Fresh off their first national title, Texas softball dives into a brutal 2026 slate loaded with NCAA tourney teams as the hunted, not the hunters.
Texas softball finally climbed the mountain in 2025, conquering the sport with its first-ever national championship after outlasting Texas Tech 2–1 in the Women's College World Series finals.
Now comes the harder part ... staying on top.
Mike White's Longhorns enter 2026 as the defending champs, no longer chasing anyone. Despite some offseason turnover on the staff and roster, Texas returns the bulk of its championship core, then reloads with a strong freshman class and impact transfers.
The reward for all that success? A brutal, no-soft-landing schedule that screams, "Prove it."
Texas unveiled its full 2026 slate on Friday, a 55-game regular season that includes 26 home dates at Red & Charline McCombs Field. The Longhorns open in San Antonio at the UTSA Invitational on Feb. 6, immediately diving into familiar waters with a matchup against former Big 12 rival Nebraska.
Over three days, Texas will see Nebraska twice, Washington twice and UTSA, a tone-setting early test against multiple tournament-caliber teams.
The champs return to Austin for their home debut in the Bevo Classic from Feb. 12-15. The first pitch at McCombs comes against Abilene Christian on Feb. 12, followed by games against Ohio State, Syracuse (twice) and Northern Illinois.
It's a packed opening stretch that should quickly reveal how fast this group has settled into its new identity.
Next up is a West Coast swing to the DeMarini Invitational in Palo Alto from Feb. 20-22, where Texas will face Arizona twice, Stanford, Santa Clara and Boise State, plus a one-off against Southeastern Louisiana on Feb. 25.
There's one final non-conference tune-up in the Longhorn Invitational (Feb. 27-March 1), featuring Houston, St. Bonaventure, Prairie View A&M and Incarnate Word.
And then the real grind begins.
Texas opens SEC play on the road at South Carolina from March 6-8, with its first home league series coming a week later against Ole Miss. From there, the schedule turns downright nasty.
The Longhorns will host Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Arkansas at McCombs while also traveling to face Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky. Sprinkled throughout are midweek clashes with East Texas A&M, Baylor (home and away), Texas State and Oklahoma State.
In total, Texas will play 36 games against 2025 NCAA Tournament teams, including 20 against programs that reached Super Regionals. The message is clear ... if the Longhorns want to defend their crown, they'll have to do it the hard way ... every single weekend.