Forty Acres Insider: February 11

Chris Del Conte head shot 2025

Longhorn Nation,

RAISE THOSE HORNS HIGH! What an incredible scene, phenomenal day and thrilling victory it was for Coach Schaefer and No. 4 Women's Basketball on Sunday afternoon inside Moody Center. Y'all showed up & showed out and our squad delivered with a monumental win for the ages, knocking off the defending National Champs South Carolina, 66-62, in front of a raucous sellout crowd. It added to what was one heck of a weekend for our Longhorns as No. 3 Men's Tennis knocked off No. 1 TCU on Friday, No. 1 Softball opened the season 6-0, Tommy Morrison brought home the individual title on No. 5 Men's Golf's trip to Hawaii, and Longhorn Great Moro Ojomo secured a Super Bowl Championship ring. Folks, the best part is we're just getting started in 2025. We'll keep on humming right along into this Valentine's Day week (here's hoping everyone has a chance to celebrate that with their significant other, family and friends) with basketball, baseball, golf, softball, tennis and track & field all in action this week and the SEC Swimming and Diving Championships on the horizon (Feb. 17-22/Athens, Ga.). It's a great time to be a Longhorn my friends!

all we can say is wow 😍🤘#HookEm | @roriiiharmonnn pic.twitter.com/3d1ePyZ9B9
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) February 9, 2025

I've got to start this week's Forty with another victory lap for Sunday's dazzling women's hoops display in The Mood. HOW SWEET IT WAS with an electrifying showing in all facets of the game and sensational triumph that will go down as one of the truly memorable games in our rich and proud Women's Basketball history. The unforgettable performance snapped the Gamecocks' SEC-record 57-straight regular season conference victories, a streak that dated all the way back to 2021 my friends! Madison Booker's double-double (20 points and 11 rebounds) led a total team effort to improve our record to 24-2 (10-1 SEC) on the season. And holy cow, we've got to thank y'all. Decked out in your Burnt Orange & White Sunday best, you brought it from the opening tip to the final whistle. Now in a tie atop the SEC standings, we're right back at it as we're in the midst of four-straight top-25 contests, traveling to No. 11 Kentucky on Thursday (6 p.m. CT/ESPN2) before returning home to take on No. 4 LSU on Sunday (2 p.m. CT/ABC).

UPSET ALERT 🤘‼️#HookEm pic.twitter.com/KAAh8vfc20
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) February 9, 2025

Coach Berque and No. 3 Men's Tennis got a huge victory last week as well, KNOCKING OFF NO. 1 TCU, 4-1, at the Weller Indoor Tennis Center on Friday night. It's the fifth time in the last five years that our Horns have taken down the nation's top-ranked team (how impressive is that?!). Now it's time to go for a title as we've earned a spot in the 16-team field at the ITA National Indoor Championship with matches split between Dallas and Waco this week. Coach Joffe and No. 11 Women's Tennis were on the courts last week as well, advancing to the quarterfinals of the ITA National Indoor Championships with a 4-0 shutout over No. 3 Oklahoma State on Friday before falling to No. 2 Texas A&M in the round of eight.

And there it is!! The Horns take down #1 TCU 4️⃣-1️⃣, defeating a top-ranked team for the fifth time in the last five years! They're now 7-1 as they head to the ITA National Indoor Championships next week in Dallas! #HookEm 🤘🎾 pic.twitter.com/WJAp80HaR0
— Texas Men's Tennis (@TexasMTN) February 8, 2025

Men's Golf got a victory, too, with Tommy Morrison winning the individual title and RAISING THAT HARDWARE at the Amer Ari Invitational in Kohala Coast, Hawaii. Morrison drained a birdie putt on the first playoff hole on the island, carding a career-best 9-under par 63 in the final round to earn his first collegiate win. After winning the Southwestern Invitational in California a couple weeks ago, Coach Fields' squad continued its strong start to the spring season by finishing third against a loaded field last week in Hawaii.

