The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Forty Acres Insider: March 19
03.19.2019 | Forty Acres Insider
Important news, interesting tidbits and exciting stories happening in and around Texas Athletics compiled by Vice President and Athletics Director Chris Del Conte. [<a href="http://texassports.com/archives.aspx?path=forty_acres_insider">Forty Acres Insider archives</a>]
Greetings Longhorn Nation,
It's spring break on campus which provides a great opportunity for UT students to relax and take a deep breath as they prepare for the home stretch of the spring semester. For Longhorns sports, it's full steam ahead on the Forty Acres as we have home competitions this week in Men's Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Men's and Women's Tennis, and also host the NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships. Come on out and cheer on your Horns!
Our Softball and Baseball teams look to build on what was an awesome Sunday on the diamond. Facing No. 5 Tennessee on their home field, Softball secured a 2-0 road shutout to improve to 25-6 in Coach White's first year at Texas. With UFCU Disch-Falk Field packed on a perfect Sunday afternoon, Coach Pierce's Baseball squad got off to a great start in Big 12 Conference play, posting a 4-3 win over No. 11 Texas Tech to secure a series victory.
Texas fans have a chance to join us this week as Baseball welcomes in old Southwest Conference rivals Arkansas tonight and Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, and Softball opens Big 12 play with a series against Iowa State Friday-Sunday at Red & Charline McCombs Field.
A National Championship is on the line at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center this week and Texas Women's Swimming and Diving is right in the thick of it. Entering the meet ranked No. 2 and fresh off their seventh straight Big 12 Championship, Coach Capitani and the Horns are looking to improve on back-to-back NCAA top-six finishes. The Texas Tennis Center hosts important match-ups, too, as Men's Tennis comes off of a huge home win over No. 1 Ohio State last Thursday and hosts No. 9 Columbia (Friday) and No. 16 USC (Sunday). Meanwhile, Women's Tennis welcomes a pair of Big 12 opponents as they face K-State (Friday) and Kansas (Sunday).
First up this week is Men's Basketball as our Longhorns take on South Dakota State in the NIT First Round tonight at 8 p.m. at the Erwin Center. Women's Basketball heads to Eugene, Oregon to play Indiana Friday (6 p.m.) in the NCAA First Round.
Thank you, Longhorn Nation, for your continued support and wishing everyone an awesome spring break. We look forward to seeing you on the Forty Acres very soon as, together, we put the "T" back in Texas!
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Hook 'em, Horns!
No. 4 Men's Tennis defeats No. 1 Ohio State
What a night it was at the Texas Tennis Center last Thursday as our Longhorns took down the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes. I'm so impressed by this team's resiliency, and thank you to our fans for your support and the energy you brought on what was an amazing night. Read more.
Remembering Johnny 'Lam' Jones
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of our Longhorns Legend Johnny 'Lam' Jones who passed away after a long battle with cancer last week. What Johnny accomplished in both football and in track and field was truly sensational and he will be dearly missed. Read more.
Hibbeler named Big 12 Player of the Week
Congratulations to Baseball's Masen Hibbeler on earning Big 12 Player of the Week. He played a huge role in getting the Big 12 season off to a great start with a series win over No. 11 Texas Tech. Read more.
Women's Basketball to make sixth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance
Congrats to the Women's Basketball team on earning the No. 7 seed in the Portland Regional. They open play vs. No. 10-seed Indiana Friday at 6 p.m. Central in the NCAA First Round in Eugene, Oregon. The game is televised on ESPN2. Full bracket here.
Haas selected as finalist of 89th AAU Sullivan Award
The Sullivan Award has long been one of the most prestigious honors an amateur athlete can receive, and we're so excited to have our very own Townley Haas listed among the finalists for this year's award. The Men's Swimming senior looks to become the first Longhorn in school history to win the award. Read more.
Football season ticket renewal deadline
If you haven't renewed your season tickets yet for the 2019 season, don't forget to do so before the deadline this Friday, March 22. Log in to your account at TexasSports.com/tickets to renew. Payment plans are still available, too! Renew now.
Softball ranked No. 5 in first NCAA RPI release
Softball (25-6) debuted at No. 5 overall in Monday's initial release of the NCAA's Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), boasting the eighth-toughest schedule in the nation. The Longhorns have defeated 15 teams ranked in the RPI Top 100, including eight wins over RPI Top 25 opponents [No. 7 Kentucky, No. 10 Tennessee, No. 12 Minnesota, No. 15 Ole Miss (two wins), No. 19 Boise State and No. 25 Tulsa (two wins)]. UT also owns RPI Top 50 triumphs over No. 32 Arizona State and No. 45 Wisconsin. Read more.
Donor Appreciation Month starts this weekend
Each year as a gesture of our gratitude, the Longhorn Foundation invites all members to participate in Donor Appreciation Month. Longhorn Foundation members can gain access to special hospitality areas during home competitions starting this Sunday, March 24 with your Longhorn Foundation membership card. Food, beverages and fun activities are provided for these family-style events. Get to know the Texas Athletics staff and don't miss the great giveaways. Visit the Donor Appreciation Month page for event details!
