Tennessee softball is set to meet Texas in the 2026 Women’s College World Series Semifinals. The No. 7 Lady Vols need one win, while the No. 2 Longhorns will need to win twice in a row to advance to the national championship series.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the game.
How To Watch: No. 7 Tennessee softball (49-10, 16-8 SEC) vs. No. 2 Texas (49-12, 16-8 SEC)
Game 1:
- Date: Monday, June 1
- Time: Noon ET
- TV: ESPN
- Broadcasters: Beth Mowins (PxP), Michele Smith (Analyst), Jessica Mendoza (Analyst) and Holly Rowe (Sideline)
Game 2 (if necessary):
- Date: Monday, June 1
- Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
- TV: ESPN
- Broadcasters: Beth Mowins (PxP), Michele Smith (Analyst), Jessica Mendoza (Analyst) and Holly Rowe (Sideline)
Projected Starting Lineups
Most recent batting order used by both teams
Tennessee:
CF Sophia Knight
C Elsa Morrison
3B Ella Dodge
DP/LF Alannah Leach
1B Makenzie Butt
RF Gabby Leach
SS Bella Faw
LF/DP Taelyn Holley
Texas:
CF Kayden Henry
1B Katie Stewart
SS Viviana Martinez
2B Leighann Goode
C Reese Atwood
LF Kaiah Altmeyer
DP Hannah Wells
RF Ashton Maloney
3B Jaycie Nichols
More From RTI: Opponent Scout: What to Know About Texas Ahead of WCWS Semifinals vs. Tennessee Softball
Top Pitchers
Tennessee:
Karlyn Pickens – 1.58 ERA, 15-7 (33 app, 16 gs)
Sage Mardjetko – 1.06 ERA, 16-2 (30 app, 21 gs)
Erin Nuwer – 0.99 ERA, 15-1 (26 app, 17 gs)
Texas:
Teagan Kavan – 2.41 ERA, 26-6 (42 app, 35 gs)
Citlaly Gutierrez – 2.38 ERA, 9-3 (23 app, 9 gs)
What the Coaches Said
Tennessee HC Karen Weekly
“We haven’t stayed in the winners’ bracket through two games since 2013. It definitely makes a difference, especially now with the format where there’s the days off. Back then, you didn’t have as many days off if you kept winning. It certainly makes a difference, and we will take full advantage of the day tomorrow that we have to get some more rest.
“Nothing is going to get easier from here on out. Two days ago was really tough. Today was really tough. It’s a national championship for a reason. If you want it, you’re going to have to find a way to be the toughest team when those moments come.”
Texas HC Mike White
“Well, (a rematch with Tennessee) won’t help us if they throw Nuwer at us. They have another one that’s out there that’s pretty good. We’re not forgetting her, as well. And they have the luxury of us having to beat them twice.
“These pitchers are so good now, they’re able to study what we did, what they did. It becomes that cat-and-mouse game of strategy. That’s what we love about the game, is all the strategy, kind of pitching nuances of the game. It’s going to be a fun matchup.”
More From RTI: Video Emerges of Taylor Pannell, Karen Weekly’s Postgame Interaction After Tennessee Beat Texas Tech
Series History
- Overall: 8-8
- Neutral Site: 5-4 Texas
- Current streak: 1 W Tennessee
- Last meeting: 6-3 Tennessee (5/28/26 – WCWS)
Prediction
In game one between Tennessee and Texas to open the WCWS, the Lady Vols started Sage Mardjetko and went to Karlyn Pickens afterward. In the Lady Vols’ next game against Texas Tech, they went to Pickens to start and Mardjetko in relief. This time, I think we will see the 2026 WCWS debut of Erin Nuwer to start. She’s the only pitcher that the Longhorns haven’t seen this trip to OKC yet, and it’s probably the right move to give them a different look.
No matter who Tennessee opts to pitch, though, they’re going to have to have a really strong outing to avoid the big bats of Texas. The Lady Vols are certainly built to do it, but then the question turns to whether the offense can continue to build on the positive momentum it has.
I think overall the answer is that Tennessee has plenty of pitching firepower and enough offense to propel the program back to the national championship series. I’m just not sure if it will take one or two games to get it done. I’ll take the Lady Vols suffering a narrow loss to begin the afternoon before firing back in game two with a somewhat stress-free win to punch their ticket to the title series.
Game 1: Texas 4, Tennessee 3
Game 2: Tennessee 8, Texas 2