TOMMY WINS IT ALL! 🏆🤘

T-Mo earns his first collegiate win at the Amer Ari Invitational with a CAREER BEST 9-under 63! #HookEm | #TakeDeadAim | @T_morrison_88 pic.twitter.com/Zq6Ge0WEjs
— Texas Men's Golf (@TexasMGolf) February 9, 2025

Meanwhile, Coach White and No. 1 Softball was hopscotching across the southwest, adding decisive wins to open the season at every stop. Traveling from Lafayette, La., to Beaumont and finally to Huntsville, our Horns went SIX UP AND SIX DOWN to open the season 6-0 with three shutouts and by outscoring our opponents by a significant 46-12 margin overall. Now they're back in the ATX and preparing to bring their game to Red & Charline McCombs Field for five home games at the Bevo Classic this Friday-Sunday. Come on out cheer on your Horns as they look to keep their winning streak alive!

After an awesome Alumni Game and Fan Appreciation Day a couple weeks ago, it's time for top-20 ranked Baseball to officially toss out its first pitch this weekend. THE COACH SCHLOSS ERA WILL GET UNDERWAY in Arlington at Globe Life Field with a trio of games at the Shriner's Children College Showdown. It all starts against Louisville on Friday (7 p.m. CT/FloSports). That will set the stage for the home opener at UFCU Disch-Falk Field next Tuesday (Feb. 18) versus Houston (6:30 p.m. CT/SEC Network+) followed by a weekend series with Dartmouth (Feb. 21-23).

Men's Basketball will host a pair of BIG-TIME SEC MATCHUPS at Moody Center this week, looking for a bounce-back victory against No. 2/1 Alabama later tonight (8 p.m. CT/ESPN). Coach Terry and the squad will follow that with No. 15/18 Kentucky coming to town on Saturday (7 p.m. CT/ESPN). We're gonna need Longhorn Nation bringin' the heat, raisin' the roof and chargin' up The Mood for those critical SEC contests. Can't wait to see y'all there!

While I've got you and before we get to all the notes, here's to a HOOK 'EM SUPER BOWL SUNDAY. It was so special seeing three of our Longhorn greats playing in the game with Moro Ojomo making plays and earning a ring with the Eagles. What a remarkable accomplishment that is for Moro and we are just ecstatic for him. That doesn't diminish the outstanding year our Longhorns Charles Omenihu and Xavier Worthy had in helping lead the Chiefs to The Big Game. It was the second-straight Super Bowl for Charles and The Big Game capped a magnificent rookie year for the X-Man! In fact, he had a game-high eight receptions for 157 yards and two TDs, becoming the first longhorn to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl to boot! He had two TDs, including a 50-yarder in his first Super Bowl. What a super start to what promises to be fantastic career for the fastest man on turf!!

Super Bowl Champion!

Congrats @MoroOjomo 🤘🏆 pic.twitter.com/rNRl8OwH6K
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) February 10, 2025

Oh, and one update for your calendar's folks. Our home football game with Sam Houston this fall is moving up a week to September 20. It was originally scheduled for September 27 but will now be played a week earlier closing out our non-conference schedule that includes a road game at Ohio State (Aug. 30), and home games with San Jose State (Sep. 6), UTEP (Sep. 13) and Sam Houston (Sep. 20). We'll have a bye-week Sep. 27 then open SEC play at Florida (Oct. 4).

Men's Basketball hosts pair of huge SEC games this week in The Mood!

Well, last week certainly did not go the way for our Men's Basketball team that any of us wanted but I know RT and our guys were right back to work on Sunday and Monday getting ready for a big week ahead. The Longhorns rallied in the second half but could not climb all the way back during a 78-70 home loss to Arkansas. The kid Tre Johnson had a game-high 25 points, and Big Art (Arthur Kaluma) had another double-double with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds in the defeat. On Saturday afternoon in Nashville, our guys built a 10-point lead in the second half but could not finish the deal in an 86-78 loss at Vanderbilt. All five starters reached double figures in scoring, as our fab freshman paced the effort with 15 points and five assists. We turn the page quickly and have a pair of huge opportunities this week at home, so Longhorn Nation we definitely need you to pack The Mood and get it rockin' from tipoff through the final whistle for both games. First up, RT and the guys host No. 2/1 Alabama later tonight (8 p.m. CT/ESPN). And how about this crazy nugget? The Crimson Tide is the FOURTH DIFFERENT opponent to visit Moody Center this year that has reached at least the No. 2 spot in The AP poll, joining UConn, Auburn and Tennessee. Then on Saturday night, our Longhorns will be back on the court here in the ATX against No. 15/18 Kentucky (7 p.m. CT/ESPN).

Women's Basketball is making moves!

