 win in five innings.

Freshman Nicole May got the start and was fabulous tossing 4 1/3 shutout innings allowing six hits and striking out four. She gave way to sophomore Alanna Thiede to record the final two outs and finish things off.

After a rare empty opening inning for Oklahoma offensively, they struck for three in the second on a sacrifice fly from Taylon Snow and a two-run home run by Jana Johns. They were far from done after that.

In the third, the Sooners added four more runs on the board on two more home runs. The first was a three-run shot by Jayda Coleman with the second being a solo job off the bat of Lynnsie Elam. Patty Gasso’s club held a commanding 7-0 lead heading to the fourth.

Needing only one more run to put them in position for another run-rule, Oklahoma messed around and got two more for good measure on yet another home run – this one a two-run blast by Tiare Jennings. May and Thiede would then team up to slam the door in the fifth for the 9-0 win.

The victory moves the Sooners to an astonishing 33-0 on the season and 9-0 in conference play. There are not proper adjectives to put into words what this team is doing this season, absolutely eviscerating everyone in their path to this point. Of their 33 wins, this is their 25th run-rule. That is obscene.

Gasso expressed after Saturday’s game that there was talk of the narrative surrounding them that they had mostly dominated inferior competition –  well let that talk live no longer. This was a series against a top-10 opponent and it was never even remotely close.

Oklahoma will have a day off tomorrow, not that they need one by any stretch, before hitting the road to take on Georgia for a doubleheader in Athens on Tuesday night.

The University of Texas launches LEVERAGE program to assist in NIL

The University of Texas announced that they have launched a program to assist with NIL. The LEVERAGE program will assist student athletes.

According to a press release from the University of Texas, they are launching a new program called ‘LEVERAGE.’ This program will focus on four key areas to help student athletes maximize their brand and platform. With the new NIL rules, student athletes will be able to earn income off of their own name, image and likeness.

LEVERAGE, which is part of the new the new 4EVER TEXAS program, is composed of four main areas of focus: Personal Branding & Brand Management, Business Formation & Entrepreneurship, Opportunity Management and Financial Literacy.

“When it comes to exposure, visibility, valuable connections and a broad and far-reaching network, Texas has all of that,” said Texas Football head coach Tom Herman. “With the NIL opportunities coming in the near future, the establishment of the LEVERAGE program is a personal development area where we will provide unmatched resources when it comes to building our players’ brands. The people they will meet, opportunities at their disposal and the resources our first-class Football and Athletics programs will provide are second to none, and this program is just another great reason to be a Texas Longhorn.”

This will help give the Longhorns the leg up on recruiting. In the ever evolving world of college athletics, one of the key issues revolves paying players their worth. For years it has been an ongoing argument about if and how student athletes should be allowed to receive financial compensation for their efforts.

According to the USA TODAY Sports database, no university generates more revenue than the University of Texas. In the 2018-2019 school calendar year, the Longhorns generated over $223 million worth of revenue. With the NIL, student athletes could tap into that brand.

The University of Texas launching LEVERAGE will not only help the university, but it helps the student athletes who want to build their brand. Athletes who want a huge platform and being able to earn their worth according to NIL rules.

Texas pitcher Miranda Elish named National Player of the Year

Texas pitcher Miranda Elish was named the National Player of the Year by Softball America on Wednesday.

Although it was a shortened season due to the COVID-19 outbreak, there’s several accolades that Texas softball should be proud of. Continue reading “Texas pitcher Miranda Elish named National Player of the Year”