Loaded with in-state talent, UT and Texas A&M softball teams tussle for WCWS trip

AUSTIN, Texas (KTRK) -- For the first time in the programs' history, the University of Texas and Texas A&M will play for a trip to the Women's College World Series.

The Longhorns, seeded No. 1 in the NCAA softball tournament, host the 16th-seeded Aggies in a best-of-three Super Regional series beginning Friday in Austin.

According to the team's rosters, 25% of the players involved in the Super Regional are from the Greater Houston area. Among that group are Texas outfielder Kayden Henry (Dickinson High School), Texas A&M third baseman Kennedy Powell (Conroe High School), and Texas A&M pitcher Emiley Kennedy (Lake Creek High School).

"I look back to my little 10-year-old self when I started playing softball, and I would not have imagined me being here today," Kennedy, a first-team All-SEC pitcher, admitted during a Zoom interview with ABC13. "And it's my first super! I'm excited to be out there."

"I planned on being here when I transferred," Powell, who transferred to A&M from UCLA, noted. "I always knew the school I went to was going to have potential to get this far. We're just excited to get on the field and get going."

"It's an amazing thing to know I'm two wins away from where I dreamed of being when I was seven or eight years old," Henry, who helped lead Texas to the program's first-ever No. 1 overall seed, said.

The winner of the best-of-three series will advance to the Women's College World Series.

For more sports news, follow Adam Winkler on Facebook, X and Instagram.