Texas softball coach Mike White is adjusting the batting order to give junior Katie Stewart more at-bats. Stewart has moved to the No. 2 spot in the lineup, aiming to enhance her offensive contributions against Oklahoma and in upcoming games.
Key points
Mike White is adjusting the batting order for Texas softball.
Katie Stewart has moved to the No. 2 spot in the lineup.
Stewart has been hitting in the cleanup position for most of the season.
The changes aim to enhance offensive contributions against Oklahoma.
Texas softball will play in Georgia after the series against Oklahoma.
Oklahoma comes out of the dugout to welcome infielder Ella Parker (5) home after hitting a home run in the first inning as the Texas Longhorns play the Oklahoma Sooners in the first game of a three-game series on Friday, April 10, 2026 at Red and Charline McCombs Field in Austin. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman)
Oklahoma comes out of the dugout to welcome infielder Ella Parker (5) home after hitting a home run in the first inning as the Texas Longhorns play the Oklahoma Sooners in the first game of a three-game series on Friday, April 10, 2026 at Red and Charline McCombs Field in Austin. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman)
When it comes to the top of his order, Texas softball coach Mike White doesn’t like to play around.
That means the changes White made in last weekend’s series against Oklahoma will likely stick during a trip to Georgia, the coach said Wednesday. And that also means more swings for slugger Katie Stewart, which is a good thing for the Longhorns.
Stewart, a junior, has hit in the cleanup spot for most of the season right behind All-American catcher Reese Atwood, the Longhorns’ all-time leader in home runs and RBIs. But in the final two games against Oklahoma, Stewart moved up to the No. 2 spot behind leadoff hitter Kayden Henry.
“I think I’ll probably stay with it until we kind of need to tweak it again,” White said. “I think we tend to kind of keep pretty stagnant with our lineups. We’ll adjust the bottom, but I think that just in the top half, we were seeing who's hot and who's not. But Katie Stewart has just been so consistent this year that really need to have more at-bats and have her come up more times in the lineup.”
Q&A
Why did Mike White move Katie Stewart to the No. 2 spot in the lineup?
Mike White moved Katie Stewart to the No. 2 spot to increase her at-bats and enhance the team's offensive performance.
How has Katie Stewart performed in the Texas softball season?
Katie Stewart has been a key player for Texas, primarily hitting in the cleanup spot and contributing significantly to the team's offense.
What impact did the changes in the batting order have against Oklahoma?
The changes in the batting order, including Stewart's move up, aimed to improve the team's performance against Oklahoma in their recent series.
What are Texas softball's upcoming games after facing Oklahoma?
After facing Oklahoma, Texas softball will be traveling to Georgia for their next games.
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TV/radio: SEC Network on Saturday, ESPN on Sunday, SEC Network on Sunday
Stewart has made a strong All-American case this season while leading the team in hitting (.490), slugging percentage (1.163), on-base percentage (.609), RBIs (51) and home runs (22). That last tally includes Stewart’s dramatic dinger that lifted No. 5 Texas (33-6, 10-5 SEC) to an 8-6 win in extra innings in Sunday’s Game 3 against Oklahoma.
“We had her at fifth, really to protect Reese,” White said. “But I think that now, Katie's kind of the one that needs protecting.”
Texas Longhorns utility Katie Stewart (20) bats as Texas and Texas A&M face off in game one of the Lone Star Showdown series at McCombs Field in Austin, Friday, March 27, 2026. The Longhorns won game one of the series 9-8. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman)
Texas Longhorns utility Katie Stewart (20) bats as Texas and Texas A&M face off in game one of the Lone Star Showdown series at McCombs Field in Austin, Friday, March 27, 2026. The Longhorns won game one of the series 9-8. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman)
Teagan Kavan: Texas ace needs less pitches, says Mike White
White also hinted that he’ll stay with a similar rotation of pitchers against No. 15 Georgia (31-11, 9-6), a dangerous team at the plate that ranks just below Texas for sixth in the SEC in batting (.354) and total runs (313). But that rotation comes with a caveat: Teagan Kavan threw 278 pitches in a pair of starts against Oklahoma and that’s too much for White, who wants his ace fresh for next month’s NCAA postseason.
Expect freshman Hannah Wells to get a Game 2 start in a three-game series that begins Saturday and runs through Monday for ESPN broadcast purposes and expect senior Citlaly Gutierrez to get more innings after appearing in four of the Longhorns’ past six games.
White also said Brenlee Gonzalez has earned more innings after supplanting sophomore Cambria Salmon in the rotation in recent weeks. Generously listed at 5-foot-3, the left-handed sophomore transfer from Texas Tech played in only five games the first two months of the season but appeared in three games over the past two series against Alabama and Oklahoma. In 2⅔ total innings against the Sooners, Gonzalez gave up three hits and two runs with three strikeouts while leaning on a wicked change-up.
“Being left-handed just gives a little bit different look from the other side,” White said about Gonzalez. “And she's developing some of her pitches, a little more of a curve ball to be able to throw off things. But for a little kid, she's got a little bit of pop in there, so you can’t sit back and just foul things off.
“When she's effective, she's going to kind of toy with some deeper counts. It's just the way she works, and it's what she does. But she's able to roll up those ground balls in a lot of cases for us as well.”
Texas vs. Georgia: How to watch
Where: Jack Turner Softball Stadium in Athens, Ga.
Schedule: Game 1 at 3 p.m. Saturday; Game 2 at 11 a.m. Sunday; Game 3 at 6 p.m. Monday
TV/radio: Game 1 SEC Network; Game 2 ESPN; Game 3 SEC Network; texaslonghorns.com
