The Lineup: Knoxville, Austin, Gainesville center stage on linear TV
As basketball season closes, more windows for softball to be on the likes of ESPN and ESPN2. The series in Knoxville, Austin and Gainesville will hit the big screens with huge impact on the SEC and Big 12 standings.
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1. No. 15 Mississippi State @ No. 25 South Carolina
Where: Columbia, S.C.
When: April 5-7
What’s it on: SECN+
What do we want to see: Mississippi State hits very well. South Carolina has a deep staff and plays solid defense. Madisyn Kennedy seems unstoppable while Alana Vawter has started to settle in. What will win out?
2. No. 11 Missouri @ No. 17 Arkansas
Where: Fayetteville, Ark.
When: April 5-7
What’s it on: SECN
What do we want to see: Arkansas is coming off a huge series win over Georgia. While Missouri dropped a midweek contest to SEMO. The Razorbacks’ staff have to force any player not named Jenna Laird and Alex Honnold. Those two carry the load for an offense that has struggled at times.
3. No. 3 Georgia @ No. 5 Tennessee
Where: Knoxville, Tenn.
When: April 5-7
What’s it on: Fri: SECN+, Sat: SECN, Sun: ESPN2
What do we want to see: Quality at-bats from Georgia. The Bulldogs’ star-studded lineup didn’t have its best weekend against Arkansas last week, now face Karlyn Pickens and Payton Gottshall. This is a big moment for Georgia to prove its still one of the best teams in the nation.
4. No. 1 Oklahoma @ No. 6 Texas
Where: Austin, Texas
When: April 5-7
What’s it on: Fri: ESPNU, Sat: ESPN, Sun: LHN
What do we want to see: We just want to see the games. We’ve been waiting for this series all year long and despite it losing a little luster following the Longhorns’ series lose to Oklahoma State. Nevertheless here’s Texas’ chance to show what it has against Oklahoma. After beating the Sooners in 2022, the Longhorns have been outscored 61-15 in their last seven meetings.
5. No. 8 LSU @ No. 10 Florida
Where: Gainesville, Fla.
When: April 6-8
What’s it on: Fri: ESPN, Sat: ESPNU, Sun: SECN
What do we want to see: LSU had a nice bounce-back against Texas A&M, and pitched well again against the Aggies. The Tigers will need to keep that up to come out of Florida with a series win. The Gators have already scored 66 runs in nine SEC games.
6. No. 9 Washington @ Oregon
Where: Eugene, Ore.
When: April 5-7
What’s it on: Pac-12 Networks
What do we want to see: Washington has been a Top 10 team for the entirety of the season but the metrics haven’t loved the Huskies. Washington has an RPI in the 20s, and a team hasn’t hosted with a number that high. This is a good chance for quad-one wins, while Oregon can show it still has the talent to make a deep postseason run.
7. No. 22 Penn State @ Nebraska
Where: Lincoln, Neb.
When: April 5-7
What’s it on: B1G+
What do we want to see: Nebraska is suddenly on a six-game winning streak, all coming against Power Five opponents. The Cornhuskers have had their issues pitching, but the Penn State lineup isn’t daunting. Can Nebraska be a postseason contender or will the Nittany Lions widen the gap as a Big Ten favorite?
8. FAU @ Charlotte
Where: Charlotte, N.C.
When: April 5-7
What’s it on: ESPN+
What do we want to see: Another fun one in the American conference. The Owls had a tough time against ECU, a team that won the series against Charlotte. We want to see one of these teams take control of the conference with a solid series win.
9. Michigan @ No. 24 Northwestern
Where: Evanston, Ill.
When: April 5-7
What’s it on: B1G+
What do we want to see: If the Wildcat offense can put up huge numbers against Lauren Derkowski and company, it’ll be another step to show Northwestern means business and that it can win the Big Ten in a ‘rebuilding’ year. Michigan has struggled to score runs and Ashley Miller hasn’t given up many.
10. Boise State @ San Diego State
Where: San Diego State, Calif.
When: April 6-7
What’s it on: Mountain West Network
What do we want to see: These two were the preseason favorites for the conference. Boise State has had slipups, while San Diego State has remained steady for the most part this season. How much can the Broncos challenge the Aztecs in this two-game set?
