The Texas Longhorns will be making their way back to Oklahoma City to defend their national championship. The Longhorns have quickly become accustomed to heading north of the Red River this time of year for the Women's College World Series, with Texas making its third straight appearance.The Longhorns' chances at a return to Oklahoma City looked bleak just a week ago, with Texas dropping to the first game of the Austin Super Regional to the Arizona State Sun Devils. However, as Texas has done before, it won two straight games with its back against the wall to book its trip to the greatest show on dirt.Texas will now start its championship title defense with a meeting against a familiar foe in the Tennessee Volunteers. Here's a look at how to watch the matchup and more information on the Volunteers.How to Watch Texas vs. TennesseeTexas Longhorns utility Katie Stewart (20) celebrates after hitting a home run in the fourth inning of a Women's College World Series softball game. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesWho: No. 2 Texas Longhorns and No. 7 Tennessee VolunteersWhat: Texas opening game of the Women's College World SeriesWhen: May 28, 1:30 p.m. CTWhere: Devon Park, Oklahoma CityTV/Streaming: ESPNMeet the OpponentTennessee Volunteers softball coach Karen Weekly walks towards an umpire during a NCAA regional softball game between Tennessee and Virginia. | Angelina Alcantar/ News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesThe Volunteers make their second straight trip to the Women's College World Series while posting a 47-10 overall record and a 16-8 record in the SEC. The Volunteers lost their first game of the SEC Tournament; however, they still received the No. 7 overall seed and the chance to host a regional and super regional.And Tennessee took care of businesses through the first two rounds on its way to Oklahoma City, sweeping both the Knoxville Regional and Super Regional. The Volunteers breezed by their regional, needing just three games to head to the next round, and in the super regional, Tennessee would take down the Georgia Bulldogs in just two games.The Volunteers find their strength in their pitching staff, which is one of the best, not just in the SEC, but the best in the country. Tennessee holds the best ERA and WHIP in the nation with its pitching staff touting a 1.35 ERA and a .85 WHIP. Tennessee's pitching staff isn't just centered around one lead arm, with three pitchers sitting inside the top ten in the country in ERA.The ace for the Volunteers and the leader by volume is senior Karlyn Pickens, who has been one of the top pitchers in the country over the last few years. Pickens heads to OKC, tossing a team-high 132.1 innings, recording a 1.53 ERA, which sits No. 10 in the country, and a .94 WHIP to go along with 180 strikeouts.The pitching staff doesn't end with Pickens, with sophomore Erin Nuwer, who has so far had the best season of the staff. The sophomore's .99 ERA is second-best in the nation, to go along with 89 strikeouts and holds opposing batters to a .137 batting average in 92 innings pitched.The Volunteers will also have a third option in junior Sage Mardjetko, who holds the third-best ERA in the country, sitting at a 1.12 ERA. Mardjetko has pitched the second most innings for Tennessee, pitching 119 innings and has struck out 165 batters.Regardless of who the Longhorns will face inside the circle against the Volunteers, it's sure to be a challenge that the Texas batting order will have to be ready to take on. Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow