The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
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No. 3/4 Softball preview: NCAA Women’s College World Series
05.27.2025 | Softball
Texas returns to the WCWS for the second consecutive season, third time in four years
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The University of Texas softball program will make a return trip to Oklahoma City, Okla., for the Women's College World Series for the second consecutive season, third time in four seasons and eighth time in program history.
The sixth-seeded Longhorns will be featured in the first game of the eight-team tournament on Thursday, May 29, when Texas takes on the third-seeded Florida Gators at Devon Park at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN.
GAME SCHEDULE:
- Thursday, May 29 – 11 a.m. CT (ESPN)
TELEVISION:
Beth Mowins, Michele Smith and Jessica Mendoza will call Thursday's action on ESPN, while Holly Rowe will serve as the sideline reporter for the duration of the broadcast. The quartet will remain with the Longhorns for as long as Texas remains in the upper bracket of the eight-team tournament.
RADIO:
Andrew Haynes will man the radio booth for Texas softball fans during the duration of the Longhorns' stay in OKC and his game broadcasts can be heard on AM 1300 or https://texas.leanplayer.com/.
SERIES HISTORY:
- Thursday morning will mark the third time Texas and Florida will square off at the Women's College World Series (WCWS).
- In those two previous WCWS meetings, the Longhorns have outscored the Gators, 13-0, over the course of 12 innings played.
- June 2, 2013 – 3-0 (7 innings)
- June 1, 2024 – 10-0 (5 innings)
- In those two previous WCWS meetings, the Longhorns have outscored the Gators, 13-0, over the course of 12 innings played.
- When Texas and Florida take the field at Devon Park on Thursday morning, it will mark the third time the Longhorns and Gators have faced off at the WCWS, marking just the fourth team Texas has played three-or-more times at the WCWS.
- 5 – Oklahoma, UCLA
- 3 – Arizona, Florida
- 2 – Arizona State, Michigan, Oklahoma State, Stanford
- Florida was Texas' first-ever SEC opponent as the Longhorns traveled to Gainesville, Fla., during the middle of March for a three-game SEC series in the 2025 regular season.
- The Longhorns took both games of a doubleheader – 7-2, 13-7 – on Saturday, March 15, before dropping the series finale – 3-1 – on Monday, March 17.
- Thursday will mark the eighth all-time meeting between Texas and Florida at a neutral site location.
- The Gators hold a 4-3 edge in those previous seven meetings away from Austin and Gainesville.
- However, the Longhorns have won the last time neutral site meetings.
- The Gators hold a 4-3 edge in those previous seven meetings away from Austin and Gainesville.
- During the three-game regular season conference series between Texas and Florida this season, Ashton Maloney (.455), Kayden Henry (.400) and Mia Scott (.400) all finished the series batting .400-or-better.
- Additionally, Katie Cimusz recorded just her second career two-home run game during game two of a twin bill on Saturday, March 15.
LEADING OFF:
- Entering the 2025 Women's College World Series (WCWS), the Texas Longhorns have won at least one game in each of their last six consecutive WCWS appearances.
- Of its seven WCWS appearances prior to the 2025 season, Texas has won two-or-more games on five different occasions.
- The only time the Longhorns failed to win a WCWS game during one of their seven appearances was 1998 – the program's second year of existence – when Texas, the tournament's sixth seed, lost to third-seeded Michigan, 7-2, and then second-seeded Nebraska, 2-1.
- Texas has played 11 games against four of the other seven teams at the WCWS this season.
- The Longhorns has a pair of wins over Texas Tech and Florida and one against Tennessee.
- The victories over the Red Raiders and Volunteers occurred at Red & Charline McCombs Field, while the two wins against the Gators happened in Gainesville, Fla.
- The Longhorns has a pair of wins over Texas Tech and Florida and one against Tennessee.
- With one more multiple hit game this season, Texas redshirt junior Ashton Maloney will record her 30th game this season with two-or-more hits.
- Maloney's current 29 multiple hit games this season is the most by a Longhorn since Janae Jefferson had 29 throughout the 2022 campaign.
- Lindsay Garner was the last Texas softball student-athlete with 30-or-more multi-hit games in a single season when she recorded 31 throughout the 2000 season.
- Garner remains the only Longhorn with 30-or-more multi-hit games in a single season in program history.
- Ashton Maloney will enter this week's WCWS just three hits shy of tying Janae Jefferson's program record 92 hits in a single season set throughout the 2022 season.
- Maloney, who has been a mainstay atop the Longhorn batting lineup, will also take the batter's box on Thursday just 22 official at bats shy of tying Jefferson's single-season at bats mark of 226 set in 2022.
- Texas will travel to Oklahoma City just four wins shy of tying the program's single-season wins record of 55 set in 2006 and then matched during the 2024 season.
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.
