Texas athletics returning to 100-percent capacity with baseball game against West Virginia

The Texas Longhorns announced on Thursday that for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic last year, the school will allow 100-percent capacity at outdoor sporting events, beginning with Thursday’s matchup between No. 2 Texas baseball and West Virginia at 6:30 p.m. Central at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

“After consultation with President Hartzell and our campus leadership and the recent news from the NCAA, we’re thrilled to be in a position to return to full capacity at our events,” athletics director Chris Del Conte said in a statement. “We’ll continue to have our health and safety measures in place to ensure our venues are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, and that all of the student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans are in the best possible situation at our competitions. Our Protect Texas Together initiatives, as well as our extensive Athletics Department protocols and procedures, helped put us in a position to be able to return to full capacity. We will continue to work alongside our campus partners and monitor all of the health and safety measures closely as we move forward.”

The news comes one day after Hartzell relaxed mask-wearing guidelines on campus — they will no longer be required at outdoor sporting events.

In addition to the final regular-season series for the baseball team, Texas softball opens the Austin Regional on Friday at 4:30 p.m. on Longhorn Network against Saint Francis (PA). The regional field also includes Oregon, setting up a potential matchup of Texas head coach Mike White and several former Ducks against their old program.