Tennessee softball’s opening opponent for the 2026 Women’s College World Series is set. Coming out as the winner of the Austin Super Regional in three games, No. 2 Texas will meet the No. 7 Lady Vols in Oklahoma City on Thursday. First pitch times and TV designations are yet to be announced.
The Longhorns, despite losing game one of their super regional, claimed the three-game set over Arizona State on its home field. The final game featured timely hits and superb pitching to clinch their spot with a 5-0 win.
Texas is now looking to defend its throne at the WCWS as last year’s champion. It’s also the team that knocked off Tennessee last season in OKC, just short of what would’ve been the Lady Vols’ third-ever title game appearance. Tennessee is making its 10th trip to the WCWS and looking for its first title.
More From RTI: Everything Tennessee Softball HC Karen Weekly Said About Earning Spot in WCWS
Tennessee has had plenty of time to sit back and assess the field and plan for the WCWS. However, as the first team to punch their ticket on Friday evening, the Lady Vols didn’t know who’d be joining them in OKC until Sunday night.
“It’s awesome,” Weekly said about ending the series early. “I’ll never forget 2010. We went up to Michigan, and we had the Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and we were a 15-seed, and they were a two-seed, and we upset them and won in two. And there was nothing like just sitting back on Saturday and Sunday and watching everybody else play. I mean, how many series haven’t even started yet? Three? We’re done. And there’s three series that haven’t even started.
“So, it’s going to be nice for us to get some rest, to get a little bit of extra practice time in and then I’m really grateful because I’m on the All-American committee and I got to fly to OKC early Sunday morning and sit in a meeting for two days. So, I’m excited to have a day off tomorrow and time to pack.”
All the opening games of the WCWS will take place on Thursday. It isn’t yet revealed which time slot UT will be playing in, though. However, the bracket is set.
If Tennessee beats Texas, it’ll play the winner between No. 11 Texas Tech and Mississippi State. The event is a two-loss elimination bracket until just two teams are standing. Then, those squads will play a best two out of three to crown a champion.
