Sure, Texas softball doesn’t officially start defense of its national championship until early February. But like most teams across the country, the Longhorns play an abbreviated schedule in the fall that helps solidify the pitching rotation, determine the lineup and lay the foundation for what head coach Mike White and his program hope is a third consecutive championship run.
Texas begins fall ball Tuesday against Murray State. Here are five things to know about the Longhorns’ fall schedule:
After Texas kicks off its fall schedule by hosting Murray State Tuesday (6 p.m. at McCombs Field), the Longhorns will host four more games: Oct. 13 against Texas State, Oct. 20 against Temple College, Oct. 27 against McLennan Community College and Oct. 29 against UTSA.
Texas will visit Texas A&M for its final fall game Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. at Davis Diamond in College Station.
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Tickets to McCombs Field during the regular season often sell out, and all of the seats in the infield bleachers are not available expect through season tickets. But all fall ball home games at McCombs Field are free to the public, with seats in the infield and outfield available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
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Texas must replace a handful of players from the 2026 team that went 53-12 and beat Texas Tech for the second consecutive season in the Women’s College World Series finals. They include four-year starting right-fielder Ashton Maloney, record-setting catcher Reese Atwood, All-American second baseman Leighann Goode and versatile pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez.
Pitcher Teagan Kavan returns for her fourth season as arguably the greatest clutch pitcher in the college game. She became the first player to win consecutive WCWS Most Outstanding Player awards this past season after earning four complete-game wins in Oklahoma City as well as the save in the title-clinching 4-1 win over the Red Raiders.
Texas also welcomes back All-Americans in first baseman Katie Stewart and outfielder Kayden Henry as well as star infielder Vivi Martinez and sophomore pitcher/slugger Hannah Wells.
Texas will replace the holes in its roster with a seven-player high school recruiting class that ranks third in the nation by On3 and a three-player transfer class listed as No. 2 by D1 Softball.
Infielder Isa Torres and catcher Samantha Swan, former teammates at Georgetown High School, transferred in from Florida State and Arizona State, respectively. Both earned All-American honors last season, and both are expected to slide into starting roles for Texas.
Among the freshmen, infielder Annie Abdullah, infielder Mia Clemmer and pitcher Madi Doty all rank as consensus top 20 national recruits and look poised for an early impact.
This article originally published at Texas softball starts fall ball Tuesday. How to watch Teagan Kavan, Katie Stewart.
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