No. 1 Texas Softball Preview: Showdown vs. No. 5 Tennessee

The Texas Longhorns will play their first game of a three-week ranked opponents run.

Jun 5, 2024; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Texas Longhorns utility Mia Scott (10) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the first inning against the Oklahoma Sooners during game one of the Women's College World Series softball championship finals at Devon Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-Imagn Images | Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

Back in Austin for the first time since February 2012, the Tennessee Volunteers will take on top-ranked Texas.

The Lady Vols already took down a No. 1 team this season when they played Oklahoma in Norman in late March, taking the series 2-1. Tennessee has won three series against ranked conference opponents, all 2-1, against the Sooners, Georgia and Mississippi State, and have only fallen to Arkansas with two losses.

Heading into Austin, all eyes will be in the circle.

Teagan Kavan (17) of Texas pitches during a Women's College World Series semifinal softball game between the Stanford Cardinal and the Texas Longhorns at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Monday, June 3, 2024. Texas won 1-0. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Both teams count on top pitchers in sophomore Teagan Kavan for Texas and junior Karlyn Pickens for Tennessee. The two are the top runners for SEC Pitcher of the Year at the end of the season.

Pickens made history earlier this season by recording the fastest pitch recorded in college softball history at 78.2 mph in the lone win over the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Tennessee pitcher has a 0.94 ERA, 153 strikeouts and just 26 runs allowed this season, holding hitters to a batting average of 0.153. 

For Texas, Kavan recorded her first career no hitter against Missouri in the latest series. The sophomore star holds a 17-2 record this season and has struck out 156 batters.

Texas also capitalizes offensively. Undefeated in conference series and coming off a sweep against Missouri, the Longhorns have ended three conference games in five innings through the run-rule, 18 total. Senior utility Mia Scott recently broke Janae Jefferson's record for most career runs and is only three official plate appearances away from joining Jefferson as the only two Longhorns in program history with 700 or more career at-bats.

Scott will also become the seventh student-athlete in program history to start in 231-or-more career games for Texas if she starts all three games this weekend.

“There’s not a weakness in (Texas') game,” Tennessee head coach Karen Weekly. “They’ve got great pitching, a really dynamic and productive offense, and they play good defense.”

The three-game series will start tonight at 8 p.m. CT at the Red & Charline McCombs Field, followed by a 5 p.m. game on Saturday and a noon first pitch on Sunday. The first two games will be live at ESPNU and ESPN, respectively, and the series finale will be on SEC Network +.