Texas softball gears up for title defense

State of play: The Longhorns (42-10 on the season) will open the Austin Regional against Wagner (22-26) at 3pm at McCombs Field. Baylor and Wisconsin are also in the Austin regional.

• Texas has momentum. The squad won the program's first SEC Tournament Championship and fifth overall conference tournament title with a 7-1 victory over No. 2 Alabama on May 9 in Lexington, Kentucky.

The intrigue: The winner of the four-team spread will advance to face the winner of the College Station regional — which could be Texas A&M, the No. 15 seed nationally.

What they're saying: "We've just got to focus on where we're at in this first weekend and then worry about what's going to happen later down the road," head coach Mike White said after the tournament bracket was released last Sunday and about the prospect of facing the rival Aggies.

• "I think, if it does happen to come to fruition, it's going to be a great series, obviously."

Flashback: Last season, Texas was selected as the No. 6 overall seed and went on to win the program's first Women's College World Series with a 10-2 postseason run.

Zoom in: First baseman Katie Stewart was named this week a top 10 finalist for USA Softball's Collegiate Player of the Year.

• The junior leads the team in home runs (25), RBI (63), batting average (.434), on-base percentage (.563) and walks (39) — among other categories.

If you go: Tickets are available on the resale market and the game will stream on ESPN+.