Forty Acres Insider: May 19

Chris Del Conte head shot 2025

Longhorn Nation,

CHAMPIONSHIPS SEASON IS IN FULL SWING, y'all, and our Horns are giving us plenty to celebrate. Softball punched its ticket to a SEVENTH-STRAIGHT Super Regional. Baseball is rolling into Hoover with lots of momentum and chasing an SEC Tournament Championship. And how about Coach Berque and our Men's Tennis squad?! What an unbelievable run to the NCAA Championship Match — pride, passion, grit, team spirit, and coming oh-so close to bringing home the title. Nothing but pride for that group and the Texas Fight they showed every step of the way. An ITA National Indoor Championship in February, sweeping the SEC Regular Season and Tournament Titles, and finishing as NCAA Championship runner-up is a whole lot of success. Now it's right back to Red & Charline McCombs Field for an electric Super Regional showdown with an opponent that is as hot as any team in the country right now in Arizona State. Men's Golf is battling at the Bryan Regional for a trip to the NCAA Championship, while Women's Golf begins its National Championship journey out west on Friday. This is a fantastic time of the year, folks — championships on the line, Horns competing everywhere you look and Burnt Orange & White pride shining coast to coast. We're beyond grateful to have the best fans in the land riding with us every step of the way. Let's keep this thing rolling!

A memorable season for @TexasMTN 🤘🏻

▶️ ITA National Indoor Champions

▶️ Back-to-Back SEC Regular Season AND Tournament Championships

▶️ NCAA-Leading FOURTH-Straight Final Four

▶️ 29 Dual Match Wins (tied for program-best since 1975)

▶️ NCAA Runner-Up Finish pic.twitter.com/nwiQ7zeMvW
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) May 18, 2026

The NCAA Runner-Up finish by Men's Tennis added yet ANOTHER HISTORIC CHAPTER to the championship legacy of the Forty Acres. That appearance marked the 68th national runner-up finish in Longhorns' history. Pair that with our 69 National Championships and we now boast a staggering 137 all-time top-two national finishes. And our Horns have been operating at an absolutely ELITE level in recent years. Over the last nine years alone, we've delivered 16 National Championships, finished as the NCAA Runner-Up 16 times, and claimed a total of 32 top-two finishes. THIRTY-TWO times in the last nine years our Longhorns have finished the season either holding the trophy or playing for it all. That's Championship DNA. That's sustained excellence. That's the pride and winning tradition of The University of Texas! The pride. The passion. The Texas Fight. It's always on full display across the Forty Acres — and trust us, we're nowhere close to finished. Keep those Horns Up because there's a whole lot more coming!

NCAA Runner-Up finish by @TexasMTN is the 68th in Longhorn history🤘🏻

Combined with 69 National Championships, Texas now owns 137 all-time top-2 finishes.

Over last 9 years alone, Horns have won 16 National Titles, finished NCAA Runner-Up 16 times, and claimed 32 top-2 finishes.
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) May 17, 2026

What an extraordinary season it was for Coach Berque and our Men's Tennis program. Another year filled with championships ended with a PHENOMENAL NCAA TOURNAMENT STAMPEDE all the way to a Championship Match, where our Horns battled down to the very last point. The run started with a dominant 4-1 Elite Eight victory over Baylor that sent us to the Final Four for the FOURTH-straight season and SIXTH time in the last seven tourneys — both the best marks in the nation. Then came an unforgettable Final Four thriller against TCU. With the match hanging in the balance, it took full-on Texas Fight from Sebastian Gorzny (after a clutch tiebreaker win by Kalin Ivanovski that set up the magnificent finish) to clinch an epic 4-3 comeback victory and punch our ticket to the NCAA Championship Match. That appearance marked our second trip to the Championship Match in the last three years and third in the last seven tournaments — both tie for the best stretch of any program nationally. And the title bout was a clash of the titans. Momentum swings and drama abounded and it was a nailbiter from start to finish. It didn't end the way we'd hoped, but our Horns left EVERYTHING on the court in an incredibly hard-fought and memorable 4-3 match against Virginia and made all of us so darn proud to watch. And let's not forget everything this team accomplished along the way. ITA National Indoor Champions — the FIRST National Indoor Championship in program history. Sweeping the SEC Regular Season and Tournament Championships for the second-straight year. Add in all the historic milestones achieved throughout the year and this was truly an unforgettable season. Take a bow, fellas. What a ride!

