The Longhorns proved that they're capable of a repeat national championship after claiming their first SEC Tournament crown.
The No. 5-ranked Texas Longhorns defeated No. 3 Alabama 7-1 to capture the program's first SEC Softball Tournament championship in Lexington, Ky. on Sunday.
After giving up a run in the first inning to the 3-seeded Crimson Tide, Texas pitching held the opposition to just three hits for the entire game and zeros the rest of the way on the scoreboard.
This is the Longhorns' first conference tournament title since 2005 and fifth overall.
Texas improves to 42-10 on the season and enters the national tournament with as strong a resume as anyone. The Longhorns boast 20 RPI Quad 1 wins - the most in the nation.
In the title-clinching win, SEC Player of the Year Katie Stewart led the way with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate, including a team-leading 25th home run that drove in two.
The Longhorns tallied 13 hits and plenty of offense necessary for starting pitcher Teagan Kavan, who tossed a complete game and struck out 12.
Kavan, the tourney's Most Valuable Player, was joined on the All-Tournament team by Leighanne Goode, Viviana Martinez and Jaycie Nichols.
The automatic qualification, high ranking and stellar RPI put the Longhorns in position to be a host seed through the super regionals … but a familiar face won the top-overall seed.
Alabama was named the No. 1 overall seed. Texas drew the No. 2 overall seed.
To be exact, Texas drew the top seed in the region, pairing them with Wagner, Baylor, and Wisconsin for games in regional play hosted at McCombs Field in Austin.
Games start on Thursday, May 15 across the 16 national host sites, beginning with the Horns hosting Wagner.
After regional and super regional play, the final eight teams will compete in the Women's College World Series beginning on Thursday, May 28, at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.
The mission is simple for the Longhorns: replicate the 2025 run as best as possible.
A year ago, Texas swept through the regional with a pair of five-inning run-rules and a shutout at their home field. In supers, the Horns remained the host and rebounded for two wins over Clemson after dropping the opener.
Texas, of course, carried that play into the WCWS in OKC en route to winning the program's first national championship.
Now the path is clear to defend the title.
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