No. 1 Texas scrambling to scout incoming teams for NCAA Austin Regional
It’s not the fact that Big Ten champion Northwestern boasted the best pitching staff in its conference this season that worries Texas softball coach Mike White the most. It’s not Siena’s red-hot pitcher Alissa Eimont that raises his anxiety, nor is it a potent St. Francis lineup that led the Northeast Conference in almost every offensive category.
Instead, it's the unknown that causes a special kind of consternation, especially for a coach like White, who prides himself on preparation.
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“I got a question at (the Big 12 Tournament on Saturday) and they said, ‘Is it hard to scout teams that you don't know?’” White said. “And, you know, with some of the programs, the bigger teams, it's easy, you know them. But these other teams, it’s hard because there's not much information or much video out there. So we're going to have to dig around and find out as much information as we can between now and Friday.”
The Longhorns lost to Oklahoma, the NCAA's No. 2 overall seed, in Saturday's Big 12 Tournament championship game in Oklahoma City, but they likely edged the Sooners out for the top seed because they won two of the three games over OU in the regular season and also topped the NCAA's RPI ratings after the regular season.
"I think this team deserves what we got," Texas catcher Reese Atwood said. "I think we proved it throughout the year that we deserve the No.1 seed, and I'm super excited and proud of this group to be able to move forward and host regionals and hopefully be here for super regionals. That's the goal and then, obviously, make it to the World Series."
Make no mistake about the pecking order at this week's Austin Regional, which begins Friday at McCombs Field when the Longhorns play Siena. Texas (47-7) is the NCAA's overall No. 1 seed for a reason; the Longhorns boast a powerful offense headlined by Atwood, the Big 12’s player of the year, as well as a deep pitching staff and an elite defensive outfield.
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But can Texas translate that edge in talent into an advantage on the scoreboard? Atwood cautioned about the dangerous, double-elimination format of the NCAA regionals, where a pair of cold spells at the plate or some shaky innings in the circle can lead to a quick end to the season.
“In the past years, you've seen all the upsets and all the crazy things that happen,” Atwood said. “This is the time that we have to really step up and put our foot down and make sure that's not us this year. So we're going do our thing and go be us, and we should be successful.”
Here’s a quick glance at the three teams traveling to Austin for the NCAA regionals this weekend.
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Northwestern: Pitching paces Wildcats
Second-seeded Northwestern (33-11) won the Big Ten's regular-season title and showed its grit in several one-run nonconference losses to nationally ranked squads LSU, UCLA and Auburn. The Wildcats also were ready to test themselves against Texas at the Shriner’s Clearwater Invitational in Florida before inclement weather canceled the contest in February. Pitching powers Northwestern, which had the lowest team ERA in the Big Ten. The Longhorns can expect to see ace Ashley Miller, a Michigan State transfer with a 16-5 record, a 1.33 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 157⅓ innings.
St. Francis: Winning tradition, efficient offense
Third-seeded St. Francis (40-12), a private school in the hills of western Pennsylvania, returns to Austin after competing in the 2021 regional. The Red Flash bring a better team this time as well as one used to the bright lights of the NCAA Tournament, considering they’ve qualified in six of the past seven years. St. Francis manhandled the competition, winning the Northeast Conference with a 24-0 record while hitting .304 as a team and averaging 5.7 runs a game.
Siena: History-making squad hot at right time
Fourth-seeded Siena (33-20), a private school just north of Albany, N.Y., has gotten hot at the right time while reaching the NCAAs for the first time in program history. The Saints finished sixth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, but they won the MAAC Tournament behind Eimont, the tournament MVP who threw four complete-game, seven-inning wins during the event. Siena is the only team at the Austin Regional that has never before played Texas.
Austin Regional
Friday-Sunday, McCombs Field
Friday — (Game 1) Texas vs. Siena, 3 p.m., LHN; (2) St. Francis vs. Northwestern, 5:30 p.m., ESPN+; Saturday — (3) Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner, noon; (4) Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 2:30 p.m.; (5) Game 4 winner vs. Game 3 loser, 5 p.m. Sunday — (6) Game 5 winner vs. Game 3 winner; (7) Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser, if needed
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas softball 'to dig around' for info on NCAA Tournament foes