Moody Center was rockin' on Sunday and our ladies delivered with a 66-62 win over No. 2 South Carolina. The win ended the Gamecocks' 57-game SEC win streak and improved our overall record to 24-2 on the season. The Longhorns have won eight straight games and are 13-0 at home this season. A HUGE THANK YOU to all the fans that came out and made our home court environment what it was. On the court, Madison Booker notched her fifth double-double of the season with 20 points and 11 rebounds, Kyla Oldacre was a monster inside with 13 points and six rebounds, and our defense held South Carolina to under 40 percent shooting. That marked the FOURTEENTH time this season we have held an opponent under 40 percent shooting. Now it's on to the next one as we travel to Lexington to take on No. 8 Kentucky on Thursday (6 p.m. CT/ESPN2). After that it's back at home for another marquee matchup (our fourth-in-a-row against a ranked opponent) versus No. 5 LSU on Sunday (2 p.m. CT/ABC). Come pack The Mood again and show the world what Texas Women's Basketball is all about!

that's what Texas Fight is all about 🤘#HookEm | #SustainableSuccess | @TexasDisposal pic.twitter.com/aEx2DDoiRj
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) February 10, 2025

Picture Perfect Opening Weekend for No. 1 Softball

It couldn't have been any better of an opening weekend for Coach White and our top-ranked Softball team! Six wins over a three-day span across three different cities echoes why everyone wants to come out to watch this team play no matter where they take the field. And how about Coach White earning his 700th career win on Sunday! It's so awesome knowing we have one of the best coaches in the nation leading this program on the Forty Acres. We got things started in Lafayette, La., with back-to-back eight-run, five-inning victories against Longwood and Louisiana, before knocking off St. John's and Lamar, 5-0 and 13-7, respectively, in Beaumont. The weekend swing concluded in Huntsville, where we picked up two more wins by beating Tulsa, 4-2, and Sam Houston, 8-3, to move to 6-0 on the young season. This marks the 12th time in program history our Softball team has started a new season 6-0. This weekend will be the first opportunity to cheer on our Longhorns on the Forty Acres as Maryland, Texas Tech, UMass join our ladies to participate in the Bevo Classic at Red & Charline McCombs Field. The action begins on Friday night, when the Longhorns take the field against Maryland (4 p.m. CT/SEC Network+) and Texas Tech (6:30 p.m. CT/SEC Network+). It'll be another night gap on Saturday, too, when we face UMass (4 p.m. CT/SEC Network+) and Maryland (6:30 p.m. CT/SEC Network+) as the sun sets. The five-games-in-three-days slate concludes on Sunday, when Texas and Texas Tech square off once again (12:30 p.m. CT/SEC Network+). Last season, we welcomed a program-record 57,447 fans during the season at McCombs Field, so let's start a march towards setting a new home attendance record for the third consecutive season!

tomorrow's the day 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/9PSPdTNjsV
— Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball) February 7, 2025

Tennis winning at Weller

Wow, what a scene we had out at the Weller Indoor Tennis Center on Friday as not only did Coach Berque and our Men's Tennis squad bring it to take down No. 1 TCU, but you all brought the energy big time to help them do it! It was an event like we've never had out at Weller, and even the big fella Bevo was out there getting everyone fired up on their way into the courts. We just can't thank you enough for making the trip out and bringing that Burnt Orange passion and pride, and I know how much the team appreciated it. Speaking of appreciation, I have to give a special shoutout to all of our staff for the yeoman's work they put in making it happen, along with one for the staff of the UT Golf Club, as well. From carting fans from the parking areas to adding bleachers to one of the courts, it was a truly a special night, and like I said, one we hadn't attempted like this before, and they really pulled it off, so kudos! Back to the match, it was non-stop excitement from winning two tiebreakers for the doubles point to taking three straight-sets singles wins for the 4-1 final. Now our Horns will be headed just up I-35 for the ITA National Indoor Championships, and we'll know exactly when and what team they'll face coming up soon, so keep a look out on our website and socials for all the details as the ITA releases them! I know all of our Longhorns in the Dallas area will be ready to go cheer them on and make sure their presence is felt!

Meanwhile, Coach Joffe and our women had a heck of a win of their own to start out their ITA Indoors, sweeping No. 3 Oklahoma State, 4-0, to reach the quarterfinals. They then had a path to win against No. 2 Texas A&M on Saturday, but came up short in that one, as well as against No. 7 Michigan in the consolation bracket on Sunday. It was an incredibly tough stretch, but with so many freshmen, this team is on the rise and will only get better and better!