We're in the middle of one heck of a ride with Coach White and Softball right now. The bats were crackin', the gloves were flashing and the energy at Red & Charline McCombs Field was absolutely ELECTRIC all weekend long as our defending National Champion Longhorns stormed their way to a SEVENTH-STRAIGHT SUPER REGIONAL. And they didn't just win — it was utter domination. We outscored our three regional opponents 25-1, run-ruling the first two games, on the way to another punched ticket. Only Texas and Oklahoma have advanced to the Super Regionals in each of the last seven NCAA Tournaments. And how about the consistency from Coach White?!—He is now 16-for-16 advancing to Super Regionals during his career as a head coach — tied for the longest streak in NCAA history alongside Oklahoma's Patty Gasso. That's championship excellence. That's a whole lot of sustained greatness. And we are so darn fortunate to have Coach White leading our Softball program. And Longhorn Nation — WOW. Y'all showed up this weekend. The energy, noise and passion you brought created an unbelievable home-field advantage and helped make McCombs Field one of the toughest places in the country to play. Our Horns fed off every bit of it. Now the Road to Oklahoma City keeps rolling right through the Forty Acres. Next up: a Super Regional showdown with Arizona State — winners of nine-straight games and fresh off a Big 12 Tournament Title. The series starts Friday (8 p.m. CT/ESPN2) with a trip to the Women's College World Series on the line. So, get those Burnt Orange and White fits ready. Let's pack the yard, raise the roof and create an ALL-TIME atmosphere this weekend. Our Horns are ready for the moment and we've got the Sun Devils squarely in our crosshairs. Let's do this my friends!

thanks for bringing the energy all weekend long, Longhorn Nation 🤘 #HookEm pic.twitter.com/XKMs4rnSo5
— Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball) May 18, 2026

HOOVER HERE WE COME! Coach Schloss and No. 5 Baseball closed out the regular season with a statement sweep of Missouri at UFCU Disch-Falk Field — and our Horns did it in style. Carson Tinney had three homers, 10 RBI and a scorching .538 average during the series that earned him SEC Player of the Week honors as the bats absolutely caught fire. Dylan Volantis was dealing on the mound on Thursday night as well, tossing seven frames, fanning 11, and allowing just one run en route to SEC Pitcher of the Week honors. Saturday's 12-7 finale also gave us the chance to celebrate our seniors — always one of the most meaningful and special moments of the year. And Longhorn Nation, y'all absolutely brought the juice all weekend long. The atmosphere at The Disch was electric yet again and your energy continues to make one of the greatest home-field advantages in college baseball even stronger. That support helped fuel a HISTORIC start to life in the SEC. With the sweep, we moved to 19-10 in the SEC this season, secured the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, and improved to a league-best 41-18 (.695) mark over our two seasons in the SEC — the BEST winning percentage in the conference during that stretch. Among SEC programs, only Texas and Georgia have posted 40+ regular-season wins in each of the last two years. Not bad for our first two seasons in the SEC … and we're just getting started. Now it's off to Hoover for the SEC Tournament. Thanks to earning the No. 2 seed, our Horns have a double-bye and won't take the field until Friday's quarterfinals (3 p.m. CT/SEC Network). Then on Monday, the NCAA Tournament bracket drops at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN2 — and postseason baseball will be heading right back to The Disch (NCAA hosting sites are announced on Sunday night, but you can rest assured we'll be one of those teams). Get ready, Longhorn Nation. We're gonna need that Burnt Orange energy rocking all postseason long. Let's go chase some championships!

