Texas vs. Clemson weather delay: When will Game 1 of Austin Super Regional resume

The opening game of the Austin Super Regional between Texas and Clemson was delayed due to lightning strikes in the surrounding area. Game 1 was called to a stop just fourth pitches into the matchup for a minimum of 30 minutes.

There was a second reported lightning strike 16 minutes following the first one. A third strike restarted the timer 30 minutes later. If there was not another lightning strike after that, the game would resume roughly around 10:10 p.m. ET. However, this would not be the case as lightning continued to linger in the area.

After a prolonged delay, Clemson’s softball account on X provided an update. They revealed that the teams were set to retake the field at 10:30 p.m. ET, with the game resuming 15 minutes later — nearly two hours after the first pitch was thrown.

Clemson is the No. 11 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, and earned their way into into the Super Regional after sweeping the Clemson Regional in three games against USC Upstate, Northwestern and finally Kentucky in extra innings during the championship game. This set up a 6-11 seed matchup against the Longhorns.

For the Longhorns — they experienced more of the same success last weekend. During the Austin Regional, they went 3-0 in their matchups, defeating Eastern Illinois, Michigan and UCF. They won all three of those games by at least eight points and outscored their opponents 35-6, dominating their competition as the No. 6 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Before the NCAA Tournament, Texas was eliminated from the SEC Tournament in the semifinals against Texas A&M. This came after the Longhorns finished with 45 regular season wins, as well as a 16-8 record against SEC opponents.

Meanwhile, Clemson is coming off an ACC Conference Tournament for the first time in program history. That means the Tigers are yet to taste defeat this postseason.

Something that the Clemson Tigers are likely aware of, however — Texas is 25-3 in games played inside McCombs Field this season. They’re 49-10 overall compared to Clemson’s 47-12.

Once the opening game of the series is able to be played, Game 2 between Texas and Clemson in the Austin Super Regional will begin on Friday at 9 p.m. ET. The series is currently scheduled to conclude on Saturday if the two programs split the first two softball matchups.

A series win would send the Longhorns to the Women’s College World Series for the eighth time in program history, and the second time in as many seasons. In both 2022 and 2024, Texas finished as the national runner-up. Clemson, seeking an upset on the road, has never made it past the Super Regional stage of the NCAA Tournament.