The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Friday, March 8
Houston, TX
6 PM CT
University of Texas
at
Houston
No. 2/1 Softball preview: at Houston
03.07.2024 | Softball
Texas set to play Houston for the first time since Cougars joined the Big 12 Conference
HOUSTON, TX – For the first time since March 3, 2021, The University of Texas softball program will make the near-three-hour trip east to the Space City to play Houston at Cougar Softball Stadium, where the Longhorns and Cougars will meet for their first-ever Big 12 Conference series beginning on Friday, March 8.
Matt Pedersen (play by play) and Shae Sloan (analyst) will serve as the ESPN+ broadcast talent, while Andrew Haynes will have the radio broadcast at https://texas.leanplayer.com/.
LEADING OFF
- In 11 all-time games played against the Cougars in Houston, Texas holds a 7-4 record, including a 9-0 win in five innings when the two programs last met in the Space City on March 3, 2021.
- Since dropping back-to-back games to the Cougars on March 5, 2008, Texas has responded by winning six of the last seven games against UH played in Houston.
- Overall, Texas is riding a five-game winning streak in the series history and has won 10 of the last 11 and 17 of the last 21 since dropping the pair of 2008 matchups.
- Texas freshman Katie Stewart will enter Friday night's game with an 18-game on-base streak, marking just the 27th different time in program history that a softball student-athlete has successful reached base in 18 consecutive games.
- Stewart is the first Longhorn freshman softball student-athlete to have an 18-game on-base streak since Katie Cimusz successfully reached base in 18 consecutive games from Feb. 19 to March 16, 2022.
- Stewart's current 18-game on-base streak is the longest by any Longhorn softball student-athlete since Mia Scott reached in 20 straight contests from June 9, 2022 to March 4, 2023.
- Scott's 20-game on-base streak (2022-23) is the longest by any active Texas softball student-athlete.
- The program record for consecutive games successfully reaching base is 57 set by Taylor Hoagland from May 18, 2012 to May 3, 2013.
- Following last season's conference-opening win against Texas Tech in Austin, Texas is now 4-0 in Big 12 openers under head coach Mike White.
- The Longhorns did not play a conference game during the 2020 season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic ending the season before the conference slate began.
- The last time Texas opened Big 12 play on the road, the Longhorns swept a three-game series in Lawrence, Kansas against the Jayhawks during the 2022 season.
- Texas 7, Kansas 6 (March 26)
- Texas 9, Kansas 2 (March 27)
- Texas 11, Kansas 2 (March 28)
- The March 28th game ended in five innings.
- Overall, Texas has won its last five consecutive Big 12 opening games, dating back to the 2018 season.
- The Longhorns last loss a conference-opening game on March 14, 2017, when Oklahoma State knocked off UT, 1-0, in Stillwater, Okla.
- Since becoming a varsity sport in 1997, the Texas Longhorns are 18-8 all time in Big 12 openers, which include a stretch of 14-3 over their last 17.
- A win over Houston on Friday would move Texas' record to 20-1, extending a tie with the 2006 and 2012 squads for the best start to a season in program history.
- The 2006 holds the record for the best start in program history with a 26-1 mark, while the 2012 holds the second-best mark with a 22-1 start.
- A three-game sweep of the Cougars by the Longhorns this weekend would make the 2024 team just the third squad in program history to open a season with a 22-1 record, joining 2006 and 2012.
- The 2006 holds the record for the best start in program history with a 26-1 mark, while the 2012 holds the second-best mark with a 22-1 start.
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.
