Forty Acres Insider: April 14

Chris Del Conte head shot 2025

Longhorn Nation,

LIGHT THE TOWER ORANGE — Men's Tennis is outright SEC Regular Season Champions! And it's back-to-back conference crowns for Coach Berque and our Horns! Spring championship season is heating up, folks, and we're heading into another big week with conference tournament titles on the line for Men's and Women's Tennis, along with Women's Golf. The stakes are rising across the Forty Acres — and so is the excitement. Let's keep those Horns Up and Hook 'Em!

YOUR BACK-TO-BACK OUTRIGHT @SEC CHAMPIONS! #HookEm 🤘🎾 pic.twitter.com/5uRcoVqaXZ
— Texas Men's Tennis (@TexasMTN) April 11, 2026

The Men's Tennis title makes it four SEC Championships this year (tied for the most in the league) and 12 in our two years in the conference — more than any program in the SEC. Add in Beach Volleyball's 2025 CCSA title, and that makes it 13 conference crowns in that stretch. YES SIR … THAT'S A WHOLE LOT OF HARDWARE! The trophy case inside of Frank Denius Family University of Texas Athletics Hall of Fame is bursting at the seams, with our all-time conference championships total reaching a whopping 667 — including a staggering 86 since 2018. Not too shabby for the ol' water cooler banter and chest puffing around friends and colleagues. You can wear that Burnt Orange and White with great pride, y'all.

With @TexasMTN clinching the outright SEC Regular Season Championship on Friday, our Horns now boast 4 conference crowns this year — tied with Florida for most in league.

That brings us to 12 SEC titles in just 2 years … most in the SEC over that span🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🤘🏻 pic.twitter.com/GaxF2MhHgJ
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) April 11, 2026

And speaking of proudly donning your Burnt Orange and White … It's happening, folks! We can't wait to see everyone this Saturday at FOOTBALL FAN DAY AND COACH SARK'S OPEN PRACTICE. As always, admission is absolutely F-R-E-E so make those plans, load up the family, friends and especially the kids. It's going to be a blast! Things get rolling at 9:30 a.m. with the Football Fan Day Street Fest, annual Team Shop Fire Sale, and photo ops galore with Bevo XV and Smokey the Cannon outside DKR. Practice kicks off at 11 a.m. inside the stadium, where you'll get a look at all our vets and newcomers in action. Afterward, head down to the field for player autographs and photo opportunities with Coach Sark, Texas Cheer, Texas Pom, Hook 'Em, and much, much more. Get there early — the first 5,000 fans at the Street Fest will score a Nothing Less Than Legendary rally towel. It's shaping up to be a true Forty Acres family reunion — full of fun, football, and fellowship. So, throw on your Longhorn gear and come on out. You heard my guy Trevor Goosby … "we want to see you all there!"

HORNS UP AND TROPHY RAISED HIGH FOR MEN'S TENNIS! Despite battling a surge of weather storms that charged through town and moving indoors, our nation's No. 1-ranked team kept its eye on the prize and delivered — securing their second-straight SEC Regular Season Championship with an emphatic top-25 win over No. 18 Florida on Friday. The match opened strong at the Texas Tennis Center with doubles play and an early Longhorn point before shifting to the Weller Indoor Tennis Center, where our Horns closed out a 4-1 victory over the Gators. It was an extra special day on the Forty as we celebrated a trio of outstanding seniors — Jonah Braswell, Sebastion Gorzny, and Timo Legout — and all they've meant to this program. With the win, we finished 12-2 in SEC play (and are an incredible 23-3 in two seasons in the league), earning the No. 1 seed at this week's SEC Tournament that starts in College Station on Wednesday. As the top seed, we've got a double bye and won't play until Friday's quarterfinals (6 p.m. CT). You know the mission … Coach Berque and our Horns are headed to Aggieland looking to defend their SEC Tournament title — and bring home some more hardware. Time to defend the crown!

