How to Watch Texas Softball's SEC Tournament Battle vs. Ole Miss

The Texas Longhorns have wrapped their second regular season in the SEC, finishing with a 39-10 overall record and a 16-8 record in the conference. And now the Longhorns turn their attention to the SEC Tournament.

The Longhorns' first action in the SEC Tournament won't come until Thursday, May 7, after finishing the regular season fourth in the SEC standings. With its record in the conference, Texas earned a top-four seed in the tournament, receiving a double bye straight into the quarterfinals.

The SEC Tournament has been on its way now, and after the first two rounds, the Longhorns know who they'll be facing. Texas will take the field in Lexington, Kentucky, for its first action of the SEC Tournament, taking on the Ole Miss Rebels on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. CT, who upset the No. 12-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks and No. 5. seeded Tennessee Lady Volunteers.

How to Watch Texas vs. Ole Miss

Texas Longhorns pitcher Teagan Kavan throws a pitch a Women's College World Series softball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Texas Longhorns. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Who: No. 4 Texas Longhorns and No. 13 Ole Miss Rebels

What: Quarterfinals round of the SEC Tournament

When: May 7

Where: John Cropp Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky

TV/Streaming: SEC Network

Meet the Opponent

Ole Miss head coach Jamie Trachsel vs. Mississippi State at Alisa and Mark Bourne Stadium. | Bruce Newman/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Rebels head into the quarterfinals matchup against the Longhorns with plenty of momentum after back-to-back upsets in the SEC Tournament. Now with a trip to the semifinal round of the tournament on the line, Ole Miss posts a 34-23 overall record.

The Longhorns batting order will have to be ready to face a steady Ole Miss pitching staff with a number of solid arms on Thursday afternoon. The Rebels' pitching staff is posting a 3.94 ERA and 1.54 WHIP to go along with 246 total strikeouts and holding opponents to a .248 batting average.

The top arm in terms of innings pitched that the Rebels holster is senior Emillee Boyer, who's pitched 158.2 innings up until this point in the season. Boyer holds a 3.57 ERA and 1.41 WHIP; she has also struck out 138 batters while holding opposing batters to a .235 batting average.

The senior pitched a full-game shutout in the first round of the SEC Tournament on the way to a Rebels win. Boyer allowed just four hits and struck out six South Carolina batters while throwing 110 total pitches.

"Sometimes you forget that this is a hard game," Mike White said on May 5. "And that good pitching beats good hitting in the SEC, so you've got to put anything in perspective. Runs become a premium, so the emphasis is going to be on our defense and our pitching to keep them down and hold onto any runs that we may score."

On the flipside, the Longhorns' pitching staff will look to keep the Ole Miss batting order in check, which heads into the matchup with a .292 batting average, which ranks in the top 10 in the SEC. The Rebels' bats have also been explosive at times, recording 79 home runs through 57 games played, which sits No. 4 in the SEC.

The Longhorns and Rebels did face off against each other during the regular season back in March. Texas hosted the conference series and cruised through the three-game tilt, scoring the series sweep, putting up Ole Miss, 29 to 6.

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