Oklahoma City is becoming familiar territory for Lady Vols softball.
Tennessee is heading to Devon Park for the third time in four years, but its path to a Women’s College World Series title will be rough from the get-go. The No. 7-seeded Lady Vols (47-10, 16-8 SEC) will open against No. 2-seeded Texas, the team that ended their postseason run just a season ago at the same stadium.
The Longhorns are led by SEC Player of the Year Katie Stewart, a junior first baseman who’s having a record-breaking season at the plate. She’s batting .436 with 27 home runs, 72 RBIs and a .988 slugging percentage. Stewart also led Texas to its first SEC Tournament title since it joined the conference in 2024.
How to watch Lady Vols softball vs. Texas
Tennessee and Texas are slated for the second game of the tournament Thursday at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Beth Mowins will handle play-by-play, while Michele Smith and Jessica Mendoza will aid her as analysts. Holly Rowe will also be on the call, serving as the sideline reporter.
The first game of the day is Texas Tech vs. Mississippi State at Noon ET, also on ESPN. If that game runs long, Tennessee’s first pitch will shift back 30 minutes after the game ends. Additionally, the game can also be heard on Lady Vol Network with Brian Rice fulfilling play-by-play duties.
Matchups to watch
All eyes will be on the Lady Vols’ pitching staff. Karlyn Pickens and Sage Mardjetko — both D1Softball First Team All-Americans — will need to be sharp if Tennessee wants to make a deep postseason run.
While the Longhorns have been one of the most dangerous offenses in the country all season, they have struggled making contact at times. Texas has struck out more than any other team in the NCAA Tournament, which could be all the difference for Tennessee.
Teagan Kavan has been a cornerstone of the Longhorns’ success this season. No other pitcher on the team has thrown more than 70 innings, while the three-time First Team All-SEC selection has tossed 195.1 innings, going 24-5 with a 2.47 ERA. She was knocked around a few times during the regular season, but shut out Arizona State in last weekend’s NCAA Super Regional clincher.
Familiar postseason foes
While the two programs did not square off in the regular season, the Lady Vols know this opponent well.
Texas edged Tennessee 2-0 last June in the WCWS semifinal behind a combined pitching effort from Mac Morgan and Teagan Kavan, who held the Lady Vols to three hits. Stewart’s solo home run in the bottom of the fourth broke a scoreless tie, and a throwing error in the sixth gave Texas the insurance run. Pickens struck out nine in the loss.
But Tennessee has beaten Texas in Oklahoma City before. In 2013, the Lady Vols knocked off Texas 2-1 in the semifinals after Ivy and Ellen Renfroe held the Longhorns to five hits. Lauren Gibson also provided a home run in the first inning. Tennessee went on to reach the national championship game that year before falling to Oklahoma.
All-time series
Texas edges Tennessee in the all-time series, 8-7, but the two programs are 5-5 in the last 10 meetings. The winner of Thursday’s game advances in the double-elimination bracket, while the loser will face the Texas Tech-Mississippi State loser on Friday.
Common opponents
While the two teams played plenty of common opponents, their series against Alabama is the most important. Tennessee hosted the Crimson Tide in late April and took the series 2-1, dropping the opener 12-0 before winning games two and three. Texas traveled to Tuscaloosa in early April and dropped the series 2-1, losing the rubber match 7-4 despite a dominant 9-1 win in game one.
However, Texas got the last word by defeating the Crimson Tide 7-1 in the SEC Tournament Championship game.
