The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Friday, April 7
Austin, Texas
4:30 p.m.
University of Texas
vs
#11/9 Oklahoma
Softball preview: vs. No. 11/9 Oklahoma [April 7-9, 2017]
04.06.2017 | Softball
The latest version of softball's "Red River Showdown" is set for this weekend at McCombs Field
Texas Game Notes vs. #11/9 Oklahoma
No. 11/9 Oklahoma (32-7, 3-0 Big 12) at Texas (20-15, 0-3 Big 12) | April 7-9 | McCombs Field, Austin, Texas
Schedule:
Friday, April 7
4:30 p.m. CT #11/9 Oklahoma at TEXAS – Longhorn Network – 105.3 FM "The Bat" in Austin
Saturday, April 8
1 p.m. CT #11/9 Oklahoma at TEXAS – Longhorn Network – 105.3 FM "The Bat" in Austin
**PROMOTION: "Pink at the Plate" Game – fans are encouraged to wear pink to support breast cancer awareness
Sunday, April 9
12 p.m. CT #11/9 Oklahoma at TEXAS – Longhorn Network – 105.3 FM "The Bat" in Austin
**PROMOTION: Postgame autograph session with the Texas softball team
Location: Austin, Texas (Red & Charline McCombs Field)
Ticket Information: LINK
Live Stats: LINK
Television: The games against Oklahoma are slated for live broadcast on Longhorn Network with Alex Loeb (play-by-play) and Megan Willis (color) on the call. Links to view online are included on the above schedule.
Radio: Texas' contests are scheduled for radio broadcast via web stream with Andrew Haynes on the call via this LINK. The Texas broadcast can also be heard locally in Austin on "The Bat" 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:
- With just one or two more runs along the way at the right time, the 2017 regular season could have looked quite different to this point. TEXAS SOFTBALL HAS LOST 15 GAMES THIS YEAR BY A COMBINED TOTAL OF JUST 34 RUNS! The Longhorns have lost only three games by four or more runs this season (L, 6-11 to #16 Minnesota on Feb. 11; L, 4-9 to South Carolina on Feb. 17; L, 2-7 to #8 Washington on Feb. 26) and have been defeated by one run on eight occasions.
- No Texas starting pitcher has allowed more than two earned runs in a start since senior Tiarra Davis permitted three earned runs during a 3-0 loss at No. 6 Arizona back on March 3. Over the 17 games since that occurrence, four Longhorns pitchers have each made at least one start: Erica Wright (seven starts), Davis (five starts), Paige von Sprecken (four starts), Brooke Bolinger (one start). That four-starter rotation has combined to post a solid 1.41 ERA, allowing just 17 total runs over 84.2 innings of work.
- Keep an eye on senior first baseman Kelli Hanzel this weekend against OU. Last year during the "Red River Showdown" in Norman, the Houston, Texas, native led the Longhorns with a .500 average (4-for-8) with five runs scored, a HR and three RBIs. She went 3-for-3 in the series opener off OU ace Paige Parker and bashed a three-run HR off Parker during the series finale.
- Texas and Oklahoma possess a long history again one another as the "Red River Showdown" dates all the way to UT's initial year of varsity softball in 1997. OU leads the overall series by a 34-24 count with the Longhorns having lost seven in a row against the Sooners. UT's last victory in the series came in Norman, Okla., back on April 18, 2014, (9-0 in 6 inn.). Texas is 10-12 versus OU in Austin with the last Burnt Orange & White home triumph occurring on April 20, 2013 (4-2).
- One-run games haven't been kind to the Longhorns thus far in 2017 as Texas owns just a 4-8 record in such contests. In fact, the Burnt Orange & White have lost six of their last seven one-run games (beat Houston 2-1 in 8 inn. on April 2), each of their last six losses have been by one run and eight of UT's last 10 defeats have all come by just a single tally.
- Putting three or more runs on the scoreboard seems to be the magic number for Longhorns success in 2017 as Texas boasts a solid 18-4 mark when its offense totals three runs or more but is just 2-11 when crossing the plate less than three times.
