Considering that the two schools are linked by 100 miles of Central Texas highway as well as the constant chatter between two bombastic fan bases, the Texas and Texas A&M softball teams haven’t met much since the Aggies left the Big 12 way back in 2012.
But that will change this weekend, when 16th-seeded Texas A&M will travel to Austin for a best-of-three series against No. 1 Texas in the NCAA super regionals. The winner will qualify for the Women’s College World Series, which starts May 30 in Oklahoma City.
Oh, and the winner will also get plenty of bragging rights — at least until the two programs start meeting as SEC foes next spring.
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“They're a great team,” Texas coach Mike White said after his squad secured a spot in the super regional with a 7-0 win over Northwestern on Sunday. “You know, they've played well this year. It's going to be a good matchup.”
Texas (50-7) rolled to three wins in three games at the Austin Regional by a cumulative score of 26-2, and the Aggies (43-13) were equally impressive in College Station while reaching the super regionals for the first time since 2018. They beat Albany 6-2 and then shut out second-seeded Texas State in back-to-back games, 1-0 and 8-0.
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Now, about the rivalry on the softball diamond. The teams did face off twice last season in Austin during the regional round of the NCAA Tournament, with Texas winning 11-5 and 2-1 to advance. But prior to those meetings, the Longhorns and Texas A&M had met just four times since the Aggies left the Big 12 for the SEC.
That recent history doesn’t include a 2-2 tie in October during fall softball, which didn’t count in any standings, or much in White’s mind.
“I just remember giving up a late home run to tie things up,” he said with a chuckle. “I mean, you're more concerned about getting people in the game and getting exposure and getting to feel that energy (in the fall), so that was the real goal for that game. I don't think they threw their No. 1's out there, and we didn't do the same thing either.”
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Austin Super Regional
No. 16 Texas A&M at No. 1 Texas, McCombs Field, 5 p.m. Friday (ESPN2), 4 p.m. Saturday (TV TBA), Sunday TBA if needed
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas softball will host Texas A&M in NCAA Tournament. When and where do they play?
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