As they dial in for championship season and continue fine tuning their excellence … it was MORE DOMINANCE FOR COACH O'NEILL AND NO. 2 ROWING. Our Horns made a statement in Big Ten country last week, sweeping all four races in back-to-back top-25 matchups — earning wins at No. 24 Indiana on Thursday and No. 19 Michigan on Saturday. Up next is a heavyweight showdown and races that will prepare our squad for the homestretch where titles are on the line. We head to the West Coast for a No. 1 vs. No. 2 clash at defending National Champion and No. 1 Stanford next Saturday — the final test before the SEC Championships on May 10 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. And the resume there speaks for itself … Our Horns claimed their first SEC title last year and now will enter this one riding a steak of 10-straight conference championships. Beyond that, the ultimate stage awaits. The NCAA Championships will be held on May 29-31 in Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville, Georgia — where we've performed at an elite level under Coach O'Neill ("Captain Dave" as I affectionately call him), capturing three of the last five national titles. The standard is set. And our Horns are stampeding!

Red & Charline McCombs Field was the place to be last weekend, and through the rain and lightning delays, y'all just stood Texas Tough — bringing that patented passion and pride with every pitch. Coach White and No. 4 Softball did the same and went toe-to-toe with No. 2 Oklahoma in a gritty Red River Rivalry series that had everything. We came up just short in the series that featured a clash of two softball titans, but you and our team's energy never wavered — and it showed when we broke through and walked it off triumphantly on Sunday. Teagan Kavan was dealing on Friday night, striking out 13 Sooners and notching her 500th career K in the process, but we couldn't get the bats going and push anyone across the plate in a 3-0 loss. Saturday turned into a back-and-forth heartbreaker that slipped away late, 4-3. But Sunday … that was Texas Fight at its finest. Down, tied, down again — and then we stormed back in an electrifying extra innings, adrenaline-filled victory. After OU took a one run lead, Hannah Wells sparked our surge back with a pinch-hit bomb in the bottom of the eighth to even things up. The always clutch Kayden Henry got to first on a single, then — THERE'S NO NEED TO FEAR — KATIE STEWART ("STEWIE") IS HERE. And she absolutely crushed one over the left field fence and off the graduate housing (I think they heard the blast and thud all the way across the Red River in Norman) for an 8-6 walk-off win for the ages. McCombs was rockin'. Our Horns were roaring. And a sea of Horns Up flowed into a jubilant singing of The Eyes of Texas. We closed it out the right way. Now it's back on the road — off to No. 14 Georgia this for another marquee SEC matchup starting Saturday.

STEWIE WALKS IT OFF IN THE EIGHTH 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/mOlfhnUqkh
— Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball) April 12, 2026

Meanwhile, Coach Schloss and No. 2 Baseball battled through a tough weekend in College Station — both on the field and with the worst of the lengthy weather delays for any of our teams — but there's a lot of season left ahead and we're still right in the thick of the SEC race. We know this group will respond. Friday's 9-8 loss was a heartbreaker — we dropped the first two games of the Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown and missed out on one more chance when after a nine-hour weather delay, Sunday's finale never got started. It's our first taste of a series loss on the year — but there's no time to dwell in the conference where baseball definitely just means more. We're right back at it tonight versus Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (6:30 p.m. CT/SEC Network+), then it's a series homecoming at UFCU Disch-Falk Field for a top-10 matchup with No. 8 Alabama this weekend. We'll start things off Friday night (6:30 p.m. CT/SEC Network+), take to the field right after Football Fan Day on Saturday (2 p.m. CT/SEC Network+), then finish it out on Sunday (1 p.m. CT/SEC Network+). Plenty of opportunities ahead and can't wait to see y'all at the yard. WE'RE READY FOR MORE TEXAS FIGHT!

