No. 1/1 Softball opens WCWS with historic outing from Kavan - University of Texas Athletics (2024)

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Game Recap: Softball | 05.30.2024 | Chris Allen Brown

Teagan Kavan records best pitching performance by a Texas pitcher in WCWS debut

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. –Teagan Kavan arrived on the Forty Acres with sky-high expectations. And she exceeded all of them on Thursday evening as the freshman out of West Des Moines, Iowa became the first freshman pitcher in Texas' softball history to throw a complete game shutout at the Women's College World Series (WCWS) during the top-seeded Longhorns' 2-0 victory over eighth-seeded Stanford.

Kavan (19-2) tossed just the eighth complete game shutout by a Longhorn pitcher at the WCWS since Estelle Czech blanked Oklahoma State, 5-0, on Monday, June 6, 2022. Kavan achieved the feat after throwing a career-high 124 pitches to 27 different batters. Over the course of her seven innings of work, Kavan struck out eight, forced eight fly outs and induced five ground outs. Her one hit allowed was tied for the fewest hits surrendered in a start this season by the freshman after limited Northwestern to just one hit, too, in seven innings of work to close out the 2024 NCAA Austin Regional on Sunday, May 19, 2024.

The Cardinal's lone hit of the game occurred with two outs in the top of the first when. Ava Gall singled an 0-2 pitch just passed the glove of an out-reaching Alyssa Washington at second base. Stanford did not have a base runner reach third base all evening.

While Texas pitching was limited the Stanford offense, the Longhorn offense had the number of the reigning USA Softball Player of the Year NiJaree Canady as UT scored four runs, drew four walks and scattered five hits, marking the most runs, walks and hits surrended by Canady in five career WCWS appearances. And the production came from a quartet of speedsters: Bella Dayton, Ashton Maloney, Mia Scott and Kayden Henry.

Despite not collecting an extra base hit, Henry and Maloney recorded two hits in the bottom of the third to set the table for Dayton to drive in Henry for the game's first run. Dayton, herself, scored during Scott's at bat that capped a four-hit frame. Three innings later, Henry capitalized on three walks by Canady with a two-out single through the right field that scored Scott and Katie Stewart.

FROM HEAD COACH MIKE WHITE

"First off, congratulations to Stanford for making the Women's College World Series and NiJaree Canady for becoming the player of the year. It's a tremendous award and well deserved. We knew it was going to be a tough matchup. She's as tough as they come, so it was good to get out there a get a few runs early and then finding a way to get those extra runs in the later innings. Hats off to Teagan Kavan. She threw extremely well. Freshman. Shutout. Against one of the top teams in the country. I couldn't be any prouder of her. And our bats came through in some key situations as well, so that was good to see."

FROM FRESHMAN PITCHER TEAGAN KAVAN

"I think last week, honestly, helped a lot, when I came in a big situation last week to come here. And that kind of calmed me. I knew I was prepared. I've been in a big stage before. But I was able to stay locked in with Reese (Atwood) the whole time and just focusing on my breathing to calm my nerves."

GAME NOTES

• With two strikeouts in the top of the first inning, Teagan Kavan became the first Texas Longhorn softball pitcher with a multi-strikeout inning at the Women's College World Series since Sophia Simpson fanned two Oklahoma Sooners in the top of the sixth on June 9, 2022.
• As a result of the Longhorns' two-run bottom of the third, the Texas offense has now scored 102 runs during the third inning of a game this season.
  • It's the second inning this season that UT has scored 100-or-more runs in after totaling 111 in the fourth.
• By taking a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the third, Texas held its first lead in a Women's College World Series game since leading Oklahoma, 2-0, after the bottom of the first in the second game of a best-of-three championship series on June 9, 2022.
• With the win, Texas is now 47-0 this season when leading a game after four completed innings.
• Texas freshman Teagan Kavan became the first Longhorn softball student-athlete to toss a complete game shutout in their WCWS debut.
• Over their last four games, Texas has scored 14 runs in just the sixth inning following a two-run bottom of the sixth against the Cardinal on Thursday evening.
• With her eight strikeouts against the Cardinal, Teagan Kavan now holds the record for most strikeouts in a single WCWS game among active Longhorn pitchers.
  • She also ties Christy Guidorizzi for the fifth-most career strikeouts by a Texas pitcher at the WCWS.
    • Czech is the only active Longhorn with more strikeouts than Kavan as the left-hander totaled nine throughout Texas' postseason run in 2022.

UP NEXT

• With the win, Texas (53-8) advances to Saturday's slate of games and will play the winner of Oklahoma State and Florida at 6 p.m. CT on Saturday, June 1 with the game set to be broadcast on ESPN.

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