one more time for these seniors 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/3kybWdkvyH
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) May 18, 2026

Women's Golf is TAKING DEAD AIM AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS! Fresh off a dominant Chapel Hill Regional Championship, Coach Ianello's No. 5-ranked squad is headed to the NCAA Championships this week for the 10th-straight time — one of only four schools that can say that, joining USC, Stanford and Florida State. And what a Regional it was! Our Horns set a program 18-hole record with a 271 (-9) in round two, then kept on keepin' on, winning the title by 11 strokes. We were the only team under-par for the tournament at 5-under across 54 holes. The leaderboard was stocked full of Longhorns, with Cindy Hsu leading the way in third at 5-under, while Farah O'Keefe and Lauren Kim tied for seventh at 1-under. Now it's off to the NCAA Championships at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. — an event we're hosting — starting Friday. Our Horns are rolling into nationals and prepared to chase the ultimate prize. And speaking of eyes on the prize — Horns Up for the sensational Farah O'Keefe once again. The No. 1-ranked player in collegiate women's golf (No. 4 in the World Amateur Rankings!), she was just named one of 10 finalists for the ANNIKA Award, presented annually to the nation's most outstanding female collegiate golfer. An honor bestowed on a college star since 2014, we're looking for our first winner, so let's keep it going at NCAAs and go get that hardware, Farah!

it's NCAA Championship week 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/GneLwCPSox
— Texas Women's Golf (@TexasWGolf) May 18, 2026

Coach Fields and No. 4 Men's Golf is in the midst of TAKING THEIR SWINGS AT A 19TH-STRAIGHT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP appearance right here in the Lone Star State at the Bryan Regional. That all got underway on Monday morning for our No. 1-seeded squad among the 14-team field competing at Traditions Club, where the top five teams advance to the NCAA Championships on May 29-June 3 at Omni La Costa in Carlsbad, Calif. — an event we once again serve as tournament hosts. Due to expected weather issues on Wednesday in Bryan, the regional format was altered and play is expected to finish with 36 holes today. Our Horns are looking to extend the nation's-longest active streak of NCAA Championship appearances which currently stands at 18 in-a-row. On top of that, since the NCAA began regional qualifiers in 1989, we're one of just two programs (joined by Oklahoma State) to qualify for all 37 NCAA Regionals. Some solid consistency right there! Let's finish strong, punch that ticket to NCAAs and take dead aim on another National Championship to add to the trophy case. We own four of those, most recently in 2022, along with winning it all in 1971, 1972 and 2012.

We've got Softball rocking the Forty Acres, Baseball balling for the title that just means more in Hoover, Men's Golf teeing it up in the heart of rival territory, and Women's Golf laser-focused at a National Championship out west. CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON IS ALL GAS NO BRAKES right now y'all! Memorial Day weekend, SEC Spring Meetings, NCAA Baseball bracket reveal, NCAA Track and Field Regionals and the NCAA Rowing Championship are all right around the corner. The 22-team championship field and seeding for the NCAA Rowing will be announced today (4 p.m. CT/NCAA.com). Everywhere you look, our Horns are competing on the biggest stages with trophies on the line. What a time to be a Longhorn. The eyes of the nation are on us, y'all — so let's Hook 'Em!

stay tuned for a busy week y'all 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/0Zqcbqx0fh
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) May 18, 2026

What a Semester in the Classroom by our STUDENT-athletes!
Folks, the primary mission of college athletics should always be to foster the education and all-around development of our students. And as much as I enjoy talking about the success of our teams across the board in the battles of competition, I'm more excited to boast about what we are continuing to do in the classroom at this world-class university! When you include the 16 student-athletes who earned their degrees in December to the 96 who participated in commencement earlier this month, we are so proud of our 112 graduates during the 2025-26 academic calendar year. And here's some additional numbers and notes to take with you. Our student-athletes earned an OVERALL 3.43 GPA FOR THE SPRING 2026 SEMESTER, and 442 of our student-athletes (89-percent) now hold at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA after spring 2026. A total of 420 student-athletes (85-percent) earned a 3.0 or better spring 2026 semester GPA, and kudos to the 61 student-athletes (12-percent) who earned a 4.0 semester GPA in spring 2026. That's absolutely getting it done in the classroom! A big-time Hook 'Em Horns to our entire Student Services staff in Athletics and the outstanding support they provide to each and every one of our student-athletes on the Forty Acres.

