While the pitching of Teagan Kavan, the batting of Katie Stewart and Reese Atwood, and the coaching prowess of Mike White might be the main focus of Texas's run back to the Women's College World Series final, there's another subject that needs to be studied.
During the Horns' first semifinal game against the Tennessee Volunteers, ESPN shared a feature story on Hannah Wells, a pitcher and utility player for Texas.
Due to a childhood superstition, the freshman Longhorn eats any ladybug she sees for good luck.
Yes, you read that correctly. If Wells sees a ladybug, she grabs it and eats it whole, all because of something that started in her childhood and has had proven success during her time with the Texas Longhorns.
Don't worry, I looked it up; no, ladybugs are not poisonous to humans.
Hannah Wells' superstition may have led the Horns back to the WCWS
Obviously, you can't place all of the weight behind Texas's comeback run through the losers' bracket of the Women's College World Series.
However, there's no denying that it couldn't have hurt, especially when you look at Wells' performances in the two semifinal games against Tennessee.
Eating ladybugs for good luck is a new one 😅
— espnW (@espnW) June 1, 2026
Can Hannah Wells and the Longhorns keep the good luck rolling in Game 2? 3:15 ET on ESPN and the ESPN App 🍿 pic.twitter.com/0XzkSg1cw9
In Game 1, Wells earned two hits, bringing in two RBIs and a run of her own in four at-bats. The next game, the ladybug-eating freshman tacked two more hits onto her WCWS stat sheet. Over the two-game stretch, she had zero strikeouts and was walked once.
Additionally, ESPN's Holly Rowe, while sharing the report on Wells, even shared that the freshman had caught and eaten a ladybug ahead of Texas's series against the Kentucky Wildcats, which resulted in a sweep for the Horns.
Simply put, maybe, just maybe, her bug-based superstition has at least a little weight to it.
In the Women's College World Series final, the Longhorns will face either the Alabama Crimson Tide or the Texas Tech Red Raiders (once again) to defend their title. Hopefully, there are a few ladybugs in the air before the first pitches are thrown out.
Add us as a preferred source on Google