AUSTIN, Texas – Tarleton State is once again set to hit the road for the 2024 Longhorn Invitational after their doubleheader sweep of Prairie View A&M on Tuesday.
 
The Texans now sit at 10-7 on the season and will face their toughest competition thus far. The Purple and White is scheduled to play five games over three days from Friday-Sunday at Red and Charline McCombs Field on the campus of Texas.
 
"We have a tough task ahead of us at the Longhorn Invitational this weekend," said head coach Mark Cumpian. "It's going to take a full team effort all weekend, but we are excited for the challenges that lie ahead. We are excited for the opportunity."
 
Three of the five games for the Texans will see them face off with Power Five competition in Big 10 member Penn State and host, Big 12 member Texas.
 
Tarleton State will get things started on Friday when they take on reigngin Coastal Athletic Association Champion Hofstra at 12:30 p.m. The Pride went 29-27 last season posting a 16-7 conference record.
 
The Texans will round out Friday with a showdown with the Longhorns at 5:30 p.m. Texas is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation, only sitting behind three-peat national champion Oklahoma who the Texans will face in a doubleheader on March 12 at Love's Field.
 
Day 2 will bring more stiff competition for the Texans as they will take on Penn State and Northwestern State. Tarleton State will face off with Penn State for the first of two times this weekend at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. This will be the first time the Texans will see the Nittany Lions. The Purple and White will close Day 2 out with a game vs. the Demons of Northwestern State at 5:30 p.m. This marks the first matchup with the Demons.
 
Tarleton State will close out their portion of the 2024 Longhorn Invitational with their second matchup of the weekend with Penn State. The second meeting is set to get underway at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
 
Red and Charline McCombs Field is quite familiar for a handful of Texans. Tarleton State has five student-athletes on the roster who have competed in the Texas UIL State Softball Championships during their high school careers on the campus of Texas. They are Kendall Daniel, Makenzie Dunbar, Katy Schaefer, Avery Songer and Tristyn Trull.
 
Three of the five Texans won state titles with their respective high schools.
 
Redshirt freshman pitcher Daniel attended Liberty High School and helped the Panthers win back-to-back 4A State Championships in 2021 and 2022. Liberty took down Calallen 10-3 for the 2021 title and then shut out Sweeny 5-0 for the 2022 title.
 
"Due to my leg injury my senior year I wasn't able to actually play in the games, but coach let me throw for the first time again in the bullpen," said Daniel. "I loved seeing my teammates play for one another. We had the best fans that packed the stands coming all the way from Liberty to support us. The best memory during that game for me was coming out to my parents and grandparents giving me the biggest hug and being so proud of our team. With the leg injury and all, it was still one of the most memorable moments of my life that I will never forget because I still got to be in a uniform right next to some of my absolute best friends."
 
Senior pitcher Dunbar helped lead Crawford High School to the 2019 2A Texas State Softball Championship as she hit the walk-off double as they won 8-7 (8) over Thorndale. She was also named the 2A State MVP. The win was a little sweeter for Dunbar as the win came on her 17th birthday. She was also named the Super Centex Player of the Year for 2019. Dunbar has also competed at Red and Charline McCombs Field during her time at Tarleton State when the Texans last made the visit in 2021, her freshman season.
 
Freshman outfielder Songer helped lead Rains High School to the 2021 3A State Championship. Rains took down Diboll 11-5 as Songer scored three of the 11 runs. She was named to the 3A All-State tournament team as a second baseman. Songer also was named to the 3A TSHA All-State second team.
 
Four of the Texans games will be broadcast live on the Longhorn Network as well as streamed on ESPN+. Tarleton State's matchup with Northwestern State is the lone game from the tournament that will not be broadcast. Live stats will be available for all five games.