Tennessee softball’s opening opponent for the 2026 Women’s College World Series is set. The No. 7 Lady Vols will meet No. 2 Texas on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. The winner is put in a strong position to keep advancing, while the loser has its back against the wall in the two-loss elimination bracket.
What is Tennessee going to have to deal with against the Longhorns, though? To start, you have to look at what Texas did last season. It is the reigning national champions after going 56-12 (16-8 SEC) on the year. It took down Texas Tech in three games to claim the title.
This year, the Longhorns had to survive an upset bid from Arizona State in the Austin Super Regional, though. The Sun Devils took the first game of the best two out of three series and took a lead in game two. However, Texas stormed back in the second game to survive and handled business in game three to advance.
the story continues in OKC 🎬#HookEm pic.twitter.com/748EDk6oy2
— Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball) May 27, 2026
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Texas has proven to be a complete, all-around team this year, but it all starts at the plate. This season, the Longhorns posted an SEC-best team batting average of .352 through 68 games. They also hit 94 home runs, marking the third most in the conference.
The top Texas hitter is Katie Stewart. She owns a .436 batting average on the year to lead the team. She also has mashed an impressive 27 home runs, which is nine more than her next teammate, Reese Atwood, at 18.
The Longhorns’ pitching has also been elite. Tennessee holds the SEC-best ERA at 1.82, but Texas is in second. The Longhorns’ mark is at 2.55.
They’ve relied primarily on two pitchers this year. That features star Teagan Kavan, who owns a 2.47 ERA and a 24-5 record. However, Citlaly Guiterrez has statistically been better this year, producing a 2.21 ERA and a 9-3 record.
