After being stunned in the opening game of their Super Regional, the Texas Longhorns softball team didn't hesitate, taking down the Arizona State Sun Devils in back-to-back games to win the series and punch the Longhorns' return ticket to the Women's College World Series.
After eking out the Game 2 victory, it looked like head coach Mike White and his players had locked in, earning a dominant 5-0 win in Game 3, thanks in large part to pitcher Teagan Kavan's effort in the circle.
Despite the umpire's strike zone seeming to move up and down depending on which team was pitching, something Texas fans were far from quiet about online, Kavan was her usual commanding self, dealing out five strikeouts and leaving the Sun Devils runless by the end of the seventh inning.
Teagan Kavan produces shutout to advance Texas to WCWS
While Kavan had her readily apparent strikes flying across the plate, quite a few pitches were called as balls, despite seemingly crossing through the strike zone.
Then, making matters worse, when the Sun Devils would take the field, Arizona State pitchers Kenzie Brown and Meika Lauppe earned strikes on pitches that (at the very least looked like they) hit the exact same spot in the strike zone as Kavan's.
you know it’s bad when the commentators call out the lower zone getting called for kenzie & not for teagan…
— Hannah Wells Stan Acct. 🤘🏼🥎 (@HookEmLacixoxo) May 24, 2026
Behind Kavan's powerful pitching performance, the Longhorn offense was able to breathe a little more easily, and it led to a much more consistent performance at the plate.
Texas earned five runs on the Horns' nine hits to blow Arizona State out of the water, and out of the NCAA Tournament, and continue its run to defend last season's National Championship-winning performance.
Also read: Vegas quietly sends a loud message about Texas Softball with updated WCWS odds
With the Game 3 win, the Horns advanced to the Women's College World Series, where they will have a chance to defend their National Championship. Arizona State was sent home with an impressive season cut short by Texas.
The Longhorns will face the Tennessee Volunteers in their first game of the WCWS.
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