Just a few days ago, we were writing, and you were reading about the fact that the Texas softball team had a massive uphill battle ahead in the SEC Tournament.
Well, now, the incline has been slightly reduced, and the mountain of a challenge is looking a little closer to a molehill.
While the Oklahoma Sooners still loom large as the No. 1 seed and the future opponent for Texas if both teams win their quarterfinal matchups, the Longhorns don't have to face the Tennessee Volunteers and their top-tier pitching staff in the quarterfinals.
No. 5-seed Tennessee was stunned in its second-round game, falling to the No. 13-seed Ole Miss Rebels in a resounding 4-1 victory for the underdog.
How to watch Texas softball vs. Ole Miss in SEC quarterfinals
- Date & Time: Thursday, May 7 at 4 p.m. ET
- Location: John Cropp Stadium, Lexington, KY
- TV/streaming: SEC Network, fuboTV
This isn't the first time the Rebels and the Horns will have shared a field this season, with Texas hosting Ole Miss in a three-game regular-season series earlier this year.
Unsurprisingly, the dominant Texas team (made even more dominant with the home-field advantage) swept Ole Miss, with combined run totals at 29-6 for the three games, run-ruling the Rebels in both the second and third games.
In other words, Texas is familiar with its opponent and should be able to breeze past Ole Miss. However, the Rebels have momentum on their side, pulling off upsets in the first two rounds of the SEC Tournament.
Meanwhile, Texas had byes through the first two rounds, and this quarterfinal game will be the first of Texas's postseason.
If the Longhorns secure the expected victory, they will move on to the semifinals, where they will face the winner of No. 1 Oklahoma versus No. 9 Georgia. Maybe, just maybe, they can get another gift to smooth out their journey to the SEC Championship game.
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