The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Maryland vs. Minnesota
Softball preview: the Texas Classic [Feb. 9, 2017]
02.09.2017 | Softball
The Longhorns open the 2017 campaign by hosting #16/14 Minnesota, Colorado State and Maryland
Texas Game Notes - Texas Classic
Texas hosts the Texas Classic | Feb. 10-12 | McCombs Field, Austin, Texas
Schedule:
Friday, February 10
11:30 a.m. Maryland vs. #16/14 Minnesota – Longhorn Network
2 p.m. Colorado State vs. Maryland – Longhorn Network
4:30 p.m. Colorado State at TEXAS – Longhorn Network
7 p.m. #16/14 Minnesota at TEXAS – Longhorn Network
Saturday, February 11
11 a.m. Colorado State vs. Maryland – Longhorn Network
1:30 p.m. #16/14 Minnesota vs. Colorado State – Longhorn Network (tape delayed to 8:30 pm)
4 p.m. #16/14 Minnesota at TEXAS – Longhorn Network
6:30 p.m. Maryland at TEXAS – Longhorn Network
Sunday, February 12
10 a.m. Maryland vs. #16/14 Minnesota – Longhorn Network
12:30 p.m. Colorado State at TEXAS – Longhorn Network
**ALL games during the Texas Classic are slated for live broadcast on Longhorn Network (unless otherwise noted above) or through the WatchESPN app; second team listed is the home team
Location: Austin, Texas (Red & Charline McCombs Field)
Ticket Information: LINK
Live Stats: Available for every game here: LINK
Television: Each game of the Texas Classic is slated for live broadcast on Longhorn Network (Saturday's 1:30 p.m. CT game between Minnesota and Colorado State will be shown via tape delay that night at 8:30 p.m. CT). Tyler Denning (play-by-play), Amanda Scarborough (color) and Erin Miller (analyst) will call the Texas match-ups, while Alex Loeb (play-by-play), Megan Willis (color) and Sierra Romero (analyst) will handle the neutral contests.
Radio: Texas' games are slated for radio broadcast via web stream with Andrew Haynes on the call via this LINK. The Texas broadcasts can also be heard locally this weekend in Austin on 105.3 FM in the local and surrounding areas, part of the Austin Radio Network supported by the flagship radio station of the Longhorns, 104.9 FM The Horn.
Base Knocks:
- Texas enters 2017 on an eight-game winning streak in its home-hosted Texas Classic dating back to a 6-4 loss to Wichita State on Feb. 13, 2015. Over that time, the Longhorns have defeated Colorado State (two wins) & Wichita State in 2015 and swept through Arkansas (two wins), North Carolina (two wins) and North Dakota State in 2016.
- "Why Knot Texas?" - That's a new motto coined by this year's team for 2017. Back in January, new assistant coach Tripp MacKay tied knots in the ends of black ropes, that are being worn by each member of the squad and coaching/support staff this season, to represent "holding the rope," in supporting each other all year through good times and bad. Coach Clark also asked the team during the preseason to strive for consistent effort and a championship mindset throughout the season.
- Texas owns an INCREDIBLE season-opening winning streak dating all the way back to the initial varsity season for the program in 1997. The Longhorns have won ALL 20 of their season openers, including high-profile wins over No. 3 UCLA (2007), Florida State (2009), No. 20 DePaul (2010), Louisville (2011) and No. 17 LSU (2014). During that stretch, Texas has registered 12 shutouts and outscored its opponents by a combined 133-11. The streak grew during the 2016 season as UT knocked off Arkansas in the Texas Classic, 4-1.
- Texas doesn't possess a great deal of history against this weekend's Texas Classic opponents. UT will be facing Minnesota for the first time ever, while the Longhorns lost in the only previous match-up against Maryland back on Feb. 23, 2007, in Cathedral City, Calif., 3-2. The Burnt Orange & White have faced off against Colorado State on six occasions, owning a perfect 6-0 mark all-time against the Rams, including a sweep of two games during the 2015 Texas Classic (W, 4-1. 11-4).
- Two Texas players enter the season with active streaks going from last year. Sophomore Reagan Hathaway is currently riding career-long seven-game hitting and 15-game reached base streaks, while senior Celina Felix has successfully reached in 13 straight contests.
- Texas preps to open the 2017 campaign having scored in 33 consecutive contests dating back to a 1-0 shutout loss to Iowa on March 16th in Honolulu, Hawai'i, during the 2016 Rainbow Wahine Classic. The Longhorns need to score in their first two games of this year to tie for the sixth-longest consecutive-game scoring streak (stretching over more than one season) in school history (35 from Feb. 9-April 6, 2012). The longest such streak in school history is 56 contests, established from May 4, 2013-April 18, 2014.
- Over the past two seasons the nucleus of this season's Longhorns squad has demonstrated a resilience and "never quit" attitude in fighting back from deficits. Texas owns 25 come-from-behind victories (those where UT trailed at ANY point in a game) and 10 total "true" walk-off wins combined over the 2015 & 2016 campaigns, including three walk-offs during last season's Texas Classic.
- The Longhorns should have plenty of pinch-hitting threats at their disposal this year as the top three options off the bench return for 2017. Sophomore Bekah Alcozer led the way last season in UT pinch-hitting at .462 (6-for-13), with seniors Taylor McAllister (.333 on 5-for-15) and Mickenzi Krpec (.333 on 4-for-12) close behind. In all, of the 22 total pinch hits Texas managed in 2016, players who combined for 19 of those return this season.
- Texas opens the 2017 season among those teams "receiving votes" in both the USA TODAY/National Fastpitch Coaches Association and ESPN.com/USA Softball polls. In the NFCA rankings, UT earned 17 points, good to sit at 28th overall, while in the USA Softball listing, the Horns tallied 20 points to rate 26th overall.
- In all, Texas is slated to face NINE MEMBERS OF BOTH THE NFCA AND USA SOFTBALL PRESEASON TOP 25 POLLS (24 total games against NFCA poll teams and 23 against USA Softball poll teams) as well as four teams receiving votes in either ranking (Oklahoma State, South Carolina, Cal State Fullerton, Arizona State).
- Texas is certainly challenging itself schedule-wise during the upcoming 2017 campaign with 28 games scheduled against 16 teams that reached the 2016 NCAA Field of 64 (Oklahoma, UCLA, Arizona, Washington, Missouri, Oklahoma State, South Carolina, Long Beach State, Baylor, Cal State Fullerton, Tennessee, Minnesota, Texas State, McNeese State, Arizona State and Notre Dame). EIGHT OF THE GAMES AGAINST 2016 NCAA TEAMS WILL BE CONTESTED BY THE END OF FEBRUARY! Along the way, the Longhorns will face-off against a pair of last season's Women's College World Series participants in eventual national champion Oklahoma and UCLA as well as five NCAA Super Regional qualifiers (Oklahoma, UCLA, Arizona, Washington and Missouri).
