Texas head coach Mike White evaluates what led Longhorns to Big 12 tournament championship game

Texas earned the regular season Big 12 championship and the top seed in the conference tournament this year. And as head coach Mike White considers things, he figures last season and the postseason run from the Longhorns had a lot to do with it.

The Longhorns brought back plenty of young players from that squad, and he found the postseason experience paid off this year, White said on the ESPN2 broadcast of the title game. However, Oklahoma had pulled out to a lead over Texas early in the matchup.

“Well I think it all started last year,” White said. “We went deep into the postseason and got a lot of experience. We even played down here in front of 8000 fans, so that was all good. Stuff you can’t practice. So I’m excited and we bring another good class this year. So things are looking pretty good right now.”

And to pull back into the matchup against the Sooners, White knew pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez would need to keep settling down and start churning through outs.

“Continue to use the offspeed, keep them off balance,” White said. “She made a couple of mistakes in some critical positions but we haven’t helped her out, either, so let’s just hope she settles down and keeps working hard.” 

Patty Gasso wasn’t in a reflective mood

Oklahoma pushed out to an immediate 2-0 lead in the top of the 1st inning versus rival Texas in the Big 12 softball tournament championship game on Saturday evening, eventually leading 4-1 after the 3rd inning.

And head coach Patty Gasso couldn’t have been more content with the way her team jumped on the bitter rival. Even after Texas clawed back a run in the second inning, the Sooners tacked on a few more in the top of the 3rd frame to stretch the lead back out.

“They look like they’re fighting, whether it’s on the mound or their at bats,” Gasso said on the ESPN2 broadcast. “The way they answered that run was big time. So I love their energy and I love what they’re doing.” 

Plus, Saturday night will be the last time either Oklahoma or Texas play in the Big 12 championship, as both programs are headed to the SEC later in the summer.

But despite it being the end of an era, Gasso is hyper-focused on the task at hand.

“I’m all about the game. I’ve said it — the Big 12, Big 8 is where I started,” Gasso said. “So I’ve been in this conference for 30 years. I will feel it when it’s over, but I can’t get caught up in that stuff right now.”