The Texas Longhorns haven’t slowed down throughout the 2026 season as they now hold a 29-1 record and continue to push the longest winning streak in program history farther along, as the Longhorns’ winning streak now stands at 27 games.

The Longhorns have strung together consistency and dominance over the last weeks of the season, as recently the Longhorns have become the unanimous top team in the country, earning the top spot, ranking as the No. 1 team in the nation.

And now No. 1 Texas will get back to the gauntlet that is SEC play with a conference series against one of its bitter rivals in the dirt edition of the Lone Star Showdown against the No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies. The Longhorns get ready to host, welcoming in the Aggies to Red and Charline McCombs Field with the first game of the series set for Friday, March 27, at 6 p.m. CT.

How to Watch Texas vs. Texas A&M

Who: No. 1 Texas Longhorns and No. 15 Texas A&M Aggies

What: Lone Star Showdown

When: March 27-29

Where: Red and Charline McCombs Field in Austin, TX

TV/Streaming: Friday on SEC Network+, Saturday on ESPN2 and Sunday on ESPN

Radio: Longhorn Radio Network 

Meet the Opponent

The Aggies head into the Lone Star Showdown series with a 23-9 overall record and have found success through their two conference series of the season, with a 5-1 record in the SEC. Away from home, the Aggies have split four of their away games with a 2-2 record on the road.

With the flip of the calendar from non-conference to conference play, the Aggies find a rhythm on the field, taking their conference opener against the then No. 17-ranked LSU Tigers on the road 2-1 and followed that up with a sweep at home against the Kentucky Wildcats, outscoring the Wildcats 26-9 over the three-game series.

The Longhorns batting order will battle against an Aggies pitching staff that heads into the weekend series with a 3.10 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. As a whole, the Aggies pitching staff has recorded 193 strikeouts while holding their opponents to a .225 batting average.

The leader of the Aggies pitching staff is sophomore Sydney Lessentine, as her 72 innings pitched is the most by any other Aggies pitcher. In her 19 appearances this season, Lessentine tallies a 2.43 ERA and .82 WHIP along with 60 strikeouts and holds opponents to a .196 batting average.

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Vape shops in Virginia that sell tobacco products to underage buyers could soon face real consequences after years in a legal gray area.

Del. Patrick Hope of Northern Virginia told WTOP he hears from parents often that their children know which vape shops will sell to them — even though the law prohibits the sale of tobacco or vape products to anyone under 21.

“I’ve heard from parents and I know we’ve seen the proliferation of these vape shops. These liquid nicotine products have flooded our markets in recent years and there hasn’t been sufficient oversight or regulatory measures in place. And oftentimes these products are making their way in the hands of underage buyers,” Hope said.

A new bill passed by the General Assembly would set up an enforcement system targeting vape shops that repeatedly sell to people under 21. Hope said that if those shops continue to break the law, the state will shut them down.

Hope said a major problem has been a lack of information. “We just haven’t known who they are. Last year, we passed a law that required these vape shops to register with the Department of Tax, and only 52 actually sent in their registration.”

“We believe that there are close to 10,000 vape shops in the state and we want to make sure that we pull them under this regulatory scheme,” Hope added.

The bill directs the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority, which already enforces alcohol sales laws, to hire inspectors for vape and tobacco shops. Once the bill is signed, Hope said he expects a quick rollout.

“Typically, bills in the General Assembly go into effect July of the year that they’re passed. We’ll have an educational program for a few months, but I would think that we would be operational probably by October. … I think they’ll be doing underage programs probably within the end of this year,” Hope said.

Hope said the legislation earned broad support in the Virginia General Assembly.

The bill now heads to Spanberger for her signature.

Thursday, Fairfax County police said a major drug investigation targeted multiple vape shops, including a dozen Tobacco King vape shops, that are accused of selling illegal items, ranging from drugs to synthetic urine, and laundering money.

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West Virginians Are On the Hook to Pay DOE for Short-Sighted Projects with Big Health Impacts

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Following two postponements, the West Virginia Department of Commerce has informed Sierra Club’s West Virginia Chapter that there are “no non-exempt records” responsive to the Club’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request pertaining to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) plans to loan local utilities $1.44 billion to fund refurbishment projects at six unnamed West Virginia coal-fired power plants.

The DOE and Governor Patrick Morrisey first announced the $1.44 billion in coal refurbishment projects as part of a larger $4.2 billion suite of fossil-fuel expansions in November 2025. The projects are intended to extend the lives of the six coal plants up to 20 years. However, regardless of how long the coal plants manage to continue operating, payments on the low-interest DOE loans will be passed on to West Virginians’ electric bills for decades.

According to the West Virginia Department of Commerce, “certain public records within the scope” of the Sierra Club’s FOIA request are, “exempt from disclosure.” In the January FOIA filing, Sierra Club requested a detailed list of the six plants set to receive loans, as well as information on the cost and the specific upgrades proposed at each plant.

In addition to funding the projects, West Virginians will also shoulder the public health impacts. According to a Sierra Club study, West Virginia’s in-state coal plants currently account for hundreds of expensive hospital visits and 20 West Virginian deaths annually. West Virginia’s coal plants also account for 335 out-of-state deaths annually.

“West Virginians are being kept in the dark,” said Bill Price, Sierra Club West Virginia Chapter Chair. “Our local state agencies, tasked with serving the public interest, are expecting the public to repay billions of dollars in loans — blindfolded. No honest lender operates this way. No reasonable borrower would accept it. So why ask us to go along with the Governor’s deal without any details? In this time of increasing energy costs and high bills, people need to know where their money is going. We will continue to seek the answers and transparency West Virginians deserve.”

“West Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act states quite clearly, ‘The people, in delegating authority, do not give their public servants the right to decide what is good for the people to know and what is not good for them to know. The people insist on remaining informed so that they may retain control over the instruments of government they have created.’ Before the State loads down West Virginia citizens with over a billion dollars in loans, they should at least tell us what this is for, what we have to pay back, and who profits from these loans,” added Jim Kotcon, Conservation Chair for Sierra Club West Virginia.

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.