How to watch No. 1 seed Texas vs. No. 16 seed Texas A&M in the Austin Super Regional

The No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns and the No. 16 seed Texas A&M Aggies are set for a postseason edition of the Lone Star Showdown starting on Friday in the Austin Super Regional at Red & Charline McCombs Field.

Under sixth-year head coach Mike White, top overall national seed Texas is hosting its first Super Regional in Austin since 2013 and looking for the program’s second appearance in the Women’s College World Series under White after three Super Regional losses and the runner-up finish to Oklahoma in 2022.

The expectations for these Longhorns are arguably as high as any NCAA Tournament in program history — Texas has never earned the top overall national seed, long overshadowed by the specter of Patty Gasso’s powerhouse, seven-time champion Oklahoma, which won three straight titles from 2021 to 2023, including the title win over White’s rising Longhorns two years ago.

Texas enters the weekend with a 4-3 record over Texas A&M in the postseason with a three-game winning streak against the Aggies dating back to 2017 and the type of team that should get to Oklahoma City and compete for the program’s first national championship since beginning varsity intercollegiate play in 1997.

The domination of White’s program so far this season arguably starts in the circle with three reliable starting pitchers and two relievers, all of whom have an ERA under 2.00. Three of the four have WHIPS under 1.00. Citlaly Gutierrez and Teagan Kavan both earned first-team All-Big 12 honors while Arizona State transfer Mac Morgan, a former top-10 recruit, came within an out of throwing a perfect game in the Austin Regional opening win over Siena, settling for a no-hitter instead. Kavan was named the Big 12 Freshman Pitcher of the Year with an 18-2 record, a 1.87 ERA, and a team-high 113 strikeouts.

The offense is equally high-powered, however — led by catcher/first baseman Reese Atwood, the first Big 12 Player of the Year for the Horns since Taylor Thom in 2014, Texas hit .383, leading the conference, with 84 home runs and a 1.095 OPS.

At the time of the Big 12 awards, Atwood led the nation with 83 RBI and topped the Big 12 with 21 home runs, the single-season high at Texas. All of the regular starters bat .358 or better, although catcher/infielder Katie Stewart is the only Longhorn other than Atwood with double-digit home runs.

Texas A&M doesn’t have nearly as much depth at pitcher, relying heavily on left-hander Emiley Kennedy, who pitched two complete games in the College Station Regional, holding opponents to a .132 batting average. Kennedy’s 10 shutouts are third nationally while throwing 23 complete games in her 27 starts to go with five saves. Expect Kennedy to start the first two games — there’s more dropoff for the Aggies after Kennedy then there is for the Longhorns.

Shortstop Koko Wooley keys a Texas A&M lineup that collectively hits .307, leading the Aggies with 19 steals and a .389 average, although she only has seven extra-base hits this season.

How to watch

Times (all times Central): 5:00 p.m. Central, 4 p.m. Central, if necessary

Location: Red & Charline McCombs Field

TV: ESPN2, TBD

Streaming: WatchESPN

Weather: Partly cloudy, 93 degrees, wind S 8 mph