Just weeks before its season debut, No. 1 Texas softball released its highly anticipated non-conference schedule.
While football non-conference games are scheduled years in advance, the Texas athletic department was still waiting on visiting teams to sign contracts late last month, per Athletic Director Chris Del Conte.
The Longhorns will be the favorite in every non-conference matchup. Still, the first month of the season is crucial for the team to find its footing and confidence. It’s also an opportunity for head coach Mike White to try different lineups and let players try multiple field positions. This is especially crucial in finding a stable replacement for junior shortstop Vivi Martinez, who is out for the season with an ACL injury.
“We have six games this first weekend, so it’s gonna be a lot of opportunities for a lot of players, and we’ll just see how it all pieces together,” White said. “Right now, there’s always battles (for) positions.”
The first six games will be played this weekend across three days in three cities, starting with Longwood and Louisiana in Lafayette, La. on Friday, St. John’s and Lamar in Beaumont on Saturday, and Sam Houston and Tulsa in Huntsville on Sunday.
The Longhorns will come home the weekend after to play in the Bevo Classic tournament against UMass Amherst, Maryland and former conference rival No. 10/13 Texas Tech.
What follows is a slate of games against a wide-range of opponents, varying from mid-to-low Division I to Power Four teams, including several top-25 matchups.
The Longhorns will face No. 18/23 Stanford and No. 16/17 Arizona at the Hillenbrand Invitational Feb. 21 through Feb. 23 is Tuscon, Arizona.
Texas will host former Big 12 opponent No. 19/20 Baylor in a single game on March 5. The matchup will be the last time Texas plays a ranked opponent before the national runner-up makes its Southeastern Conference debut against No. 2/3 Florida in Gainesville.
While Texas won’t face the onslaught of SEC powerhouses until mid-March, the team already has their eyes set on lifting the trophy in Oklahoma City come May.
“The expectations are always the same, every year,” junior catcher Reese Atwood said. “It’s to compete and win a national championship. So coming into the season, that’s what our eyes are set on. We’re focusing on staying present, taking one game at a time.”
