The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Tennessee
No. 3/3 Softball preview: Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational
02.15.2024 | Softball
Following successful trip to California, Texas now travels to Florida to continue hot start to 2024 season
AUSTIN, TX – Less than a week after showcasing its high-scoring abilities on the West Coast, The University of Texas softball program will take the nation's top offense to the East Coast this weekend for the 2024 Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational in Clearwater, Fla.
Like a week ago in Westwood, No. 3/3 Texas will be playing in multiple games against nationally-ranked opponents in front of a nation-wide audience, including a re-matchup against No. 2/2 Tennessee after the two programs tangled in the NCAA Knoxville Super Regionals in 2023. The Longhorns will also faceoff against No. 18/18 Kentucky and No. 22/RV Northwestern, both of which UT played in Clearwater a season ago.
The weekend will also feature the first of two season matchups against No. 9/9 Stanford, which made an appearance in the 2023 Women's College World Series, as well as Texas' first game against North Carolina since Feb. 13, 2016.
GAME SCHEDULE (all games are available to watch and/or listened to)
- Friday, Feb. 16
- vs. No. 2/2 Tennessee (5 p.m. CT / 6 p.m. ET) – LHN
- vs. No. 9/9 Stanford (8 p.m. CT / 9 p.m. ET ) – ESPN2
- Saturday, Feb. 17
- vs. North Carolina (1 p.m. CT / 2 p.m. ET) – ESPN+
- vs. No. 18/18 Kentucky (6 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. ET) – LHN
- Sunday, Feb. 18
- vs. No. 22/RV Northwestern (8:30 a.m. CT / 9:30 a.m. ET) – ESPN2
LEADING OFF
- Over the weekend, the Texas offense set a school record for most runs scored throughout the first five games of a new season with 64.
- 2024 – 64
- 2020 – 60
- 2012 – 60
- On Tuesday, Feb. 13, Texas sophomore catcher Reese Atwood became the first softball student-athlete to be selected as a Big 12 Conference Player or Pitcher of the Week and NFCA National Player of the Week since Miranda Elish was selected as the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week and NFCA National Player of the Week on Feb. 11, 2020.
- Atwood was the first Longhorn softball student-athlete to earn one of the league's top weekly softball honor and the coaches association top weekly honor as a non-pitcher since outfielder Lindsey Stephens was named the Big 12 Player of the Week and NFCA National Player of the Week on May 10, 2016.
- Texas will travel to the Sunshine State for this weekend's set of games being ranked in the top five in seven different team statistical categories:
- Batting Average (.458) – 1
- Doubles (14) – 4
- Home Runs per game (2.00) – 4
- On Base Percentage (.534) – 2
- Scoring (12.80) – 1
- Slugging Percentage (.792) – 1
- WL Percentage (1.000) – 1
- Texas is also ranked No. 7 in the nation in doubles per game with a 2.80 mark.
- Last weekend's 16-run victory over then-No. 10/8 UCLA was the largest margin of victory for the Texas Longhorn softball program against a ranked opponent in program history.
- The previous mark was a 12-run, five-inning victory for Texas against then-No. 4 Washington on March 17, 2011.
- The Longhorns originally set the 12-run record against then-No. 12 Washington on March 15, 2001 and was later matched against the Huskies in 2011.
- The previous mark was a 12-run, five-inning victory for Texas against then-No. 4 Washington on March 17, 2011.
- By winning its first five games of the season, Texas is off to its best start to a season (5-0) since the 2020 campaign, when the Longhorns reeled off victories in their first 10 games to begin the season.
- With its games against four different nationally-ranked non-conference opponents — No. 2/2 Tennessee, No. 9/9 Stanford, No. 18/18 Kentucky, No. 22/RV Northwestern — throughout the upcoming weekend, it'll mark the first five-game stretch against four different nationally-ranked non-conference opponents for the Texas softball program since playing then-No. 10 Louisiana (Feb. 25), then-No. 1 UCLA (Feb. 27), then-No. 2 Washington (Feb. 28) and then-No. 13 Michigan (Feb. 29) in a five-game span during the 2020 season.
- Texas knocked off each of the ranked opponents during that stretch, too:
- Texas 2, Louisiana 1
- Texas 6, UCLA 4 (8 innings)
- Texas 8, Washington 6
- Texas 1, Michigan 0
- A game against an unranked Fresno State team on Feb. 29 was played between the Longhorns facing the Huskies and Wolverines.
- Texas knocked off each of the ranked opponents during that stretch, too:
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.
