Mike White adds power to Texas softball batting lineup with Reese Atwood replacement

The first domino has fallen in the transfer portal for the Texas Longhorns, and it came in the form of former Arizona State catcher Samantha Swan, a graduate athlete with one year of eligibility remaining.

Over the last three years, Swan made a name for herself as a strong batter and an unflappable player behind the plate.

And, yes, she is coming to the Horns from the very team that Texas eliminated in the Super Regional of this year's NCAA Softball Tournament: the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Most notably, for the Horns and head coach Mike White at least, is that she could easily slide into the role vacated by beloved catcher Reese Atwood.

Of course, Atwood saw her eligibility come to an end this year and left for the pros, joining the Athletes Unlimited Softball League's Carolina Blaze as the seventh overall pick in the 2026 AUSL Draft.

Samantha Swan's place with the Longhorns is blatantly obvious

With Atwood now in the league, Swan would easily slide into her role, catching for Texas's star pitcher Teagan Kavan, whose relationship with Atwood was one of the more cherished parts of the Horns' back-to-back National Championship runs.

While Swan might not be able to build the same level of friendship with Kavan in just a year's time, she brings the necessary experience and poise that the Longhorns expect in their starting catcher.

Throughout her four-year tenure with the Sun Devils, Swan had a .984 fielding percentage in 155 appearances. Beyond her talent behind the plate, Swan was also one of the more highly touted batters in the transfer portal, earning a career .322 batting average, including 18 home runs, 86 RBIs, and 67 runs.

While playing Texas in the best-of-three Super Regional series, Swan racked up four hits for five RBIs and came home for one run of her own.

She earned 25 putouts against the Longhorns while committing no errors during the series. The one flaw in Swan's game? On 24 stolen base attempts throughout the season, she only threw out three runners, a far cry from the numbers of a catcher like Atwood.

This year, only seven runners even dared to try to steal a base with Atwood behind the plate. The former Longhorn caught four of those runners stealing.

Also read: Texas softball transfer portal tracker: Longhorns' path to a 3-peat starts now

Only two Longhorns have entered the portal: infielder Shylien Brister and right-handed pitcher Cambria Salmon. Swan was White's first transfer portal addition of the offseason, the Horns' head coach historically relying more heavily on high school recruiting than transfer prospects.

Texas softball recruiting class of 2026

• Annie Abdullah, infielder (FL)
• Jordynn Booe, utility player (Pflugerville, TX)
• Josie Busceme, outfielder (Austin, TX)
• Mia Clemmer, catcher and first baseman (Coahoma, TX)
• Madi Doty, right-handed pitcher (Grandview, TX )
• Aubrey Portie, utility player (LA)
• Stevie South, catcher and outfielder (Magnolia, TX)

Texas's recruiting class of 2026 ranked fourth in the nation and included seven elite prospects that White expects to be perfect additions to the Texas roster.

"It is a class loaded with talent covering all the major areas in the game, including pitching, catching, infield, and outfield. We're excited to welcome them to the Longhorn family," White said of his recruiting class. "The future remains bright for the program."

With a top-four recruiting class, a plethora of returning stars, two back-to-back National Championships, and now an elite transfer addition to their name, the Longhorns are looking primed to win yet another title or two next season.

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