OKLAHOMA CITY — Tennessee softball will play Texas in the Women’s College World Series semifinals for the second time this round and for the second straight year.
The No. 7 seed Lady Vols (49-10), who defeated the No. 2 Longhorns (49-12) in the semifinal opener May 28, are playing for a spot in the WCWS finals on June 1 (noon ET, ESPN).
This year, though, the roles are reversed — Tennessee advanced to the semifinals without a loss, so it would have to be beaten twice to be eliminated.
Tennessee beat No. 11 seed Texas Tech with a 2-1 walk-off win on May 30, and Texas, the reigning national champion, beat Nebraska 3-1 in an elimination game on May 31 to advance.
Here’s what you need to know about the matchup.
Texas saw both Sage Mardjetko, Karlyn Pickens in WCWS opener
Junior pitcher Sage Mardjetko had a fantastic outing against Texas in her first WCWS start on May 28. She held the Longhorns to one hit, with one strikeout and two walks in four innings in Tennessee’s 6-3 win.
Tennessee coach Karen Weekly, anticipating a possible rematch with the Longhorns in the semifinals, took Mardjetko out of the game so they wouldn’t see her for too many innings. Senior ace Karlyn Pickens threw two strikeouts with four hits allowed and two earned runs in her seventh save of the season.
But Tennessee still has sophomore pitcher Erin Nuwer, whom Texas hasn’t seen yet. Longhorns coach Mike White said they aren’t forgetting about her, and Tennessee has the “luxury” of Texas having to win twice.
“These pitchers are so good now, they’re able to study what we did, what they did. It becomes that cat-and-mouse game of strategy,” White said May 31. “That’s what we love about the game, is all the strategy, kind of pitching nuances of the game. It’s going to be a fun matchup.”
Tennessee offense had solid outing vs Teagan Kavan
Tennessee’s six runs against Texas was the second-highest scoring game of the NCAA Tournament. The only game it scored more in was a 7-5 win over Virginia in regionals.
The Lady Vols had seven hits with five RBIs, two doubles, two walks, one home run and only five strikeouts. Texas ace Teagan Kavan and Citlaly Gutierrez split the game after Tennessee took a 3-0 lead off freshman catcher Elsa Morrison’s three-run homer in the second inning.
But Tennessee scored in multiple ways against Texas. Its fourth run was by Taelyn Holley, who hit a leadoff single in the fifth inning and then scored off a pair of wild pitches. Gabby Leach drove in a run with a single after Morrison’s double in the sixth, and Holley scored again in the middle of a double play in the seventh inning.
What’s at stake for Tennessee softball
Tennessee is playing in its third WCWS semifinal in the past four years.
But this time, it advanced to the semifinals without falling out of the winner’s bracket for the first time since 2013, which is also the last time it made an appearance in the WCWS championship series.
If the Lady Vols advance, they’ll be playing in their third-ever WCWS championship series, hunting their first national championship.
Weekly said advancing to semifinals “definitely makes a difference” with the days off between games to rest. Texas will be playing in its fourth game in five days in the semifinal and will play in back-to-back days.
“Nothing is going to get easier from here on out,” Weekly said May 30. “Two days ago was really tough. Today was really tough. It’s a national championship for a reason. If you want it, you’re going to have to find a way to be the toughest team when those moments come.”
Tennessee softball vs. Texas in WCWS semifinal prediction
Tennessee 3, Texas 1: The Lady Vols have found different ways to win during their entire run, and that won’t stop in a rematch with Texas. Tennessee’s pitching will continue to dominate and send it back to the WCWS final.
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks: subscribe.knoxnews.com/offers
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Prediction for Tennessee softball vs Texas in WCWS semifinals
