OKLAHOMA CITY — The Texas Longhorns are in prime position to repeat as national champions, but they will need to navigate perhaps the most balanced and unpredictable field in NCAA Division I softball tournament history to do it.
Texas (42-10), which won the Women’s College World Series last year on its eighth trip to Oklahoma City (the program’s first seven appearances included runner-up finishes in 2022 and 2024), is seeded second overall for the NCAA’s 64-team bracket that was revealed Sunday after the conclusion of regular-season play and conference tournaments.
The advantages of being a top-eight seed include playing at home not only during the tournament’s double-elimination regional phase that starts Friday, when Texas will face Wagner in the Austin Regional that also includes Baylor and Wisconsin, but the chance to host a best-of-three super regional next week with a Women’s College World Series berth at stake.
The WCWS is set to begin May 28 at Oklahoma City’s Devon Park.
The Longhorns (42-10) still have Teagan Kavan, who was the most outstanding player honoree at last year’s WCWS, leading the way from the pitching circle — the 6-foot right-hander has posted a 21-4 record with a 2.65 ERA this season and got the win against Alabama in last weekend’s Southeastern Conference tournament title game in Lexington, Kentucky — and their prolific lineup features fellow junior Katie Stewart, a catcher and infielder who is batting .434 with 25 home runs.