NCAA update: Texas Longhorns have broken a legendary record in the history of NCAA by…….
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Even though they lost the Big 12 Conference tournament championship game to Oklahoma on Saturday, the Texas Longhorns have earned the top seed in the NCAA softball tournament for the first time in the program’s history.
On Sunday, the tournament selection committee unveiled the bracket with the Longhorns at the top. They will kick off their tournament run against Siena at 3 p.m. on Friday at McCombs Field. This marks the Longhorns’ 19th consecutive NCAA tournament appearance and their 24th overall.
“I definitely thought we’d be in the top four,” said Longhorns head coach Mike White. “Considering the RPI, we were a strong No. 1. We had a solid performance at the Big 12 championships, and I think our top seed was decided before the final game.”
Joining the Longhorns in Austin for the regional round are St. Francis (Penn.) and Northwestern. They will face off after the Longhorns play the Saints in the double-elimination tournament. The winner will advance to the super regional round, a best-of-three series that will determine who makes it to the Women’s College World Series.
Siena (33-20) secured its first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship by entering the tournament as the No. 6 seed and winning four consecutive games. The Saints, hailing from Loudonville, N.Y., defeated Canisius 7-6 in the MAAC title game on Saturday, following an 8-4 victory over the same team the previous day. They also bested third-seeded Rider and second-seeded Niagara in the conference tournament. This is Siena’s first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament.