MORE SEC TITLES ARE ON THE LINE as we roll into another action-packed week on the Forty Acres. Alongside Football Fan Day and postseason pushes for Men's and Women's Tennis, there's no shortage of Burnt Orange to cheer for. While the men are in College Station, No. 6 Women's Tennis is in Norman as the fifth seed at the SEC Tournament, earning a first round bye and playing the Mississippi State vs. Alabama winner in the second round on Thursday (6 p.m. CT). No. 5 Women's Golf takes dead aim at an SEC Championship in Clearwater, Florida. No. 4 Men's Golf is in action now at The Ford Collegiate in Richmond Hill, Georgia with SECs up next. No. 3 Beach Volleyball returns home to Wright-Whitaker Field riding a seven-match winning streak for a pair of Saturday matches. Track and Field continues its outdoor season with meets on the East and West Coasts. Volleyball hosts Rice in a spring match Friday at the Rec Center (5 p.m. CT) and Soccer heads to Big D for a very unique Red River Rivalry spring matchup with the Sooners at the Cotton Bowl on Sunday (1 p.m. CT). It's all Longhorns, all the time so let's Hook 'Em!

fun week on deck for the Horns 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/XFjLVtNwDc
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) April 13, 2026

While I've got you, let's give a BIG SHOUTOUT TO THE SENSATIONAL RORI HARMON. Selected by the Washington Mystics (3rd Round, 34th overall) in Monday night's WNBA Draft — what a moment. Nothing better than seeing that dream realized surrounded by family, friends, and teammates! What a career she gave us — a record-setting point guard, true floor general, and leader who helped take our program back to big heights with consecutive Final Four appearances for the first time since 1986-87. The 14th player in program history selected in the WNBA Draft, her all-around numbers are simply unmatched in NCAA Division I women's basketball history: 1,616 points, 977 assists, 659 rebounds AND 388 steals. Horns Up for all of that that … but even more for the way she represented herself and our program. A first-class person through and through — and forever a Longhorn. Congrats Rori — go do big things!

RORI ➡️ WASHINGTON #HookEm pic.twitter.com/NAakBVMwKY
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) April 14, 2026

And before we wrap this thing up and get to our notes, quick hitters and story links … here's to a WHAT STARTS HERE! How about a huge Hook 'Em to our friends and Texas Exes at LOVB Austin?! Powered by a whole lot of Texas Fight — with a roster stacked with Longhorns and led by our former assistant Erik Sullivan — ATX's pro squad made us proud — taking down LOVB Atlanta in a thriller Saturday to punch its ticket back to the League One Volleyball (LOVB) Championship Round. Now it's on to Long Beach for a Lone Star duel with LOVB Salt Lake. Round One is Thursday, with the title on the line Saturday. Horns Up for LOVB Austin … go defend that crown!

👑 THE CROWN STAYS HOME 👑

See you soon LA 💋 pic.twitter.com/qFhDg1qHqu
— LOVB Austin Volleyball (@lovbatx) April 12, 2026

Team Shop Fire Sale (9:30 a.m.)
Beginning at 9:30 a.m., the Texas Longhorns Official Team Shop Fire Sale will offer an exclusive selection of apparel and merchandise previously available only to student-athletes and coaches. From sizes XS to 5XL, there's something for every fan.
Plus, get your hands on special items like Nike Zoom Pegasus, Zoom Vomero, and ReactX Infinity Run shoes, authentic football jerseys, polos, outerwear, football helmets, and even softball helmets and catcher's gear. Located inside the East Side concourse, access is first-come, first-served via Gate 28D.

Football Fan Day Street Fest (9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.)
The action-packed Texas Football Fan Day Street Fest features some of your favorite attractions from Bevo Blvd presented by H-E-B, Smokey's Midway presented by Conecuh Sausage, and Hook 'Em Hangout, including a giant Ferris wheel, climbing wheel, Midway fun slide, inflatable games, sponsor activations and more. Starting at 9:30 a.m. on DeLoss Dodds Way at the north end of the stadium, fans will have the opportunity to take photos with the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl trophy, Allstate Red River Rivalry Golden Hat trophy and Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown trophy. Fans can also enjoy a variety of fare from multiple food trucks, as well as more than 10 craft beers on tap at Big Bertha located on the Gate 25 plaza.

Bevo XV and Smokey the Cannon photo ops (9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.)
Located on the LBJ Lawn adjacent to the Football Fan Day Street Fest, take photos with Bevo XV and Smokey the Cannon until 10:30 a.m.

Football Open Practice (11 a.m.)
Get a glimpse of the 2026 Texas Football team during its only open practice of the spring. Due to construction on the west side of the stadium, seating will be available in Sections 13–32 in the lower bowl. All seating is general admission and first-come, first-served with no access to premium area seating.

