Texas softball shows it can handle newfound pressure in win over Texas State
Knocking off No. 1 Oklahoma comes with a burden for Texas’ softball team. Expectations rise with the rankings, attention grows and pressure mounts for a team now ranked No. 2 in the USA Today/NFCA poll and No. 1 in the ESPN/USA Softball poll.
And Texas coach Mike White wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It's out there,” White said. “I told them the fact is we're number one. And you know, that is what it is. I mean, you can sweep it under the rug all you want, but you’ve got to face it. We got to know how to play with that.”
Texas State puts up a fight
The Longhorns (32-6, 11-4 Big 12) got a taste of that heavier target on their back in Wednesday’s Hill Country brawl against No. 25 Texas State. The Bobcats threw ace Jessica Mullins into the mix in the nonconference game at McCombs Field, knowing the prestige that comes with knocking off Texas outweighs any extra rest for a weekend series with Sun Belt Conference heavyweight Louisiana.
The plan almost worked. Texas State took a lead into the bottom of the fifth inning before the Longhorns rallied for a thrilling 6-4 win in a game where gusty winds out of the north made every fly ball and pop-up an adventure.
Mullins, who held Texas to six hits and just one run in a 1-0 Texas victory back in February, was credited with five runs allowed before giving way to Round Rock High School graduate Maddie Azua in the fifth inning. Texas scored three runs in that fifth frame, including one by catcher Reese Atwood on a wild pitch by Azua that gave the Longhorns the lead. Outfielder Kayden Henry then added an insurance run by driving in Vivi Martinez, which would be plenty of cushion for senior Estelle Czech to get the win in relief.
“I’m pretty happy about getting five runs off of Mullins, because she’s tough,” White said. “We’ve really struggled against her. She’s just always been tough. She’s great with her locations and can hit spots. She’s competitive and fights. We just knew it was going to be a tough game.”
Texas State (32-10) tagged Texas starter Citlaly Gutierrez for four hits and three runs, all in the top of the third inning, before Czech came in to quiet the Bobcat bats. Czech allowed just three hits and one run over four innings to improve to 6-3 on the season.
White credited Czech for serving as a calming influence in the circle, especially in a game’s tautest of moments.
“I don't feel any pressure,” Czech said. “When pressure comes to you, you basically just use it to your advantage. So like those butterflies and everything, those nervous feelings, you use that. I worked my entire life for this, these moments in softball. I have to trust myself here.”
White acknowledged that playing a midweek game against a talented team – especially after the emotional series win over Oklahoma – came with its challenges. And he also knows his team won’t have much time to rest with a three-game series against Baylor staring Friday.
“You're always worried about what are we going to bring into a game at this point in the season,” he said. “It's been a tough grind, to tell you the truth. But after this weekend, I think we get a couple of days off. That should be good timing for us.”
Next at bat? Texas takes on Baylor
About this weekend. Baylor (22-14, 5-10), which is just outside the USA Today/NFCA rankings, has struggled in Big 12 play but always plays Texas tough. Last season, the Bears almost ruined Texas’ chances at hosting a first-round NCAA series by sweeping the Longhorns, a fact that has already been mentioned by White.
“Oh, I’ve reminded them,” he said. “I don’t hide anything.”
When asked about Baylor, Czech just gave a little shrug. Yes, it’s a big series, especially for a Texas squad seeking to host two rounds of the NCAA tournament. But it’s also just the next series, as Czech explained.
“They did sweep us (last year), and that's definitely something we have to keep our eye out for, but we have to keep our eye out for every team,” she said. “Every team is good. We just have to be us, you know? Our coaches try and tell us not to play the name on the jersey. Just be who we are. Not too high. Not too low.”
This weekend’s series
No. 2 Texas (32-6, 11-4) v. Baylor (22-14, 5-10)
Friday, 6:30 p.m., Getterman Field, Waco, ESPN+
Saturday, 1:30 p.m., McCombs Field, Austin, ESPN2
Sunday, 1 p.m., McCombs Field, Austin, LHN
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas softball handles newfound pressure in win over Texas State
