The Long Weekend in Sports: Texas Baseball’s Road to Omaha, Softball Drama, and an Ultra Marathon You Won’t Believe

A Recap of The Long Weekend in Sports

Thoughts on the road to Omaha…

Texas flamed out of Hoover early, and it’s concerning they haven’t played consistent baseball in over a month. That dip in form cost the Longhorns the number one overall seed in the postseason, ceding it to Vanderbilt. But the number two overall seed still offers a favorable road to Omaha for Jim Schlossnagle’s squad. Texas hosts Houston Christian, Kansas State, and UTSA this weekend for a regional that won’t be without challenges but is still manageable. Then a potential super regional matchup with the winner of the UCLA regional allows Texas to avoid a fellow conference opponent. Tennessee and Arkansas weren’t so lucky, as they’ll presumably square off in the Fayetteville Super Regional, meaning only one of the two will make it to the College World Series.

[Sign up for Inside Texas TODAY and get the BEST Longhorns scoop!]

Oklahoma City Again

Texas Softball is back in Oklahoma City, but it wasn’t without drama. Teagan Kavan and the Longhorns were almost knocked out by Clemson in the Supers on Saturday. The Tigers had Texas dead to rights with runners on second and third and zero outs, but Kavan and Mia Scott’s heroics saved the Longhorns’ season. Texas will face Florida on Thursday in Game One, and it might not be long before fans see the Oklahoma Sooners again. Oklahoma is on Texas’ side of the bracket and going for their fifth straight national championship.

What Caught My Interest

What I was glued to over the weekend sports-wise was something you might have found on ESPN The Ocho.

I somehow got turned onto an ultra marathon taking place in Liberty Hill, sponsored by Bare Performance Nutrition. The “Go One More” Ultra was a must-see event. Every hour on the hour, runners ran 4.2 miles. Whatever time you had until the next hour, you could rest and refuel. Over one hundred runners took off in a Last Man Standing race on Saturday morning, and as of Sunday evening, there were just two runners left, already 100 plus miles in. You’d think someone would tap out shortly thereafter and you’d be dead wrong. If you were interested in Instagram Lives every hour that showed whether these two guys made it back, this was suspenseful. Now, I’ll never forget the names Kim Gottwald and Kendall Fallas.

As of Sunday evening, the two literally wouldn’t quit. They were 56 laps and 235.2 miles in before a severe thunderstorm flooded the course, blew all the equipment away in high winds, and made everyone take shelter. An act of God might have been the only thing that would’ve gotten these two to stop before one of them died. Since the race was stopped for a few hours, the two agreed to split the winnings and call it. In a world where “everyone gets a trophy,” it’s hard to accept a Soccer style draw in a lot of cases. But, this wasn’t one of them. I literally would have been sick for whoever lost and they both deserved the title of Last Man Standing.

The Conference Finals on the hardwood and ice

The Western Conference Finals between OKC and Minnesota is effectively over. The NBA has to change the rules about fouling up three. But the Eastern Conference Finals has been a thriller. Every game between the Indiana Pacers and Knicks has come down to the wire.

[Order THE LONGHORN ALPHABET today and teach your little ones the A to Z’s of Texas Football!]

In the NHL, the Stars need to avoid going down 3–1 to the Oilers tonight in Edmonton. How are we feeling, Stars fans?