all around excellence 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/JnRI8I3Rlc
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) May 18, 2026

Five Baseball standouts earn SEC accolades
Through team success comes individual accolades, awards and honors. And there were several of those for our SEC regular-season runner-up Longhorns when the CONFERENCE BASEBALL AWARDS were rolled out on Monday. Outfielder Anthony Pack Jr. was tabbed Freshman of the Year, second-team All-SEC and Freshman All-SEC. Fellow outfielder Aiden Robbins earned Newcomer of the Year and first-team All-SEC recognition. Robbins was joined on the All-SEC first-team by pitching aces starter Dylan Volantis and closer Sam Cozart, who also was a member of the Freshman All-SEC team. And don't forget catcher Carson Tinney who earned a spot on the second-team All-SEC squad. Horns Up for all of our Longhorn honorees!

your All-SEC Horns 🤘#HookEm | @SEC pic.twitter.com/a63iX97psH
— Texas Baseball (@TexasBaseball) May 18, 2026

Hook 'Em Horns,

Chris Del Conte

P.S. — Super Success!

Texas and Oklahoma are the ONLY two programs to advance to the NCAA Super Regionals in each of the last SEVEN seasons🤘🏻@TexasCoachWhite's 16-straight Super Regional appearances are tied for the longest streak by a head coach in NCAA history — alongside Oklahoma's Patty Gasso🤘🏻 pic.twitter.com/tuXwsvFLhv
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) May 17, 2026

P.S. — Shoutout to Farah!

No. 1 ranked women's college golfer and finalist for the ANNIKA Award 🤘#HookEm | @TheAnnikaAward pic.twitter.com/9NBMgrcOkm
— Texas Women's Golf (@TexasWGolf) May 15, 2026

P.S. — If you're not at the yard, here's where to tune in!

The #RoadtotheWCWS continues as ESPN networks present every pitch of the '26 @NCAASoftball Super Regionals 🥎

Throughout the weekend, find games across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU & the ESPN App

🔗 https://t.co/jbpUvGQGAV | #NCAASoftball pic.twitter.com/GSjQP7zNkG
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) May 18, 2026

P.S. — The SEC Tournament Bracket is set!

The Road to Omaha runs through Hoover. 😤

🔗 https://t.co/N7VfO29Px5 #SECBSB x #SECTourney pic.twitter.com/JwgvhRNbRi
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) May 17, 2026

P.S. — Setting the standard!

In just TWO SEC seasons, our Horns are already setting the standard🤘🏻

Texas is 1 of only 2 SEC programs with 40+ wins in BOTH regular seasons, joining Georgia🤘🏻

And Texas' 41-18 SEC mark (.695) is the BEST conference winning percentage in that span, edging Georgia (41-19/.693). https://t.co/fC28gOjoNE
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) May 17, 2026

P.S. — Welcome to the Forty, Coach Nigro!

thrilled to be bringing Brandt Nigro on as the new Women's Associate Head Coach 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/C0ds6L9GLi
— Texas Women's Swimming & Diving (@TexasWSD) May 18, 2026

P.S. — All eyes on us — this is so awesome!

EYES ON TEXAS 📺🤘🏻

Awesome viewership numbers for Softball & even bigger ones ahead. FIVE Texas programs — Football, Men's AND Women's Basketball, Softball & Volleyball — have all drawn 650K+ viewers for a game this year🤘🏻

With postseason Baseball heating up, should be SIX soon https://t.co/ay2O9DE6uH
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) May 15, 2026

P.S. — Don't miss out, folks, renew those Women's Basketball season tickets now!