By Steve Habel, Senior Contributing Writer
After the Texas softball team swept Houston to win Sunday’s NCAA Austin Regional, its mantra quickly switched from “survive and advance” to “we want ‘Bama.” Here’s hoping that the Longhorns are not like a dog that chases a car, catches it, and then doesn’t know what to do with it.
[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]
Texas, the NCAA Tournament’s ninth-seeded team, faces No. 8 Alabama in Tuscaloosa beginning Thursday in a best-of-three Super Regional with a berth in the Women’s College World Series on the line.
This is the Longhorns’ first Super Regional appearance since 2013, when Texas last advanced to the WCWS and finished third. By winning the NCAA Austin Regional, UT advanced to its fifth all-time NCAA Super Regional (the others coming in 2005, 2006, 2012, 2013 and 2019).
This is, however, the first time that the Longhorns ever have had to go on the road as one of the final 16 teams. Texas has a 7-2 all-time record in Super Regional play and advanced to the WCWS in 2005, 2006 and 2013.
As formidable as the Southeastern Conference champion Crimson Tide (55-7) looks on paper, they will be even tougher in Rhoads Stadium, their home ballpark.
“We understand that the crowd will be big and rowdy, but softball is still softball. Everything is the same,” Texas coach Mike White said. “The pressure will be on us to be ourselves more than anything else. We just have to play our game.”
Alabama capped off its 40th straight regional win Sunday over Arizona State, 9-8, to reach the Super Regionals, its 40th straight regional home victory.
Alabama is impressive at home in Super Regional play, too, having hosted nine Sweet 16 rounds and failing to advance just once (2010 against Hawaii). The Crimson Tide boasts a 16-4 record at Rhoads Stadium in Super Regional play.
“It’s tradition,” Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said. “We’re going to make this the toughest place to play in America. This is our place and we’re going to protect our home field. It starts with our fans. The fans make it tough and the players are very reliant.”
The Crimson Tide remind White of Oklahoma, the country’s top-ranked team which swept Texas in three games in Austin last month. The Tide ranks among the top 25 in Div. I with a 2.03 earned run average and a .973 fielding percentage, and has averaged 6.3 runs per game, which ranks 12th.
“I think Alabama is underrated,” White said. “They should be in the top five, without a doubt.”
Texas (45-15) brings a pitching staff led by Miranda Elish (18-9, 1.68 ERA). Elish has thrown 46.1 percent of the innings for the Longhorns this season and was in the circle for all 14 of the two Sunday victories over Houston, uncorking 429 pitches over four straight Longhorns wins through the losers’ bracket.
Elish, who pitched her first two seasons for White at Oregon, is 12-1 all-time in the NCAA postseason with a 1.56 ERA over 16 appearances with 95 strikeouts in 81 innings of work.
“We believe Miranda will be as strong as she was last weekend, if not stronger,” White said. “She’s bounced back well and will be ready.”
While Texas likely will use Elish throughout the series, the Crimson Tide pitching staff is doing it by committee. Alabama has nobody with more than 19 starts and a relatively even distribution of innings.
Montana Fouts, arguably the Tide’s ace, has thrown just 34.7 percent of the innings this season, and she wasn’t even the SEC Pitcher of the Year. Sarah Cornell was next among the Alabama pitchers with 28.5 percent of the innings, followed by Krystal Goodman’s 19.9 percent and Courtney Gettins’ 14 percent.
“That was the hardest part this year, was figuring out who to pitch,” Murphy said. “That balance wears on our opponents. When we have three or four people bunched together, they really don’t have enough time. You can’t prepare for four.”
Texas does not have one big star, but it does have a solid starting nine.
Four players have 30 or more RBI, led by Mary Iakopo, who leads the team with 38 and also paces the squad in home runs with 10. The sophomore has a .358 batting average and a .462 on base average.
Janae Jefferson leads the Longhorns in hitting at .398 but has no home runs in her two seasons in Austin. She has struck out only five times this season and is 10 of 17 in stolen bases.
[/s2If] [s2If !current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)] [habeabk] [/s2If]
Discover more from Horns Illustrated
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.