University of North Texas
Wichita State
Softball Opens American Championship Thursday
5/7/2025 5:10:00 PM | Softball
TAMPA, Fla. – UNT softball begins its American Athletic Conference Championship tournament against Wichita State on Thursday at 11 a.m. CT. The quarterfinal game will be streamed on ESPN+ from USF Softball Stadium.
The Mean Green (34-20, 16-11) closed its regular season schedule with a Saturday doubleheader at ECU and earned the No. 4 seed at the single-elimination league tournament. In conference play, North Texas led The American in team batting average, runs scored, slugging percentage and stolen bases.
No. 5 Wichita State (29-24-1, 15-11-1) advanced to the quarterfinals after it defeated No. 8 Tulsa 5-2 in the second round. The winner of Thursday's quarterfinal between the Mean Green and the Shockers will meet No. 1 (RV) Florida Atlantic on Friday at noon CT on ESPNU.
UNT dropped a road series against the Shockers on March 16 after it won the opening game 8-6 with a five-run comeback. The come-from-behind victory tied for the largest deficit overcome this season and matched the eight-best mark in program history. The Mean Green trail the all-time series 9-17, including a 2-3 record in neutral site games.
Head coach Rodney DeLong has led his UNT teams to, at worst, a conference tournament semifinals appearance in every season since his first in 2019. He led the Mean Green to four semifinals in CUSA, including two finals appearances, before advancing to the final four in The American last season.
North Texas posted a 2-1 record at the 2024 American Athletic Conference Championship with wins over Memphis and ECU before it lost to Charlotte in the semifinals at Wilkins Stadium in Wichita, Kan.
For more information about the 2025 American Athletic Conference Softball Championship, click HERE.
