No. 2/2 Softball preview: Houston Christian

AUSTIN, TX – Following a seven-game stint on the road to begin the 2024 season, The University of Texas softball program will finally play its first game of the new season inside Red & Charline McCombs Field when the Longhorns take on Houston Christian on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 5 p.m. CT.

Alex Loeb and Cat Osterman will call the game's action on the Longhorn Network.

Additionally, the Longhorn program will begin a four-game series honoring its quintet of senior student-athletes with Jordyn Whitaker beginning the festivities on Wednesday.

LEADING OFF

Texas' No. 2 ranking in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top 25 poll is the highest for the Longhorns since coming in at No. 2 in the final poll of the 2022 season following its run to the finals of the Women's College World Series.
- The ranking in the NFCA poll is also the highest for Texas during the regular season since May 10, 2006.
- Like in the NFCA Top 25 poll, Texas was No. 2 in the final USA Softball/ESPN.com to conclude the 2022 campaign, but has not been ranked this high by the organizations during the regular season since being No. 1 on March 27, 2006.
Texas will enter Wednesday afternoon's game having already earned four wins over ranked opponents, the most by a Longhorn team over the course of a season's first two weeks since the 2010 squad earned six.
- The program record for most ranked wins by UT in a single season is 19 set by the 2006 team en route to earning the program's first-ever No. 1 ranking in both the NFCA and USA Softball/ESPN.com polls.
Texas currently holds a 2-0 all-time record against Houston Christian, dating back to the first-ever game between the two programs on Feb. 20, 2013, when the Longhorns won, 5-0, in Austin.
- Throughout the series' history, UT has outscored HCU 13-0, a run margin fueled by an eight-run five-inning win over the Huskies in Austin on Feb. 27, 2019.
- Each season Texas played Houston Christian, the Longhorns have either made a Women's College World Series appearance (2013) or a berth in the NCAA Super Regionals (2019).
Citlaly Gutierrez will enter Wednesday afternoon's game as one of just 17 Division I softball student-athletes with a 0.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
- The sophomore right-hander has not issued a free pass, while striking out 10 opposing batters in 14.0 innings of work so far this season.
If Reese Atwood drives in a run against the Huskies on Wednesday, the sophomore catcher will tie her own program record for consecutive games with at least one run batted in (RBI).
- As a freshman in 2023, Atwood drove in at least one run in eight consecutive games from April 7, 2023 at Iowa State to April 22, 2023 against Oklahoma State.
A win for Estelle Czech in the pitching circle against Houston Christian would be the 25th victory wearing the Texas Burnt Orange and White and the 29th of her collegiate softball career, which began at NC State in 2021.
- However, if Mac Morgan earns the win, it would be the right-hander's 20th as a member of the Texas Longhorn softball program and 38th of her collegiate softball career that started at Arizona State in 2022.
Against Houston Christian on Wednesday afternoon, Texas will put a 24-3 all-time record in home-opening games on the line.
- The Longhorns have won their last nine consecutive home openers, dating back to the 2014 season.
  - UT last lost its home opener on Feb. 12, 2014, when UTSA knocked off the Longhorns, 4-2.

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Players Mentioned

Reese Atwood

Estelle Czech

Citlaly Gutierrez

Mac Morgan

Jordyn Whitaker

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics