The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Clemson
No. 3/4 Softball preview: NCAA Austin Super Regional
05.20.2025 | Softball
Texas to set back-to-back NCAA Super Regionals for first time since 2012, 2013
AUSTIN, Texas – For the first time since the 2022 season, The University of Texas and Clemson University softball programs will faceoff as the Longhorns and Tigers look for a spot in next week's Women's College World Series as the duo tangle at Red & Charline McCombs Field in the NCAA Austin Super Regional that begins at 8 p.m. CT on Thursday, May 24.
GAME SCHEDULE:
- Thursday, May 23 – 8 p.m. CT (ESPN2)
- Friday, May 23 – 8 p.m. CT (ESPN2)
- Saturday, May 24 – 8 p.m. CT (TBD)
TELEVISION:
Pam Ward and former Arizona All-American, three-time national champion and current NCAA record holder for career RBI Jenny Dalton-Hill will call this week's action to a nation-wide audience on ESPN2.
RADIO:
Andrew Haynes will man the radio booth for Texas softball fans as his call for the entire Austin Super Regional can be heard at https://texas.leanplayer.com/.
SERIES HISTORY:
- Clemson and Texas have met just once on a softball diamond: Feb. 11, 2022 in a neutral-site meeting in Fort Myers, Fla.
- In the 2022 meeting, former Longhorn All-American pitcher Hailey Dolcini threw seven scoreless innings, struck out four, issued a walk and scattered six hits to 27 of the batters faced.
- Dolcini tossed just 74 pitches in the seven-inning complete game shutout.
- She did not allow a baserunner to reach third and allowed just one extra base hit throughout the two-hour contest.
- Texas took a one-run lead in the bottom of the first, when McKenzie Parker singled home Janae Jefferson from third.
- The Longhorns went on to add three more in the bottom of the third with Parker and Lauren Burke producing run-scoring hits, while Bella Dayton scored on a wild pitch.
- All four of Texas' runs came against former Clemson All-American two-way player Valerie Cagle.
- In the 2022 meeting, former Longhorn All-American pitcher Hailey Dolcini threw seven scoreless innings, struck out four, issued a walk and scattered six hits to 27 of the batters faced.
- No active Longhorn student-athletes appeared in the 2022 matchup, but Vanessa Quiroga, Ashton Maloney, Mia Scott, Katie Cimusz and Sophia Simpson were all freshmen on the 2022 squad.
LEADING OFF:
- Thursday's game will mark the first time Texas has hosted a NCAA Super Regional as the tournament's sixth seed since the 2012 season.
- In 2012, then-No. 11 seed Oregon – led by current Longhorn head coach Mike White – knocked off the sixth-seeded Longhorns by winning Games 2 (5-4, eight innings) and 3 (10-6) after Texas won the series-opening contest, 4-2.
- Coach White has gone on to win a NCAA Super Regional on three different occasions after dropping the first game:
- 2012
- 2022
- 2024
- Coach White has gone on to win a NCAA Super Regional on three different occasions after dropping the first game:
- In 2012, then-No. 11 seed Oregon – led by current Longhorn head coach Mike White – knocked off the sixth-seeded Longhorns by winning Games 2 (5-4, eight innings) and 3 (10-6) after Texas won the series-opening contest, 4-2.
- If Texas wins Thursday's series-opening game, the Longhorns will have a three-game NCAA Super Regional winning streak, the longest by the Longhorns since the 2005 and 2006 teams combined to win four straight over a two-season span.
- A two-game sweep of this week's action by Texas would tie the program's record for longest winning streak in its NCAA Super Regional history.
- Coming off a weekend that saw her drive in a program regional-record 13 runs, Reese Atwood will enter this week's Super Regional just six RBI shy of tying the program's single-season RBI record (90) set just last season by Atwood herself.
- With two more hits throughout the week's action, Ashton Maloney will move ahead of Lindsay Gardner (83; 2000) for second place on the program's single season hit list.
- Maloney enters the week with 82 hits on the season, 10 shy of tying Janae Jefferson's single-season hit record (92) set throughout the 2022 season.
- One win throughout the NCAA Austin Super Regional, Texas would win its 50th game on the 2025 season, which would make the 2025 team just the fifth squad in program history to win 50-or-more games.
- It would also mark the first time in program history that Texas has won 50-or-more games in back-to-back seasons.
- If a Game 3 is necessary, Saturday's action would mark the 800th all-time home game in program history.
- Texas enters this week with a 634-160-3 (.797) all-time record in home games.
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.