Morrison paces Men's Golf with first individual win in Hawaii

Coach Fields and No. 5 Men's Golf is off to a solid start to the spring season. After earning a team victory two weeks ago at the Southwestern Invitational, our guys had a record-setting performance while finishing third in the team standings against an elite field at the Amer Ari Invitational over the weekend in Hawaii. The Longhorns set program records for both low 54-hole total score (808) and low 54-hole total vs. par (56-under) in the three-day tournament. Let me say that again, FIFTY-SIX under-par as a team! Wow, that's a ton of birdies. And how about some well-deserved love for the big guy and my man T-MO (Tommy Morrison)! Tommy carded a collegiate-low 18-hole score of 9-under 63 in Saturday's final round to advance to a playoff, and promptly drained a birdie butt on the first playoff hole to claim his first collegiate individual victory! T-Mo set Texas program individual records as well for both low 54-hole total score of 195 (besting the 196 set by current PGA TOUR pro Doug Ghim at the 2018 NCAA Raleigh Regional) and low 54-hole total vs. par at 21-under (topping the 18-under by another current PGA TOUR pro Beau Hossler at the 2015 Nike Golf Collegiate Invite). Pretty impressive company to say the least. Our guys have a little break in the schedule before returning the course at the Hayt Collegiate Tournament on March 8-10 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

for the win! ⛳️🤘#HookEm | #TakeDeadAim | @T_morrison_88 pic.twitter.com/OBCTySXZwG
— Texas Men's Golf (@TexasMGolf) February 9, 2025

Track & Field records stellar individual performances in New Mexico

Our Indoor Track and Field team took on the New Mexico Collegiate Classic over the weekend and posted some top individual efforts. Nina Ndubuisi matched her personal-best indoor performance with a winning throw of 18.08m, staying put at No. 2 on our all-time performer list. The big throw currently ranks as the sixth-best throw in the country! The No. 14-ranked men's team was led by Kendrick Smallwood, as he posted three all-time best performances in the 60m hurdles, the best coming in at 7.70 seconds. The Longhorns are back on the road this weekend, sending the distance squads to Boston and the rest of the team to Clemson, S.C.

Three Longhorns set for induction into Texas Sports Hall of Fame

A big shoutout to our trio of Longhorn greats set for induction into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday. Football legends Cedric Benson and Todd Dodge along with our current Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director/Chief of Staff Chris Plonsky will be inducted as members of the Class of 2025 this weekend in Waco. This year's prestigious class features eight outstanding members, and it's a testament to our great university's winning tradition that three of the eight made their mark here on the Forty Acres.

congrats to our @TXSportsHOF Class of 2025 selections 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/b0OOo27qbj
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) October 25, 2024

Longhorn Legends Roger Clemens and Murray Hall to be inducted into College Baseball Hall of Fame

Kudos are in order for two Longhorn Legends who will be inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame as members of the Class of 2024 on Thursday in Overland Park, Kan. My man, the Rocket, Roger Clemens, our All-American, National Champion, World Champion and seven-time Cy Young Award winner whose number 21 is retired at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, is receiving the much-deserved recognition. He will be joined by an all-time great from the early days in two-time All-American pitcher Murray Wall, who led Texas to back-to-back National Championships in 1949 and 1950. Hook 'Em to two guys that epitomize the pride and winning tradition of The University of Texas!

Longhorn Legends ➡️ Hall of Fame#HookEm pic.twitter.com/xrCkxQlxc1
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) September 7, 2024

Mack Brown receiving Davey O'Brien Legends Award

Our Longhorn Legend and College Football Hall of Famer Mack Brown is this year's Davey O'Brien Legends Award recipient. Coach Brown is a legend in every way and so deserving of this tremendous honor. He'll be officially accepting the honor at the O'Brien Awards Dinner in Fort Worth on Monday (Feb. 17) and we're here to say congrats to one of the greatest coaches to ever wear the Burnt Orange and White! We love and appreciate you, my friend!!