- Redshirt sophomore pitcher Erica Wright looks like she's returning to form after missing all of the 2016 season because of injury. Over her last seven appearances in the circle (Loyola Marymount, Cal State Fullerton, McNeese State, Oklahoma State, UTSA, Houston, Texas State), the Huntington, Texas, native has allowed just eight combined hits over 33.0 innings of work (0.24 hits-per-inning), struck out 35, registered three complete-game one-hitters and posted a miniscule ERA of 1.06. She also recently tied her career-high for consecutive scoreless innings by tossing 15.0 straight shutout frames (from March 14 at Loyola Marymount until March 25 at Oklahoma State) and tossed a remarkable 12.2 hitless innings from the second frame of the OSU game through the first inning of the Houston DH opener. Wright enters the OU series on a streak of 8.1 consecutive scoreless innings.
- During Texas' series finale at Oklahoma State (March 26), freshman catcher Taylor Ellsworth added her name to the school record book by tying former Longhorns standout Taylor Thom's single-game record for hits (established April 23, 2011 at Texas Tech) by going a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate. Since starting against No. 21/19 Arizona State back on February 25, the Georgetown, Texas, native is hitting a staggering .585 (24-for-41) with 10 runs scored, three doubles, her first three collegiate HR's, 14 RBIs and a 1.474 OPS while reaching base safely by hit or walk in 28 of her 45 total plate appearances. She's also recently posted a career-long seven-game hitting streak and reached by hit in 12 of her last 14 games.
- Texas' schedule has been incredibly difficult to this point in 2017 as 15 of UT's 22 opponents played currently possess winning records, seven are currently ranked in the USA Today/NFCA coaches poll and 12 of them own at least 20 wins. Included are four teams with 27 or more victories, No. 4 Arizona (37-1), No. 7 Minnesota (30-3), No. 10 Washington (27-8) and No. 17 Tennessee (31-5). Overall, the Longhorns' opponents (as of April 3) are 461-300-2 (.606). Texas adds another this weekend with a visit from No. 11/9 Oklahoma.
- Texas has had a load of success with two outs in 2017, hitting .305 (102-for-334) while registering 70 of its 160 total RBIs (44%) with two outs in a inning. In all, 15 different Longhorns batters own two-out RBIs, led by 10 from freshman infielder Jade Gortarez and seven each from senior first baseman Kelli Hanzel, sophomore outfielder Reagan Hathaway and freshman catcher Taylor Ellsworth.
- It was quite an exhausting late February through March for the Longhorns as far as travel went. From the time the team left for the trip to the Mary Nutter Classic on Feb. 22, Texas was on the road for a stretch 22 of 34 possible days (until returning from Stillwater, Okla., on March 26) and five consecutive weekends. In all, also counting trips to Palm Springs, Calif., Tucson, Ariz., and Los Angeles/Long Beach/Fullerton, Calif., the Burnt Orange & White traveled nearly 9,000 miles.
- A year after seeing her average drop from .350 as a sophomore (2015) to .225 as a junior (2016), it seems that senior shortstop Devon Tunning is revitalized at the plate in 2017. The Henderson, Texas, native is currently batting .363, is third in the Big 12 Conference in slugging percentage at .602, has reached base safely in 29 of 35 games and has hit safely in 24 of 35 contests. After entering the season with nine career HR's (career-high seven in 2015), Tunning already owns a team-high five dingers over this year's initial 35 games.
- The Burnt Orange & White have played 18 of their 35 contests against teams that were ranked or receiving votes in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) or ESPN.com/USA Softball polls at time of playing, while eight of those tilts have been against top 15-rated foes.
- Since the beginning of the 2015 season, the nucleus of this year's Longhorns squad has demonstrated a resilience and "never quit" attitude in fighting back from deficits. Texas owns 30 come-from-behind victories (those where UT trailed at ANY point in a game) and 13 total "true" walk-off wins combined, including three walk-offs this year to beat Louisiana Tech during the Texas Invitational on Feb. 17, 6-5, to down Notre Dame at the Mary Nutter Classic on Feb. 23, 4-3, and to beat Houston on April 2, 2-1 (8 inn.).
Players Mentioned
LHP
/ Softball
LHP/1B
/ Softball
C/1B
/ Softball
IF/OF
/ Softball
1B/2B
/ Softball
OF/C
/ Softball
SS/3B
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball