Pitching wins in theWomen's College World Series. Texas softballlearned that firsthand after being on the wrong end of a two-game sweep at the hands of Oklahoma in last year's championship series at Devon Field in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Sooners outscored the Longhorns 16-7 en route to their fourth straight national championship. REQUIRED READING:Winners and losers from NCAA softball tournament super regionals: Oklahoma in WCWS again After starring for Texas as a freshman, Teagan Kavan has played a huge role in getting the Longhorns back to the WCWS as the No. 6 overall seed. Kavan and Texas take on No. 3 Florida at noon ET on Thursday to open the Women's College World Series. Can Kavan pitch the Longhorns to a second consecutive championship series appearance and the first national title in program history? Here's what you need to know about the Longhorns' ace pitcher: Interestingly, Kavan did not pitch at all for her high school, Dowling Catholic in West Des Moines, Iowa. Rather, the right-handed pitcher played club softball exclusively for Iowa Premier Fastpitch. During her club career, she compiled 1,444 strikeouts in 772 2/3 innings to go along with 45 shutouts and six no-hitters. Kavan was the youngest of 32 athletes invited to try out for the 2021 USA Softball U19 Women's National Team. She was one of four signees for the Longhorns in a recruiting class that was rated No. 4 in the nation by Extra Inning Softball. As a freshman, Kavan proved to be as good as advertised, earning a spot on the WCWS All-Tournament Team. She became the first pitcher in Texas program history to throw a complete game shutout at the WCWS, in what was her first career start at the event. Overall, as a freshman, Kavan posted a 20-3 record with four saves, nine complete games, six shutouts and a 2.20 ERA in 130 2/3 innings pitched. She stepped it up this year as a sophomore with a 24-5 record and compiled three saves, 14 complete games, four shutouts and a 2.56 ERA, in 175 1/3 innings. Here's a look at Kavan's pitching stats through two collegiate seasons at Texas: 2024:20-3 record, four saves, nine complete games, six shutouts, 2.20 ERA, 135 strikeouts, 46 walks and a .175 batting average against in 130 2/3 innings, 31 appearances (24 starts) 2025:24-5 record, three saves, 14 complete games, four shutouts, 2.56 ERA, 212 strikeouts, 48 walks and a .223 batting average against in 175 1/3 innings, 37 appearances (26 starts) This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Who is Texas softball pitcher Teagan Kavan?
