Texas Tech’s NiJaree Canady and Tennessee’s Karlyn Pickens lead WCWS players to watch
The Oklahoman’s Jenni Carlson highlights several Women’s College World Series key players to watch.
Texas softball finally exorcised its demons against Red River rival Oklahoma in the Women’s College World Series.
The No. 6 seed Longhorns defeated the No. 2 seed Sooners 4-2 in the winner’s bracket of the WCWS at Devon Field in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Saturday. Texas had never beaten Oklahoma in the tournament, a streak which includes getting swept in last season’s championship series.
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Texas ace Teagan Kavan struck out Gabbie Garcia and Hannah Coor with the tying runs on base to preserve the victory for the Longhorns. Kavan finished with eight strikeouts and just two walks, allowing one earned run on seven hits in her complete-game effort. Kavan said she pitched for her grandmother, who died earlier in the day, in her postgame interview.
Texas’ Kayden Henry hit the go-ahead home run for the Longhorns in the fifth inning, with Joley Mitchell adding a solo home run in the sixth inning as insurance. Mitchell now has three home runs in two WCWS games this postseason.
Texas will find out its next opponent following a pair of elimination games on Sunday. Meanwhile, Oklahoma will play Oregon in an elimination game on Sunday, putting the Sooners’ chance at a historic five-peat in serious peril.
Catch up here for scores and highlights from the Longhorns’ historic WCWS win over the rival Sooners:
| TEAMS | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | F |
| OU | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Texas | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ― | 4 |
Teagan Kavan works out of trouble in the top of the seventh inning to help Texas hold on to a 4-2 victory over Oklahoma to advance in the winner’s bracket. With runners on first and second and one out, Kavan struck out Gabbie Garcia and Hannah Coor to finish off the victory.
Oklahoma will play Oregon in the loser’s bracket in an elimination game on Sunday. Texas will play in the semifinal, needing one win on Monday to advance to the championship series.
Joley Mitchell adds a crucial insurance run for the Longhorns with a home run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Now, Texas is three outs away from sending Oklahoma to the elimination bracket and putting its chance at a five-peat in danger.
It won’t be easy, though, as the Sooners will send the top of their order up in the top of the seventh inning.
Joley Mitchell hits her third home run in two WCWS games to put Texas ahead 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning. Mitchell had two home runs against Florida.
Teagan Kavan bares down to keep Texas in front 3-2 after the Oklahoma fifth inning. Cydney Sanders reached base on a leadoff single before being lifted for pinch runner Tia Milloy. Milloy advanced to second on a groundout and to third on a wild pitch.
However, with a runner on third and just one out, Teagan Kavan struck out Maya Bland and induced a foul out off the bat of Abigale Dayton to escape the jam.
The Sooners are down to their final two outs, but do have the top of the order coming to the plate in the seventh inning, including Ella Parker, who had the walk-off home run against Tennessee.
Kayden Henry gives Texas a 3-2 lead with a one-out solo home run to right field. It’s the fourth home run of the season for Henry. That’s the Longhorns’ first run since the first inning.
Despite getting runners on first and second with two outs, Texas is unable to capitalize and score any runs to re-take the lead. Oklahoma starter Sam Landry gets Kaydee Bennett to line out to third base for the final out of the inning to keep the game tied 2-2.
Tegan Kavan has now pitched 11 shutout innings of 12 thrown at the 2025 WCWS. In the top of the fourth, she worked around a leadoff walk to Ailana Agbayani to once again keep the Sooners off the scoreboard.
Ashton Maloney reaches on a leadoff infield single, but is stranded on second to keep Texas scoreless as Sam Landry retires the next three hitters in order to get out of the inning with the game tied 2-2.
Teagan Kavan bounces back from a two-run second inning by Oklahoma by retiring the Sooners 1-2-3 in the top of the third inning. Kavan picked up a strikeout of Sydney Barker, her second of the game, in the inning.
Aided by an error by second baseman Kaydee Bennett, the Sooners are able to even the score 2-2 in the top of the second inning. Teagan Kavan strikes out Joley Mitchell swinging with runners on first and second and two outs to prevent Oklahoma the opportunity of taking the lead.
Abigale Dayton drives in Cydney Sanders on a single and Kasidi Pickering plates another on a fielder’s choice. Sanders opened the inning with a walk, Alana Agbayani reached on an error and Isabela Emerling laid down a sac bunt to set up the scoring opportunities for Oklahoma.
Kayden Henry steals home on a delayed steal when Oklahoma tries to nab Mia Scott stealing second. Scott advanced to third on an error and scores a play later on a sac fly by Reese Atwood.
Teagan Kavan allows a one-out single to two-hole hitter Ella Parker and a two-out single by Gabbie Garcia, but works around it for a clean first inning. Parker’s single was a screamer to center field, while Garcia’s single put runners on the corners with two outs. Kavan gets Sydney Barker to pop up to second to end the threat.
Kavan is up to eight scoreless innings in the WCWS so far this year.
The Sooners bat first as the “designated road team” for the matchup against Texas in the winner’s bracket. They’ll try to get the scoring going early against Teagan Kavan.
Here’s a look at the Oklahoma starting lineup against Texas for today’s game:
- Kasidi Pickering, LF
- Ella Parker, DP
- Nelly McEnroe-Marinas, 3B
- Gabbie Garcia, SS
- Sydney Barker, RF
- Cydney Sanders, 1B
- Ailana Agbayani, 2B
- Isabela Emerling, C
- Abigale Dayton, CF
Starting pitcher: Sam Landry
Here’s a look at the Texas starting lineup against Oklahoma for today’s game:
- Ashton Maloney, RF
- Kayden Henry, CF
- Mia Scott, 3B
- Reese Atwood, C
- Joley Mitchell, 1B
- Katie Stewart, LF
- Leighann Goode, SS
- Katie Cimusz, DP
- Kaydee Bennett, 2B
Starting pitcher: Teagan Kavan
Oklahoma is looking to join rarified air with a fifth straight national championship. If coach Patty Gasso and the Sooners can pull off the WCWS win, they’d join John Wooden and UCLA basketball as the only college program to win five straight championships.
Read more about Oklahoma’s chance at history from a story by USA Today’s Kevin Skiver here.
Oklahoma leads the all-time series against rival Texas 48-13 in softball. The Sooners have won six consecutive games over the Longhorns, including a three-game series sweep in the regular season in Norman, Oklahoma. They also swept the CWS championship series last season.
The Longhorns’ last win in the series was a 2-1 win on April 7, 2024, in Austin, Texas. Texas is 1-11 all-time against Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The lone win was a 3-1 win on May 13, 2005.
What time does Texas vs Oklahoma softball start?
- Date: Saturday, May 31
- Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Where: OGE Energy Field at Devon Park | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
