Texas swing: Longhorns' softball team hopes to tune out crowd at Tennessee
It’s the same song, 13th verse for Texas softball coach Mike White, who’s now led all 13 of his eligible teams as a head coach to the super regional round of the NCAA Tournament, going back to his time at Oregon.
But that past success wasn’t the tune at the top of his mind Tuesday, when the speakers at McCombs Field blared out the Tennessee fight song “Rocky Top” — at, to be clear, the maximum level — during the Longhorns’ practice for their super regional series with the Volunteers in Knoxville.
The extra audio preparation came from associate head coach Steve Singleton, White said.
How sweep it is: Texas softball caps perfect weekend at regionals with win over Texas A&M
“I'm not quite sure what the goal was; I think coach Sing can just be annoying,” White said with a grin. “It may be a little obnoxious, but it’s good to kind of get us used to the atmosphere” in Knoxville.
While “Rocky Top” might be familiar to generations of fans in the South reared on all things SEC, it remains a bit foreign for the Longhorns, who have faced Tennessee only eight times in program history. The Volunteers might become a bitter rival once Texas joins the SEC, but such animosity hasn’t quite sunk in before this weekend’s best-of-three series.
“I've honestly never heard ("Rocky Top") before, but it has a good little rhythm to it, you know?” said Texas outfielder Alyssa Popelka, an Austin native who graduated from Westwood. “I know I’m not supposed to like it, but it’s kind of catchy.”
But Popelka also appreciates why the coaching staff blasted out the song. The fans for the fourth-seeded Volunteers will be in a rabid mood with their team hosting a super regional for the first time since 2017, and they’ll be eager to belt out “Rocky Top” with every Volunteers run.
“I think it's really smart, actually,” Popelka said. “It's just to get us prepared for what we're going to hear and see whenever we get to Tennessee. We did that in preparation for another team we played (Oklahoma), and I think it really helps prepare for the crowd.”
Can Texas limit a loaded Tennessee lineup?
Tennessee might not play at Oklahoma’s level, but it does boast some similarities in the lineup that could provide some, well, rocky moments. Leadoff slugger Kiki Malloy hits harder than her father, former NFL All-Pro safety Lawyer Milloy. She leads the nation with 25 home runs, 81 runs and a slugging percentage of 1.007, and she also has 38 steals and a .427 batting average.
Milloy spearheads a lineup that’s particularly potent at the top, White said.
“She’s special,” he said. “But their top four hitters are all very tough. I mean, she’s not hitting 1.000, though. She’s making outs half the time, so we got to make sure we get that half. The important thing, we've just got to make sure we're pitching carefully. Hopefully we can get some runs and be able to challenge her. Otherwise, we're going to have to pitch around her.”
Can Texas bats stay hot after impressive regional?
While Tennessee ranks second in the nation behind Oklahoma, averaging 7.4 runs a game, the Longhorns seem to have rediscovered their swings in the postseason. After scoring a total of four runs in three games in the final regular-season series against Baylor, Texas has plated at least seven runs in four of its six postseason contests.
That string includes 11 runs in Sunday’s win over Texas A&M, which clinched the regional title.
Outfielder Ashton Maloney says the Longhorns need to continue a patient approach at the plate to win any slugfests with Tennessee's potent lineup.
“I would say we’re just sticking to a plan,” said Maloney, a redshirt freshman from Missouri who went 3-for-7 with two runs scored in three regional games. “If there's a runner on there, we’re just scoring the run rather than doing too much. I think we just need to keep the momentum going and continue to build off of last week.”
Popelka agreed with her teammate, saying that “advancing runners and knowing the situation” will help Texas win the three-game series and advance to a second consecutive Women’s College World Series.
“I think we can compete with anyone, and we know what we're capable of,” she said. “If we go out there and play our best game, we will give them a run for their money.”
Knoxville Super Regional
Friday-Sunday, Sherri Parker Lee Stadium, Knoxville, Tenn.
Game 1: 3 p.m. Friday, ESPN2, 105.3; Game 2: 2 p.m. Saturday, 105.3; Game 3: TBA, if needed
Texas vs. Tennessee
About Texas (45-13-1): The Big 12 runner-up received a No. 13 seed from the NCAA but was ranked No. 8 in the final ESPN/USA Softball regular-season poll. … With a series win, Texas would reach the Women’s College World Series for the seventh time. … The Longhorns used all four of their pitchers — Mac Morgan, Estelle Czech, Citlaly Gutierrez and Sophia Simpson — in their three regional games. Coach Mike White said he expects to use all four against Tennessee, depending on the game script. … 1B Courtney Day had five RBIs in Sunday’s 11-5 win over Texas A&M, one short of the program’s postseason record set by Taylor Thom in a 2013 win over South Carolina.
About Tennessee (47-8): The regular-season and tournament champion in the SEC was No. 4 in the final regular-season poll. … Tennessee reached seven World Series from 2005 to 2015 but has fallen in its three super regional appearances since then. … Graduate student Ashley Rogers leads the Vols in pitching wins (17), innings (124.1), ERA (0.73) and strikeouts (165), and freshman Karlyn Pickens (9-6, 2.84 ERA) earned the SEC’s newcomer of the year award. However, Payton Gottshall, a senior transfer from Bowling Green, was the team’s key pitcher at regionals, picking up two wins and not allowing a run in 10 innings of work. … OF Kiki Malloy leads the team in most offensive categories, but infielders McKenna Gibson and Zaida Puni also have at least a .369 batting average, 50 RBIs and double-digit home runs.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas softball team hopes to swing back into World Series in Tennessee
