The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
45-6, 0
Texas Tech
28-20, 0
No. 1/1 Softball wins first outright Big 12 Championship since 2010
05.05.2024 | Softball
Texas will enter next week’s Big 12 Conference postseason tournament as the top seed
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LUBBOCK, Texas – For the first time since the launch of the social media app Instagram, The University of Texas softball program held a Big 12 Conference championship trophy above its head in celebration following the Longhorns' 14-4 win over Texas Tech in five innings, marking the first regular season championship for the program since 2010.
Behind an offense that outscored the Red Raiders 50-7 in 15 innings played over the weekend, the Longhorns put numbers up in the run column early and often throughout the series finale on Sunday.
Following a scoreless first inning by both teams, Texas found its way onto the scoreboard first with a second inning that featured seven Longhorn runs on six hits and three Texas Tech errors. UT also left two runners on base, while sending 12 batters to the plate. Kayden Henry opened the scoring with a one-out single to right field to score Adayah Wallace, who entered the game as a pinch runner for Reese Atwood following a leadoff single, from third. Bella Dayton and Viviana Martinez each had run-scoring hits, while Leighann Goode drove in a run on a sacrifice bunt.
After Texas Tech scored four runs in the bottom of the third to cut its deficit to 7-4, Martinez and Atwood hit back-to-back home runs in the top of the fourth to push Texas' lead back out to six runs at 10-4. The following inning, the Longhorns continued the offensive productivity with four-run, four-hit top of the fifth that was highlighted by Atwood's second home run of the game and 21st of the season. Mia Scott and Martinez also had run-scoring plate appearances to build the UT lead to 10.
FROM HEAD COACH MIKE WHITE
"It's just … wow. Going back to that Houston weekend, we just think we have to play to see what happens and then all of the sudden you start winning some games, you're on a roll and you start winning some good series. And then the team believed. They've, obviously, had a lot of pressure on them the last few weeks to go out and sweep and we've been able to do that. There has been consistent hitting, good pitching and good defense."
FROM SOPHOMORE REESE ATWOOD
"This is certainly a great feeling, great accomplishment for this team to be able to pull through and win the Big 12 Conference. I think it's just such a great experience for us. And, as a team, going into the postseason, we have a lot of confidence to be able to go in and win more games."
GAME NOTES
- With her three runs batted in (RBI) throughout Sunday's contest, Reese Atwood now has 83 RBI on the season, which passes Oklahoma's Samantha Ricketts' season total from 2007 (81) for sixth on the Big 12 Conference's single-season RBI list.
- Atwood will enter next week's postseason conference tournament just nine RBI back of tying Oklahoma Tiare Jennings' 2021 season total of 92 that set the league's single-season mark.
- As a result of Texas' offensive outburst in the series finale, the Longhorns have now scored 411 runs on the season, making the 2024 team the first squad in the program's history to score 400-or-more runs in a single season.
- The 2022 team, which played for a national championship, set the record with 397 runs in 70 games.
- Texas sophomore catcher Reese Atwood also became the first Longhorn softball student-athlete to surpass 20 home runs in a single season with two against Red Raider pitching on Sunday.
- Due in large part to Atwood's now 83 RBI, the 2024 Texas Longhorns have set a program record with 380 RBI on the season.
- The previous mark, 355, was set throughout the 2022 campaign.
- With the win, Texas now moves to 36-0 this season when scoring first in a game.
UP NEXT
- Texas (45-6, 23-4) will enter the 2024 Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship as the number one seed for the four-day tournament at USA Softball Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City, Okla., that begins on Wednesday, May 8.
- As a result of being the tournament's top seed, the Longhorns will play their first game at 5 p.m. CT against the winner of the eight-and-nine matchup featuring Texas Tech and Iowa State.
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.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Kavan, Teagan (15-2)
L: Maddy Wright (9-8)
Batting:
2B: Scott, Mia 1
HR: Martinez, Viviana 1 ; Atwood, Reese 2
RBI: Maloney, Ashton 1 ; Scott, Mia 1 ; Martinez, Viviana 4 ; Atwood, Reese 3 ; Henry, Kayden 1 ; Goode, Leighann 1 ; Dayton, Bella 1
SH: Cimusz, Katie 1 ; Goode, Leighann 1
SF: Martinez, Viviana 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Maloney, Ashton 1 ; Scott, Mia 3 ; Martinez, Viviana 2 ; Atwood, Reese 2 ; Wallace, Adayah 1 ; Stewart, Katie 1 ; Henry, Kayden 1 ; Goode, Leighann 2 ; Dayton, Bella 1
Batting:
2B: Demi Elder 1
HR: Alanna Barraza 1
RBI: Demi Elder 3 ; Alanna Barraza 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Arriana Villa 1 ; Kailey Wyckoff 1 ; Riley Love 1 ; Alanna Barraza 1
HBP: Kailey Wyckoff 1
