No. 1/1 Softball slides into the WCWS Championship Series - University of Texas Athletics (2024)

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Game Recap: Softball | 06.03.2024 | Chris Allen Brown

Texas becomes first team since 2007 to open WCWS with three straight shutouts.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. –Two days after busting out its greatest offensive output at the Women's College World Series, The University of Texas' softball program reverted back to the Cat Osterman Era during Monday night's national semifinal contest as the top-seeded Longhorns bested the eighth-seeded Stanford Cardinal, 1-0, to advance to its second WCWS Championship Series in the last three years.And it took something Longhorn fans are all too familiar seeing at Devon Park in June — a slide across home plate — to achieve that feat.

As Teagan Kavan (20-2) and NiJaree Canady (24-7) each traded zeros in the run column over the game's first six innings, it was the Cardinal defense that blinked first.

After being issued a strike for an action clock violation thus ending the bottom of the sixth with a strikeout, Stanford's Taryn Kern was credited with a fielding error on a ground ball off the bat of Alyssa Washington on the first pitch of the top of the seventh. The play not only allowed Washington to reach first base — becoming the Longhorns' seventh base runners of the night — but it also allowed Texas to have a runner at second and third after Joley Mitchell sent a 1-2 pitch into the left-center field gap for a double.

And then Ashton Maloney, a known slap hitter, opted to drop a bunt to force Stanford's defense to make another play in the inning. This time, however, once Canady fielded the ball, she tossed it to the plate to prevent Washington from scoring. But Washington broke back to third base before catcher Aly Kaneshiro tossed it to River Mahler, who was standing on third base. Once Mahler received the ball, Washington turned course and headed back to home plate, where she was able to slide under the glove of Ava Gall, who was thrown the ball from Mahler while Washington became her slide across home plate.

Washington's run was the lone tally in the run column on the scoreboard for either team. and also gave Texas its first 1-0 victory since the Longhorns beat Texas State in San Marcos on Wednesday, Feb. 28, which is also Kavan's birthday.

FROM HEAD COACH MIKE WHITE

"Obviously, that was an old-fashion ballgame right here: 1-0, a pitchers' duel, two tremendous pitchers going at it and whoever blinked first was going to lose that game. I think everyone in the stadium knew that. Fortunately, we were able to create some pressure there in the last inning and was able to hang on. But what a tremendous job by Teagan Kavan and pitching for a second time against that club that is a World Series contender. She wasn't showing any nerves, so I'm going to start calling her 'Ice Kavan.' And congratulations to Stanford, too, on a great year and being able to battle through adversity. I think that was their third- or fourth time facing elimination. They had nothing to lose and were going to give us everything they had. NiJaree Canady. Wow. What can you say? She's really, really tough. We are fortunate to be going to our second championship series appearance in the last three years.

FROM FRESHMAN PITCHER TEAGAN KAVAN

"Honestly, I was more calm today (than last Thursday's game). I was able to control my breathing and felt more in control of the game and knew we would pull through. But I was just more calm today and just ready to go and get after it."

GAME NOTES

• Monday night's victory gave Texas' its third consecutive win to open the 2024 Women's College World Series (WCWS), marking the first time in program history that the Longhorns have opened a WCWS appearance with three straight wins.
  • The previous best start to a WCWS appearance occurred in 2003, when UT picked up wins over Louisiana and California, before dropping a game to UCLA.
• With the win over the Cardinal, the 2024 Texas squad has tied the program's single-season wins record (55) set throughout the 2006 campaign.
• On a one-out single in the top of the sixth, Reese Atwood was credited with her 79th hit on the season, one back of tying Janae Jefferson (80, 2019) for third on the program's single-season hit list.
• By starting Monday's game against Stanford, Reese Atwood has now appeared in and started all 63 games throughout the 2024 season, which is now tied for sixth on the program's single-season games started list.
• As a result of earning the win in the pitching circle on Monday, Teagan Kavan became Texas' first freshman student-athlete to win 20-or-more games in a single season since Blaire Luna picked up 30 victories during the 2010 season.
  • Kavan is also the Longhorns' first 20-game winner since Hailey Dolcini won 24 games in 43 pitching appearances throughout the 2022 season.
• Monday's 1-0 victory for Texas was the first for the Longhorns at the WCWS since June 5, 2005, when UT knocked off then-No. 3 seed Arizona by a single run.
• Texas' win on Monday night guarantees the Big 12 Conference will be represented in the WCWS Championship Series for the fifth consecutive season and seven of the last eight finals.
• Texas became the first Division I softball program to add two losses to Stanford's NiJaree Canady's record since UCLA on April 19 and 21, 2024.
  • The Longhorns are just the third team to beat Canady multiple times in her two collegiate softball seasons, joining UCLA (2024) and Oklahoma (2023).
• Texas' Teagan Kavan has now tossed 14 consecutive scoreless innings for begin her WCWS career.

UP NEXT

• Top-seeded Texas (55-8) will take on either second-seeded Oklahoma or fourth-seeded Florida in a best-of-three championship series that will begin at 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday, June 5.
  • Oklahoma and Florida will play in a winner-take-all game on Tuesday, June 4 with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. CT.

FOLLOW US

• For the latest information on the team, follow @TexasSoftball on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at @TexasLonghorns on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.