Player Autograph Session (approximately 1:15 p.m.)
Following the open practice, fans interested in player autographs can line up at the top of the stairwell inside Gate 32 (southeast corner of the stadium). To accommodate as many fans as possible during the one-hour session, there will be two separate autograph lines. Each fan will receive one official 2026 Texas Football poster for signing (one per person). Please note that outside items will not be permitted for autographs.

On-Field Photo Ops (approximately 1:15 p.m.)
All fans are invited onto Campbell-Williams Field following the open practice for photos with Head Coach Steve Sarkisian, Texas Cheer, Texas Pom, and Hook `Em. Photo opportunities will be available until approximately 2:15 p.m. To access the field, please enter via the stairwells at the bottom of Sections 14 or 19 on the northeast and northwest sides of the stadium. Fans requiring ADA assistance can visit Event Staff inside Gate 14 at the Frank Denius University of Texas Athletics Hall of Fame for elevator access to the field.

Here's the full event timeline for Saturday:
• 9 a.m. – Complimentary parking begins in Manor Garage and LBJ Surface Lots. Due to Longhorn Run street closures, fans must enter from the east side via Red River St. (for LBJ Surface Lots) or Clyde Littlefield Dr. (for Manor Garage).
• 9:30 a.m. – Team Shop Fire Sale opens inside Gate 28D
• 9:30 a.m. – Football Fan Day Street Fest opens on DeLoss Dodds Way
• 9:30 a.m. – Photo ops with Bevo XV and Smokey the Cannon at the LBJ Lawn
• 10 a.m. – Gates open for Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (Gates 8, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 and 32)
• 11 a.m. – Texas Football open practice begins
• Post-Practice – Football autograph session begins (1-hour)
• Post-Practice – All fans invited onto Campbell-Williams Field for photos with Coach Sark, Texas Cheer, Texas Pom, and Hook `Em (1-hour)

Texas Gameday Show streamed live on FREE LHN app from 1-2 p.m. on Saturday
In addition to all the football fan activities on Saturday, we'll have Texas Gameday Presented by St. David's HealthCare streaming live from DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium from 1-2 p.m. Central Time. Catch all the festivities, hear from Coach Sark and others, and get your football fix as we continue preparations for the 2026 season. And while we're talking LHN, remember to keep that on your regular viewing list as there is a constant flow of content for your viewing pleasure. This week's Texas and Os episode features exclusive interviews with Baseball's Ashton Larson, Football's Jordan Johnson-Rubell, and Softball's Citlaly Gutierrez. Always a great show to have on your must-watch list!

Hook 'Em Horns,

Chris Del Conte

P.S. — What Starts Here — A tradition unlike any other, Longhorns in The Masters!

impressive week at @TheMasters for our two guys 🤘

⛳️ Scottie Scheffler - 2nd at 11-under 277
⛳️ @JordanSpieth - T12th at 5-under 283#TakeDeadAim | 📸 @GettySport pic.twitter.com/XDy7mccRue
— Texas Men's Golf (@TexasMGolf) April 13, 2026

P.S. — The thrill of victory!

back 2 back 🤷‍♂️🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/Y5FPQFSGfH
— Texas Men's Tennis (@TexasMTN) April 11, 2026

P.S. — You'll get to see plenty of football action at our open practice on Saturday!

Always competing 🤘 pic.twitter.com/Davp62XhtC
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) April 12, 2026

P.S. — It's great to have the big man back in Burnt Orange and White!

our guy's back 🤘#AlwaysCompete | @MVokietaitis8 pic.twitter.com/lUUJoGQnOr
— Texas Men's Basketball (@TexasMBB) April 10, 2026

P.S. — Stats don't lie, congrats on an awesome career Rori!

HORNS UP 🤘

With the 34th pick in the WNBA draft, the @WashMystics select Rori Harmon‼️ pic.twitter.com/XMkoOPVZhD
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) April 14, 2026

P.S. — Heck of a reunion right here! So great having our Longhorn Legend Coach Brown at Spring Practice!