Congratulations to Hall of Famer Mack Brown, this year's Davey O'Brien Legends Award recipient! Brown is the first Legends Award winner to earn the distinction as a coach. https://t.co/cmJkniTdwD pic.twitter.com/rm8MeXZXug
— Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award (@daveyobrien) January 10, 2025

135 Longhorns earn Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll honors

Here's to an emphatic Hook 'Em and congratulations to our Longhorns' fall sports success on the field and in the classroom. A total of 135 of our student-athletes in Cross Country (21), Football (79), Soccer (22) and Volleyball (13) earned a spot on the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll. That's a huge number of Horns earning the honor that goes to student-athletes posting a 3.0 grade point average during their fall seasons. I couldn't be prouder of every one of them and am thrilled by their excellence as students and athletes!

putting the student in student-athlete 📚🤘#HookEm | @SEC pic.twitter.com/CK7HiA52Yo
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) February 10, 2025

Hook 'Em Horns,

Chris Del Conte

P.S. — What a weekend it was for our Longhorns!

What. A. Weekend🤘🏻@TexasWBB takes down defending National Champs while snapping S. Carolina's 57g SEC reg season win streak@TexasMTN beats No. 1 TCU@TexasSoftball opens season 6-0@TexasMGolf Tommy Morrison wins individual title🏆

Longhorn @MoroOjomo earns Super Bowl Ring pic.twitter.com/eGMcAR35eP
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) February 10, 2025

P.S. — Our guy VY, thanks for the support!

got the dub in front the 🐐🤘#HookEm | @VinceYoung10 pic.twitter.com/o9L7BhgAbK
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) February 9, 2025

P.S. — We see ya Matthew, thanks for stopping by the Disch!

alright, alright, alright 🤘#HookEm | @McConaughey pic.twitter.com/DGTp9es3QV
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) February 7, 2025

P.S. — Our Super Bowl Longhorns!

Good luck to our Longhorns in the Super Bowl 🤘@XavierWorthy x @charless_94 x @MoroOjomo pic.twitter.com/g9zvgpvIvK
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) February 9, 2025

P.S. — Always such a joy celebrating our Baseball Legends!

a traDISCHion unlike any other 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/fP2j7eyW1A
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) February 9, 2025

P.S. — That's our DC! Well-deserved recognition for Coach PK!!

Today we finish out our week-long recap of the 5 finalists for the 2024 Broyles Award with @TexasFootball Defensive Coordinator @CoachK_FBCoach. Texas had an incredible season this year, due in large part to Coach Kwiatkowski's powerful defense. Longhorn fans, why should your… pic.twitter.com/DSCbeNaZP0
— The Broyles Award (@BroylesAward) February 7, 2025

P.S. — Horns supporting Horns, LOVE IT!

out here supporting our favorites @TexasWBB 🤘 pic.twitter.com/GCjnvfYwPh
— Texas T&F/XC (@TexasTFXC) February 9, 2025

P.S. — Congrats to our guy Jahdae!

Incredible night honoring @Officia1dae, our 3rd @jimthorpeaward winner. Thank you to everyone with the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and the Jim Thorpe Association for all they did for Jahdae, his family and all of us in attendance. It's always such a truly special event🤘🏻 pic.twitter.com/XHqsGYli7i
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) February 5, 2025

P.S. — Lights, Camera, Action for Beach Volleyball!

media day BTS 📸🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/069S2SCSR9
— Texas Beach Volleyball (@TexasBeachVB) February 7, 2025

P.S. — Come on out and cheer on Beach Volleyball this weekend!

season preview this weekend at our Orange vs White scrimmage 🤘🤘🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/jXqJMGymk9
— Texas Beach Volleyball (@TexasBeachVB) February 10, 2025

HEADLINES:

Video: Rodney Terry media availability (Feb. 10)

Video: Longhorn Weekly with Rodney Terry (Feb. 6)

Baseball's Belyeu, Flores earn spots on preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list

Baseball trio collects NCBWA preseason All-American accolades

Women's Basketball's Jones named Top 10 finalist for Lisa Leslie Award

Beach Volleyball set to play in MPSF Conference in 2026

ESPN unveils TV broadcast schedule for No. 19 Baseball

Twenty-one Cross Country runners named to 2024 SEC Fall Honor Roll

Football's Barron honored at Jim Thorpe Award banquet

No. 11 Women's Tennis' Herea named SEC Freshman of the Week

Women's Basketball's Harmon named to Naismith Defensive Player of the Year watch list