After a hard reset, Texas softball ramps up for SEC tournament run

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Following three tough losses to rival Oklahoma two weeks ago, Texas had to hit the reset button. Things didn't feel right, and the team needed to refocus.

The Longhorns got back on track, thrashing Kentucky with a series sweep at home, and are now recalibrated to make their run back to Oklahoma City and the Women's College World Series. That starts Thursday at the Southeastern Conference tournament in Athens, Georgia.

As the No. 3 seed, Texas gets a bye through the first two rounds and begins play against an opponent to be determined Wednesday. It could be Florida, a team they defeated twice in the first SEC series of the season, but Ole Miss or Missouri could get hot and make a run. Anything is possible in the SEC.

"Our focus right now is just to play better softball," Longhorns head coach Mike White said. "We were a little bit tight going into the Oklahoma series, not quite sure why, but you know, it is what it is. There's a lot of things on the line still. How do you play your best? You play best when you're loose."

The Kentucky series certainly helped, sophomore Katie Stewart said. Following two 1-run losses to the Sooners when late rallies fell short, the team needed a performance that reassured them that they are good enough to get back to the WCWS championship series.

The Longhorns scored 28 runs and ended two of the three games against the Wildcats early via the mercy rule. Consider that mission accomplished.

"We had to switch a gear," she said. "It was big because it allowed us to build our confidence back and know that we can do this, that we can all come together and hit how we want to hit and play the game freely. We have to use that momentum heading into the SEC tournament."

Stewart seemed to take that message to heart. Against Kentucky, she compiled a .778 batting average with an .800 on-base percentage, going 6-for-6 at the plate in the last two games of the series. She was named both the SEC and National Fastpitch Coaches Association player of the week for her big performance. She said it was all about simplifying things.

"It's been trying to find a swing that helps me hit my holes and not have so many variables going at once," she said. "That was making it harder for me to hit."

Stewart is putting together a great season offensively, hitting .367 with 13 home runs and a team-leading 70 RBIs. And now she's playing shortstop on defense after being an outfielder or corner infielder all season, which she said has taken some adjusting. She played the position in high school, but she said it's much different at the college level.

"I know I'm not built like a shortstop, but I'm trying to find the best way possible to play to the best of my abilities," she said. "I'm trying not to make the position bigger than it is."

As far as White is concerned, the road to the WCWS should run through Austin. He thinks a win in the SEC tournament would cement their status as a top-eight national seed, but he also thinks they are one right now because of their body of work.

Currently, the Longhorns are No. 7 in the RPI, something the selection committee leans on to make its seed list. The top eight seeds have the option to host through the super regionals.

"I think our volume of work over the course of the year and what we've done, I think we deserve it," he said. "But that's not for me to say that. We have to continue to play good softball and let it speak for itself."