Fifteen questions Texas softball must answer in 2024 — one for every returning Longhorn
The only thing approaching the vast amounts of experience that Texas brings into the 2024 softball season could be the expectations. The Longhorns welcome back the bulk of last year’s 45-15-1 team, which finished second in the Big 12 behind three-time national champion Oklahoma and reached the NCAA super regionals. Five of the returning players earned spots on the preseason all-conference team, the most in program history.
More: How does the Texas softball team look? Let's examine the roster and the key games.
Since head coach Mike White's arrival five years ago, the Longhorns have gone 205-71-2 with four straight super regional appearances as well as a spot in the 2022 NCAA championship series. Texas will open its season Friday. Here are 15 questions facing the Longhorns this season — one for each returning player on a loaded squad:
Who's gone from last year’s team?
The only two Longhorns who left were infielder Courtney Day (Ole Miss) and outfielder Alyssa Popelka (Washington). Overall, Texas returns 83% of its total RBIs from 2023, nearly 82% of its total bases, 81.4% of the team's hits, nearly 81% of its home runs and 78% of its runs.
More: Texas softball picked second in preseason Big 12 poll behind 3-time defending champion OU
What about the pitchers?
Every pitcher who stepped into the circle last season — Mac Morgan, Citlaly Gutierrez, Sophia Simpson and Estelle Czech — returns.
Which new players arrived?
Texas' No. 4-ranked recruiting class has six freshmen: OF Adayah Wallace, INF Victoria Hunter, P Teagan Kavan, C/INF Katie Stewart, OF Kayden Henry and INF Ryan Brown.
Another big freshman class. Any transfers?
Joley Mitchell, who can play third base or designed player, started for two seasons at Notre Dame and earned All-ACC honors a year ago after hitting .383 and ending the season on a 35-game on-base streak.
More: Former UT softball player Janae Jefferson leads Texas Smoke to national softball title
Can this year’s freshmen approach the success of last year's?
Probably not. Five players in last year’s freshman class — infielder Leighann Goode, catcher Reese Atwood, outfielder Ashton Maloney, infielder Viviana Martinez and Gutierrez — earned conference all-freshman honors. This year’s team has way fewer holes in the lineup, which will mean fewer opportunities for immediate playing time.
Who's the best of those now-sophomores?
DI Softball has Goode (No. 78) and Atwood (89) on its list of the country’s top 100 players, while the Big 12 coaches picked Gutierrez and Martinez for its preseason All-Big 12 second team, so take your pick. Goode at second base and Martinez at shortstop could anchor the defense for three more years, and the two ranked among the team leaders in almost every batting category, so any answer may start with either of them.
What’s the biggest area of concern with the lineup?
There aren't many when it comes to run production. White has some concerns about his defense at the corners, though, so keep an eye on who plays third and first early in the season. Mia Scott, a unanimous preseason first-team All-Big 12 player, hit .377 with a team-high 53 runs scored but could start in the outfield. Team captain Alyssa Washington, Mitchell and Brown could all start at third base, and Atwood might see time at first base. “We have a lot of tools, and we can put anybody anywhere,” outfielder Bella Dayton said.
Isn't Atwood a catcher?
She is — and a good one who led the team with 11 home runs last season. But Stewart, the freshman, might be too good to keep off the field, and her best position could be catcher. “You're going to be amazed with the way she plays,” White said. “She’s got a cannon for an arm, and we can have her in the infield and even the outfield. She’s going to be one of our mainstays in the lineup; she's going to bat in the top four.”
Which freshmen can crack the lineup?
In addition to Stewart and Brown, Henry will see lots of action, based on her speed alone. A multisport athlete who ran track at Dickinson, she had 31 steals a year ago in high school.
What about the pitching rotation?
Speaking of freshmen, Kavan will have her chance in a deep rotation. The 6-footer with a blistering rise ball is a pure strikeout pitcher to complement the veterans. The returning quartet was remarkably similar in 2023 production even though they throw with different styles; the ERAs among Morgan, Simpson, Czech and Gutierrez ranged from 2.00 to 2.60, WHIP stretched from 1.08 to 1.40, and each struck out between 76 and 86 batters.
"She's a very good complement to our staff,” Czech said, referring to Kavan. “Literally every single one of our pitchers is different, and she adds a complete different look to our pitching staff."
So who’s the best pitcher?
Hard to answer: Morgan led the team in innings, starts and wins while Czech had the lowest WHIP and opponents’ batting average. Simpson had the highest strikeout rate, and Gutierrez might have the most upside.
Don’t softball teams like to have an ace?
Not necessarily. As White said, “Our job as a staff is to throw shutouts.” But he also acknowledged that he wants an established pitcher to start the first and third games of a weekend series and said “that will work itself out” as the season progresses. Kavan’s velocity might put her in that mix even if she lacks the experience.
What impact will a new pitching coach have?
Patti Ruth Taylor arrives at Texas as the first dedicated pitching coach in White’s tenure. White, a former star pitcher for men’s fastpitch Olympic teams in the U.S. and his native New Zealand, has been hands-on with his staff, but he says the arrival of Taylor will allow him “to have more of a general manager type look at the field. I can watch the hitting and watch the fielding and just get a better kind of handle of what's going on with the team as far as the flow of the game and everything else.”
Will the new student housing off McCombs Field affect the game?
The new student housing on the north side of McCombs could affect the wind, especially early in the season, when Austin still gets some gusty northern breezes. Texas has some bangers who could push a ball over the left field wall and through an apartment window. The best chances to do some damage? Atwood and Brown, the freshmen who recently launched practice homers high over the center field scoreboard
What about Oklahoma?
The reigning queens of college softball remain the unquestioned favorite in both the Big 12 and the country. The Sooners are seeking a fourth consecutive national title and remain the nation’s consensus No. 1 team. As they should, said White, who’s often played the villain in Oklahoma’s season narrative.
“That one class has that opportunity to win four rings in a row, and that's incredible,” he said, referring to Oklahoma’s seniors. “But that's down the road for us, and we have to make sure that we're ready to play them when the time comes.”
Washington also praised Oklahoma, with a caveat, saying, “As long as we're focused on ourselves and have our stuff right, I think we can beat anybody that we play.”
Friday's opener
No. 5 Texas vs. San Diego, 2:30 p.m., Los Angeles; No 5 Texas vs. No. 10 UCLA, 8 p.m., ESPN
Key softball dates
Feb. 16: Texas faces four ranked teams in five games at the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational, starting with No. 2 Tennessee in a rematch of last year’s super regional.
Feb. 21: Texas hosts Houston Christian in its home opener at McCombs Field.
March 1-4: The Longhorns welcome Northwestern State, Tarleton State, Hofstra and Penn State in the annual Longhorn Invitational.
March 8: Texas starts its final Big 12 campaign at Houston.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas softball swings into season with experience, expectations
