As Texas softball readies for home opener, coach Mike White catching heat
After a controversial end to its season-opening appearance at the NCFA Division I Leadoff Classic in Florida, the Texas softball team will face a familiar foe in Wednesday’s home opener.
Texas (2-1-1), which is ranked No. 9 in this week’s USA Today/NFCA Division I top 25 coaches poll, opened the season with an 11-1 win over Missouri before falling to No. 14 Northwestern and beating Illinois 7-0. But it’s the weekend finale against No. 17 Kentucky that has the collegiate softball world abuzz.
With Kentucky leading 7-4 in the eighth inning, Texas coach Mike White leaned into several delaying tactics to force the game to reach its drop-dead time of 3:30 p.m. (Eastern) before the eighth inning became official. Because the eighth inning was cot completed before the previously agreed upon time, the final score reverted back to the seventh and final inning of regulation — and a 4-4 tie.
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The result drew criticism from some of the media who covered the event.
“Gamesmanship has its limits and those limits were crossed by Mike White and Texas on Sunday,” wrote Justin McLeod of Extra Inning Softball. Bryan Clinton of Heartland College Sports wrote “in 2023, it appears that White still isn’t afraid to walk the line of controversy, and by manipulating the rules, his team leaves the first weekend of college softball with a 2-1-1 record, instead of the 2-2 record that they earned.”
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Texas legend leads Lamar into Longhorns' home opener
Regardless of the Longhorns’ record, they’ll meet Lamar for the fourth consecutive season in Wednesday's home opener (McCombs Field, 6 p.m.) The Longhorns have a 5-1 all-time record against Lamar and have won the three previous meetings.
A familiar face will lead Lamar. Fifth-year head coach Amy Hooks, a Texas graduate, is one of the most accomplished players in Longhorns history who graduated in December 2011 as the school’s all-time leader in home runs and second all-time in walks, fifth in RBIs and sixth in runs scored. She also ranked among the school’s all-time top 10 in games played and earned all-American honors as well as a Big 12 player of the year award.
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What Texas players starred in Florida?
Several standout performances highlighted Texas’ opening weekend in Florida. Third baseman Mia Scott earned a spot on the all-tournament team after finishing the tournament with a .467 batting average and leading the team with seven hits and eight RBIs. She also had five stolen bases. Pitcher Mac Morgan, a transfer from Arizona State, picked up her first win as a Longhorn with five hits and one run allowed in the season-opening win over Missouri while Estelle Czech pitched her fourth career complete-game shutout against Illinois.
Several freshmen also shined. Second baseman Viviana Martinez went 6-for-6 in her first six plate appearances, catcher Reese Atwood hammered a homer against Illinois, and right-fielder Leighann Goode will enter the game against Lamar on a four-game hitting streak to begin her collegiate career. Janae Jefferson, who graduated last spring, holds the program record for the longest hitting streak to start a freshman season with an eight-game streak in 2
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas softball coach Mike White faces criticism after using delay tactics
