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Texas and Texas Tech both have gone undefeated in the Women's College World Series to reach the championship matchup, which begins tonight:
Read about how Texas Tech upset Oklahoma here and how Texas reached the title series again here.
The schedule:
*If necessary
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Texas Tech topples ‘historic, legendary’ Oklahoma dynasty to reach WCWS finals
It’s no secret softball players show up with some of the coolest hairstyles in sports. Even cooler? Seeing dozens of little girls with intricate braids and ponytails walking around Devon Park.
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Teagan Kavan has not allowed a run in her 17 innings at the WCWS so far. At the moment, Texas Tech is threatening to change that with the bases loaded and nobody out.
Mihyia Davis starts this one off with a single down the third base line, putting some instant pressure on this Longhorns defense. She has some major speed, and she scored the winning run on the walk-off sac fly that secured the Red Raiders' spot in this championship series. I'd keep an eye out for stolen bases from Texas Tech and coach Gerry Glasco tonight.
The Longhorns are too.
Red Raiders are ready!
Anybody else have the chills?? So many of these players have dreamed of playing in this game, on this stage, since they were little. And now they're here. These Texas players know what it feels like, but this time has to feel different, the stakes are higher. Two teams vying to make school history in their own right.
NiJaree Canady said after leading Texas Tech to a win over Oklahoma in the semifinals that she actually feels nervous before every game. No doubt these Red Raiders feel it tonight, but we know Canady wipes those feelings away when she steps into the circle, as she's shown time and time again.
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Teagan Kavan is 2-0 in the Women's College World Series.
Red Raiders' lineup.
The championship series is here. Longhorns vs. Red Raiders.
Let's go!
Patrick Mahomes is ready.
It’s Strikeout Cancer Night here at Devon Park, so besides the masses of red, black and burnt orange, there are a few fans — alongside all the crew members — in pink!
Breast cancer awareness has been a huge theme throughout this 2025 softball season after Florida State coach Lonni Alameda announced her breast cancer diagnosis in March and continued coaching.
Alameda told the team of her diagnosis the day before its March 26 matchup against Stetson, she told The Athletic in May.
“I wanted to sit in front of them and say, ‘Hey I’m going to do this because I want everyone to know what’s going on because I'm going to be bald here pretty soon so I can’t hide it much longer,” she said then.
Alameda said she knew from assisting Sarah Pickering, her former fellow assistant coach at Stanford, through her lymphoma battle that she did not want a wig or to try and preserve her hair. She wanted to shave it. Again.
Alameda shaved her head previously in support of Pickering’s battle and said she “knew how connecting it was,” so this time around in her personal battle, she wanted her FSU players to be a part of it.
In the team room at the hotel in Cal in mid-April, the team used assistant coach Troy Cameron’s travel razor to cut Alameda’s hair, FSU star Michaela Edenfield told The Athletic in May. One by one, players took turns cutting Alameda’s brown locks as music bumped and the head coach joked she would soon look like her bald counterpart in Cameron.
“Roar” by Katy Perry and other songs by Lizzo attempted to lighten the mood, but when it was Edenfield’s turn with the sheers, “Rise Up” by Andra Day came on, and she could no longer avert the tears.
“(Alameda’s) had me in her arms crying before, so for me to be there for her during this time now it means so much more to me than she would probably think,” Edenfield said. “It’s truly inspirational on how she’s living the words that she preaches to us every day: To trust the process, trust the people, the commitment. If you think negatively about something you can flip it, it’s a mentality. She’s doing that with breast cancer. It is a mentality.”
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If you're looking for a good cry today, listen to Sam Landry's letter to softball.
"Thank you softball, for the memories, for the lessons, for helping me grow into someone I'm proud of. I'll always carry you with me, no matter where I go next."
For all of those getting sad that the college softball season is nearing its end, fear not! We get to watch all of our favorite stars, including some faces from the WCWS like Korbe Otis and Sam Landry, all summer long with the AUSL!
But I have no doubt the Longhorns are going to put up a fight. In fact, I really feel like we'll have a pitchers duel in this one and wouldn't be surprised if this goes to extras. Even though Teagan Kavan struggled a little bit toward the end of the regular season and in the Super Regionals against Clemson, since coming to OKC she has locked things down. Mac Morgan looked great in the circle against Tennessee too. While Joley Mitchell and Katie Stewart have been coming in clutch at the plate with power, the big missing piece in Texas' offense right now is catcher Reese Atwood.
She's 0-for-12 in her last four games with a handful of strikeouts. If she doesn't get going tonight, it puts more pressure on these other Longhorns batters. Not that they haven't handled things just fine – especially with how well Leighann Goode has been hitting lately – but having that boost of a bat missing while in OKC has made games a lot tighter.
But, if I have to make a pick, I think I'm going with Texas Tech. The energy around this team right now, from the steal of home to a walk-off sac fly, feels so special. Nija Canady has escaped jams time, and time again and her changeup has been on another level lately. Freshman shortstop Hailey Toney, first baseman Lauren Allred and right fielder Alana Johnson have been on offensive tears lately, leading the Red Raiders on what is currently a 12-game winning streak.
That's hard to top. I think Gerry Glasco is going to continue his aggressiveness on the bases and put these players in scoring position as often as possible to give Canady a lead to work with. The cherry on top of the cake? Mr. Texas Tech himself, Patrick Mahomes, is fully behind this team. …
Making a pick for Game 1 of the championship series feels almost impossible. Texas Tech is riding such a hot streak through the entire postseason, and it seems like divine luck is on its side right now. On the other hand, Texas' path to a national title feels oh-so-clear with perennial foe of Oklahoma in the way. If we get Teagan Kavan vs. NiJaree Canady in the circle today, it truly feels like it could be anybody's game. …
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Have to include the Texas lineup here as well. These fans are ready to go!
Texas Tech fans are lined up to greet their team.
There’s still an hour and a half to go until game time, but the first wave of fans seems to be an even split between the two Texas schools.
For the Glasco family, softball is the lingua franca, the language that connects them.
It anchors Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco to his daughter Tara Archibald, who is also the program’s associate head coach. And it connects both of them — even now — to Geri Ann, Gerry’s daughter and Tara’s youngest sister, who was killed in a car crash in 2019 at just 24 years old.
“For us, it’s like you can’t go anywhere in the softball community without some sort of tie to Geri Ann,” Tara said. “Any park I go recruiting at, there’s always some kind of memory that involves G. Then the people, even here.”
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For Texas Tech coach, reminders of late daughter are everywhere at WCWS: ‘She’s been with us’