Texas clobbers Texas Tech for first softball national championship
AUSTIN (KXAN) — With the national championship on the line Friday, the Texas Longhorns didn't want to play another 1-run game.
The Longhorns' offense exploded to claim their first NCAA softball title in grand fashion, 10-4, over the Texas Tech Red Raiders to win Game 3 of the Women's College World Series finals at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Texas scored five runs in the first inning, fueled by a Leighann Goode 3-run homer to center field, sending Red Raiders ace pitcher NiJaree Canady to the bench after the frame. Mia Scott put an exclamation point on the game with a grand slam in the fourth inning off of Chloe Riassetto.
"We went through a little adversity last night, and the talk this morning was to have each other's backs and being ready to compete against one of the best pitchers in the country," Longhorns head coach Mike White said. "We talked about leaving the jersey in a better place, and the seniors have certainly done that. Texas softball is better because of that."
Texas led 10-0 after Scott's slam, but three errors let the Red Raiders get on the board. All of Texas Tech's runs were unearned due to the miscues by the Longhorns.
Until her early exit, Canady had thrown every pitch for the Red Raiders since the super regional round against Florida State. Her agent announced before the game that she had signed another Name, Image and Likeness deal with the school for $1.2 million, according to the ESPN broadcast.
Texas Tech head coach Gerry Glasco said Canady "gave it everything she had." He hopes to lighten her workload next season so the Red Raiders can make another run in the postseason.
"We pushed her to the very limit," he said. "The first inning was the result of a great hitting team, a well-coached team, coming up against someone they've seen three days in a row."
Glasco said Canady's velocity gradually faded throughout the tournament, the tell-tale sign of fatigue, but even a tired Canady was the best option for the Red Raiders.
"You can't let her pitch all year and then take the ball away from her," he said. "The game got us right there."
Teagan Kavan went the distance for the Longhorns, scattering eight hits with three strikeouts and no walks in 111 pitches. She was named the most outstanding player of the WCWS.
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White has led Oregon and Texas to a combined eight WCWS appearances, and this was the first time he's won it. All season, White has given all the credit to the players and how they've performed, but at the podium, Kavan returned the favor.
"Without Coach White, I don't know if we're here," Kavan said. "He's the best. He's so competitive, and he wants it just as bad as we do. He pushes us to be better every day, he makes me a better pitcher mentally and physically, and there's no one else I'd rather play for. He's the bomb, and I'm glad we got it done for him."
Kayden Henry had three hits while Reese Atwood, Katie Stewart and Scott all had two for the Longhorns. Stewart drove in two runs with a double and a single. Texas out-hit the Red Raiders 12-8.
Scott has played most of the season with a serious knee injury, reportedly a torn ACL, and after the game, she decided to show off the wrapping job by the training staff to help support it.
Texas finally broke through in its third WCWS finals in four seasons. The Longhorns lost their previous two championship series in 2022 and 2024 to the Oklahoma Sooners. It was the Longhorns' eighth appearance all-time in the WCWS.
Katie Cimusz, one of the six seniors on the team, went through both of the gut-wrenching losses to the Sooners. She said the group "didn't want to go out like that again."
"This is the best thing you can ever dream of for your softball career," she said. "Losing to OU in that first series, and then again last year ... we fought as hard as we could, no matter what our roles were, and I think we're all just so happy."
Texas won the opening game of the series 2-1 on Wednesday, and Texas Tech picked up the win in the second game 4-3 on Thursday.
It's the second national championship for the entire Texas athletic program this school year, joining the men's swim team.
Texas ended the season with a school-record 56 wins. They won 55 games last season and in 2006.
The school will hold a celebration for the team at 6 p.m. Saturday at McCombs Field. It's free to attend, and the gates open at 5 p.m.