The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Friday, May 26
Knoxville, TN
3 PM
University of Texas
at
Tennessee
Photo by: Texas Athletics
No. 8/8 Softball preview: NCAA Knoxville Super Regional
05.25.2023 | Softball
Texas set to appear in fourth NCAA Super Regional under head coach Mike White
KNOXVILLE, TN – For the fourth consecutive completed season, The University of Texas softball program will participate in a NCAA Super Regional when the Longhorns tangle with the Volunteers of Tennessee this weekend.
The series will begin at 3 PM CT / 4 PM ET on Friday, May 26, while Saturday's contest is slated for 2 PM CT / 3 PM ET. A "if necessary" third game is scheduled for Sunday, May 28, but a start time won't be determined until following Saturday's action.
Both Friday and Saturday's games will be broadcasted to a nation-wide audience with Friday's action on ESPN2, while Saturday's contest can be seen on ABC. Beth Mowins, Michele Smith and Jessica Mendoza will be in the television booth to call the game, while Holly Rowe will serve as an in-game reporter.
Andrew Haynes can be heard on the airwaves at 105.3 FM in the Austin area.
LEADING OFF
- With Texas' 11-5 win over Texas A&M on Sunday, May 21, 2023, not only did the Longhorns clinch its eighth NCAA Super Regional in program history, but head coach Mike White extended his streak of consecutive NCAA Super Regional appearances to 13 in a row.
- The only time a Mike White-coached collegiate softball program did not make a NCAA Super Regional was during the COVID-19 pandemic shortened 2020 season.
- White has reached at least NCAA Super Regionals in all 13 possible opportunities as a collegiate softball head coach.
- Texas' freshman shortstop Viviana Martinez will enter this weekend's Knoxville Super Regional ranked sixth on the program's single-season RBI list. Martinez is just 15 RBI shy of setting a new record.
- 66 – Lindsey Stephens (2014), Taylor Thom (2013)
- 58 – Mary Iakopo (2022)
- 57 – Lexy Bennett (2012)
- 55 – Shannon Rhodes (2021)
- 52 – Viviana Martinez (2023)
- Martinez' 52 RBI are the most by any first-year Texas softball student-athlete in program history. The Arizona native is the only first-year Longhorn to drive in 50-or-more runs in a single season.
- With three more official plate appearances, Leighann Goode will join Mia Scott (2022) as the only first-year Texas softball student-athletes to be credited with 200-or-more official at bats in a single season.
- Additionally, if Goode (197) is credited with eight official at bats throughout the NCAA Knoxville Super Regional, the San Antonio native will pass Scott's 204 at bats last season and have more plate appearances than any first-year Longhorn in the program's single-season history.
- Mia Scott (53) and Leighann Goode (52) are just the second pair of Longhorn teammates under fifth-year head coach Mike White to score 50-or-more runs each in a single season.
- Last season, Janae Jefferson (74) and Mia Scott (62) combined to score 136 runs.
- In fact, there have only been x pairs of Texas softball teammates to score 50-or-more runs in a single season:
- 2011 – Taylor Hoagland (54), Lexy Bennett (51)
- 2012 – Taylor Hoagland (59), Lexy Bennett (53)
- 2013 – Taylor Hoagland (67), Taylor Thom (55)
- 2014 – Taylor Thom (55), Brejae Washington (50)
- 2022 – Janae Jefferson (74), Mia Scott (62)
- 2013 – Mia Scott (53), Leighann Goode (52)
- Leighann Goode's 52 runs scored throughout the 2023 season is 10 shy of tying Scott's single-season runs scored record (62) by a first-year Longhorn softball student-athlete set during the 2022 season.
- Speaking of Mia Scott, the Longhorn's sophomore third baseman will travel to Knoxville, Tenn., with a team-leading 74 hits in 193 official plate appearances throughout 59 games this season.
- Scott is currently tied with Janae Jefferson (2018) for sixth on the program's single-season hit list.
- 92 – Janae Jefferson (2022)
- 83 – Lindsay Gardner (2000)
- 80 – Janae Jefferson (2019)
- 77 – Mia Scott (2022)
- 75 – Janae Jefferson (2021)
- 74 – Janae Jefferson (2018), Mia Scott (2023)
- Scott (2) and Jefferson (4) are the only student-athletes in program history to have multiple seasons with 74-or-more hits.
- Scott (151) will enter Friday's game 41.7 percent of the way to Jefferson's program record 362 career hits.
- Scott needs just 57 more hits to move into 10th on the program's career hits list.
- Scott is currently tied with Janae Jefferson (2018) for sixth on the program's single-season hit list.
- Entering this weekend's NCAA Knoxville Super Regional, Texas' top three RBI leaders are true freshmen: Viviana Martinez (52), Reese Atwood (43) and Leighann Goode (41).
- The Longhorns are the only Division I softball team in this year's NCAA Super Regionals to have its top three RBI leaders to be true freshmen.
- Mac Morgan's .857-win percentage (18-3) is currently the fifth-highest win percentage with a minimum of 10 decisions in the program's single-season history.
- If Morgan were to finish this season with a percentage higher than .842 (Cat Osterman, 32-6, 2003), it would mark the first time in program history a Longhorn pitcher has finished a season with a winning percentage of .842 or higher.
- Last season, Estelle Czech capped the 2022 season with a .867 (13-2) win percentage.
- If Morgan were to finish this season with a percentage higher than .842 (Cat Osterman, 32-6, 2003), it would mark the first time in program history a Longhorn pitcher has finished a season with a winning percentage of .842 or higher.
FOLLOW US
- For the latest information on the team, follow @TexasSoftball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at @TexasLonghorns on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
C/1B
/ Softball
LHP
/ Softball
SS/2B
/ Softball
C/1B
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
SS/2B
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball