Texas – Since going to the College World Series, the Longhorns have not advanced past the Regional stage.  But that looks to change this year, as it seems that Texas is back.  After starting the season 16-3, the Longhorns went on an 18-game winning streak before Stephen F. Austin upset the team 1-0.  Texas faced 21 NCAA teams, finishing with a 23-7 record against them.

The Longhorns have been quite the potent team on offense, with three players in double digit home runs and  six players with 25 or more RBI.  Also, all but one of their regulars is hitting over .300.  Taylor Hoagland leads the squad with 14 home runs and adds 34 RBI, 24 steals and nine doubles.  Amy Hooke has 12 dingers and 35 RBI.  Taylor Thom has 11 doubles, 11 home runs and a team-high 41 RBI.  Her 11 two-baggers are tied for the lead with Lexy Bennett, who has a team-leading .455 batting average and 40 RBI.  Breja Washington leads the squad with 35 steals.

What might hinder Texas in the postseason is the amount that the Longhorns have relied on pitcher Blair Luna.  Luna has been the team’s horse, especially in Big 12 play, as her ERA is up nearly .6 over her overall ERA and her K:BB ratio is much smaller in conference play as well. Luna has an overall record of 27-6 and ERA of 1.27, with 298 K’s compared to 80 walks.  The team does have a capable backup in Rachel Fox, who has an 18-1 record overall with a 1.10 ERA, but she has only seen action in seven games since the start of conference play.

Houston – There must be something in the water in Texas, because the Cougars are just one of too many Texas teams that will qualify for the NCAA Tournament.  With a shocking semifinal loss to East Carolina in the conference tournament, Houston finished the regular season at 40-16.  The Cougars went 7-4 against ranked teams in the regular season.

Houston knows how to swing the bats, with six players hitting .290 or better, led by Holly Anderson, who is hitting at a .340 clip, tied for the team lead with 51 hits and leads the team with seven steals.  The big boppers, however, are Melissa Gregson and Brooke Lathan, who lead the team in home runs and RBI.  Gregson leads the team in both with 16 round-trippers and 43 runs batted in, while Lathan has 13 dingers and 36 RBI.

You know you had a top-tier pitching staff when a stud transfer, Donna Bourgeois is your number two hurler.  Bourgeois, a Louisiana-Lafayette transfer, was named the Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year in 2009 and first-team All-Sun Belt two years straight.  She was also named to the All-Region second-team last season.  But her 16-6 record, 1.68 ERA and 130 strikeouts are only good enough for second on the team because Amanda Crabtree is just having a spectacular season.  The senior has an 18-8 record and a miniscule 0.94 ERA.  She has also fanned an impressive 314 batters.

Louisiana-Lafayette – The Cajuns come into the tournament having won their 11th Sun Belt Tournament Championship.  The team loaded up in the preseason, playing in two prestigious tournament, going against the likes of Alabama, Oregon, Notre Dame, Arizona and Arizona State.  They went 2-3 in those games.  The Cajuns come into the NCAA Tournament having won their last 11 games.

None of the regulars are hitting worse than .250.  Christi Orgeron (.418) is having a monster season, with 23 home runs and 97 RBI.  The crazy part is those 97 RBI are only good enough for fifth-highest in the country.  Her teammate, Gabriele Bridges (.380), has knocked 22 balls out of the park and has 76 RBI.  Sarah Draheim has 50 RBI on the season.  Nerissa Meyers, who is tied with Orgeron for a team-high 73 runs, leads the squad with 21 stolen bases.  Katie Smith is second in stolen bases with 20

Ashley Brignac is the team’s ace.  She went 30-5 in 38 appearances and holds a team-best 1.24 ERA.  She has punched out a total of 228 opponents this year, only walking 64 hitters.  The win in the conference title game gave her 30 wins for the second time in her three years at ULL.

Texas State – Texas State softball captured the 2011 Southland Conference Tournament Championship Saturday, ensuring the Bobcats their fifth NCAA Tournament berth. The title is the second in three years for Texas State as it earns the automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.  The team usually plays a relatively tough schedule, including games against many 0n-state rivals and play them tough.  That trend continued this year, as they played Baylor, Houston (beating them once), Texas and Hawaii tough.

The Bobcats aren’t a team that swings for the fences, but they know how to drop balls in the gaps for doubles and singles.  The team features five players who have driven in 20 or more RBI, with the high being 29, set by McKenzie Baack.  Anna Hernandez is next with 28 and she’s also second on the team in steals with seven.  Jenna Emery, who leads the team with six homers, is tied with Haley Lemons, who leads the squad with 12 doubles, with 25 RBI.

Texas States’ two two pitchers, Chandler Hall and Anne Marie Taylor, have started 29 and 24 games, respectively.  Taylor has a 17-5 record, with a 1.77 ERA and 146 punchouts.  Hall is 15-15 with a 2.75 ERA and 173 K’s.