No. 4 Texas Softball Looks to Keep Emotions in Check in Clash vs. No. 3 Oklahoma

The Texas Longhorns are looking for a reset series in their next outing, as for the first time this season, the Longhorns have come out on the losing end of a conference series after falling to the now No. 1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide last weekend.

And for the Longhorns that bounce back, opportunity will present itself as they're set to return home, but it won't be easy, as the Longhorns get set for the dirt edition of the Red River Rivalry as they prepare to welcome in the No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners this weekend.

The Longhorns get ready to host their biggest rival on the softball field as the Sooners travel into the Lone Star State and make their way to Red and Charline McCombs Field for the three-game clash. With the rivalry game on deck and a much-needed response required, the Longhorns head into this with an updated mindset.

Mike White Resets the Table on Texas' Mindset

Texas Longhorns head coach Mike White talks to the home plate umpire in the sixth inning against the Tennessee Lady Volunteers. | Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

At a media availability on Wednesday, head coach Mike White talked about how his squad dealt with their first series loss of the season after winning game one over the Crimson Tide before losing consecutively, and how he wants them to respond with Oklahoma in front of them.

"I always like to play the game, and the game doesn't know we lost the last series, only we know," White said. "We can't control what they do, we can only control what we do, and that is being aggressive, hunting pitches, putting up as many runs as we can, executing game plans."

The softball edition of the Red River Rivalry needs no added hype or emotions as the recent encounters between the two rivals speak to the emotion that comes when the Burt Orange face off against the Crimson and Cream.

The Longhorns, en route to their first national championship in program history last season, finally overcame the massive mountain that is the Sooners, defeating them in the early rounds at the Women's College World Series for the first time.

In the same season, the two rivals met for a conference series in which the Sooners cruised through, sweeping the Longhorns, and before their win in the WCWS a year ago, the last time Texas beat Oklahoma in Oklahoma City was May 13, 2005.

With the rich history and recent battles between the two rivals, the emotions will undoubtedly be high when the teams take the field on Friday, something that White wants his squad to be in control of.

"You've got to make sure your heart beats between 60 and 80," White said. "We talk about that and the resets and control. The resets that you have when things are getting from green lights to yellow lights to red lights, nobody operates well in red. So we need to make sure we manage where we're at, not get too amped up."

The first game of the three-game series is set for Friday, April 10, at 6:00 p.m. CT at Red and Charline McCombs Field.

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