Texas' dominant streak faces a stern SEC test as the No. 3 Longhorns clash with Ole Miss this weekend.
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After a strong start to their home stand with a 10-1 win over East Texas A&M, the Longhorns will look to carry momentum into the weekend as they open their first SEC home series of the season against the Ole Miss Rebels.
The Longhorns have looked absolutely dominant, entering the series with a 23-1 record and riding a 21-game winning streak.
Texas currently sits as the No. 3-ranked team in the country, just behind the Tennessee Volunteers and the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Although Texas will be heavily favored in this matchup, it will not be a walk in the park.
Ole Miss may not be ranked, but it is definitely not a team to take lightly. The Rebels sit just outside the Top 25, receiving eight votes in the latest poll.
As we all know, chaos is always possible in the SEC, and if Texas doesn’t play its usual game, Ole Miss could sneak a win in Austin and snap the Longhorns’ 21-game winning streak.
For the Rebels, the challenge will be even tougher because of who they’ll likely face in the circle: junior pitcher Teagan Kavan, who is arguably one of the best players in the country.
Kavan recently earned her second career SEC Pitcher of the Week honor on March 10. She helped secure the series sweep against the South Carolina Gamecocks with two appearances, one start and one save, going 1-0 during the series.
Over those outings in the series, she posted a 0.88 ERA across eight innings, recorded seven strikeouts, and did not allow a single extra-base hit.
If the odds swing in the Rebels’ favor and Ole Miss’ offense manages to get some timely hitting against Teagan Kavan, the Texas lineup is more than capable of responding and winning the game themselves.
In 18 of the Longhorns’ 24 games this season, the offense has scored at least seven runs.
Players like junior Katie Stewart and senior Reese Atwood can take over a game at any moment with the power in their bats. The two have combined for 23 home runs this season and have each recorded 36 RBIs.
This series could be a key opportunity for the Longhorns to move up from the No. 3 spot in the rankings.
The No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers will face the No. 14 Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville for a weekend series, while the No. 2 Texas Tech Red Raiders host the No. 12 Arizona Wildcats in Lubbock.
If either of those teams loses a game, Texas could have a strong chance of moving past them in the polls.
Texas will open the series against Ole Miss on Friday at 5:30 p.m. CT in Austin. Games 2 and 3 will follow on Saturday and Sunday, with both scheduled for noon CT