No. 2 Texas Softball Preview: No. 23 Auburn Tigers

The high-ranked Texas Longhorns will take on No. 23 Auburn in their first home Southeastern Conference matchup.

Texas Longhorns catcher Reese Atwood (14) listens to head coach Mike White during the game against Baylor at Red & Charline McCombs Field on Friday, May 5, 2023 in Austin. | Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After taking down No. 3 Florida 2-1 in their opening Southeastern Conference series in Gainesville, the No. 2 Texas Longhorns are back at McCombs Field to take on No. 23 Auburn at home.

The two teams have only played each other three times in program history, and this will mark the first encounter since 2022. Utility Mia Scott, first baseman Katie Cimusz and pitcher Sophia Simpson are the only three Longhorns from the last matchup to return this year.

Under seventh-year head coach Mike White, the Longhorns have won five conference openers. The 2020 season was cancelled before the start of Big 12 play, and Texas fell to Oklahoma 3-2 on April 2018. But the Horns are 0-1 in winning their first home game in a new conference. The last time was decades ago, in 1997, when Texas fell to Nebraska in its first Big 12 game following its exit from the Southwestern Conference.

Texas Tech infielder Lauren Allred (11) makes a catch at first for an out against Texas Longhorns utility player Mia Scott (10) during the game on day one of the Bevo Classic at Red and Charline McCombs field on Friday, February. 14, 2025 in Austin. | Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Many Longhorns are on the brink of entering record books. Junior catcher Reese Atwood is only two RBIs away from passing Taylor Thorn for the top spot in the program's career RBI list. Scott, who will be meeting the Tigers for the second time in her collegiate career, needs three more bases to join Baylor’s Shaylon Govan (447), Liberty’s Rachel Roupe (402) and Virginia Tech’s Cori McMillan (400) as the only active Division I softball student-athletes with 400 or more career total bases.

Lastly, sophomore infielder Katie Stewart can join a prestigious list of current Longhorns with 100 or more career hits at Texas. The others are Scott (265), Atwood (165), Ashton Maloney (163), Leighann Goode (115) and Katie Cimusz (103).

All three games will be broadcast on SEC Network+. The series will open on Friday at 4 p.m., followed by a Saturday 2 p.m. matchup and a noon first pitch to conclude the weekend.