Everything you need to know about Arkansas softball facing Texas in NCAA Super Regional

FAYETTEVILLE — Of the 16 nationally seeded regional hosts in the NCAA softball tournament, only five were eliminated from super regional contention by unseeded teams. One of those spoilers was the Texas Longhorns.

Texas defeated 13-seed Washington in the Seattle regional to advance to the Fayetteville super regional. The Longhorns (41-18-1) will meet No. 4 seed Arkansas (47-9) for a best-of-three series with a trip to the Women's College World Series on the line. Game 1 is set for 6 p.m. Thursday (ESPN2) at Bogle Park.

Here's what to know about Texas softball before the super regional matchup with the Razorbacks.

RALLY SQUIRREL:See rally squirrel scurry on field, propel Arkansas softball to late-inning win vs. Oregon

SUPERS BOUND:Arkansas softball's power hitting sends Razorbacks to NCAA super regionals with win vs. Oregon

ODDS:What are the Arkansas Razorback softball odds to win the 2022 Women's College World Series

How Texas softball pulled Regional upset

The final score doesn't show it, but Texas' first win over Washington was a thrilling comeback. The Longhorns trailed 2-0 in the sixth inning but rallied to score eight runs in the final two frames to send Washington to an elimination game. All three of Texas' runs in the sixth were unearned thanks to Huskies errors. A string of base hits in the seventh got the Longhorns five runs and the win.

Washington got a game back from Texas in the regional final on Sunday with a 2-1 win, but the Longhorns took the decisive game 3-2 to advance. 

Arkansas will need to shut down Texas' clutch hitting and avoid costly mistakes in the field to avoid the same fate as Washington.

Taylor Ellsworth meets old team

One of Arkansas' premier hitters, catcher Taylor Ellsworth, will be facing her old team when the Razorbacks play Texas. Ellsworth, a sixth-year player at Arkansas, spent five seasons with the Longhorns.

Ellsworth hit .320 at Texas, amassing 144 hits, 16 home runs and 89 RBIs. She was a key part of Texas' super regional run last season, ranking second on the team with a .372 batting average before transferring.

Pitcher to watch

Unlike the Razorbacks, who have two elite starting pitchers in Chenise Delce and Mary Haff, the Longhorns rely mainly on one standout arm: Hailey Dolcini.

Dolcini started all three games against the Huskies, throwing 14 innings in one day in the regional final. In that span, she gave up four runs, two of them earned, walked two and struck out eight.

Arkansas likely will face the Fresno State transfer multiple times during the super regional. Dolcini leads the team with a 2.21 ERA and 21-9 record.

Key hitters

Senior infielder Janae Jefferson is Texas' best hitter by the numbers. She leads the team with a 1.118 OPS and .496 on-base percentage.  She went 7-for-14 in the Seattle regional.

Sophomore outfielder Bella Dayton was a crucial part of Texas' super regional push, accounting for three RBIs in the Longhorns' regional final games Sunday. 

Texas isn't known for power hitting with 58 home runs, but its leader in homers is catcher Mary Iakopo with 10.

Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks. You can email her at clong@swtimes.com or follow her on Twitter @christinalong00.