In a landmark moment for Texas softball, the No. 6-seeded Longhorns stunned the No. 2-seeded Oklahoma Sooners, the second-most successful program in college softball history, with a 4-2 victory on May 31, 2025, at Devon Park in Oklahoma City. This triumph marked Texas’ first-ever Women’s College World Series (WCWS) win over their Red River rivals, snapping a 0-7 WCWS record against Oklahoma and ending the Sooners’ 25-game winning streak against Texas in Oklahoma. The victory propelled the Longhorns into the WCWS semifinals, positioning them one win away from their third WCWS finals appearance in four years.
The game was a testament to Texas’ resilience and focus, driven by sophomore ace Teagan Kavan’s emotional complete-game performance. Kavan, dedicating the game to her late grandmother who passed away that morning, delivered a masterclass in the circle, striking out eight, allowing just one earned run on seven hits, and stranding multiple Sooners in clutch moments, including back-to-back strikeouts in the seventh with the tying runs on base. Her composure under pressure was pivotal in silencing Oklahoma’s potent offense, which had powered them to four consecutive national titles.
Offensively, Texas leaned on timely power hitting. Kayden Henry broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth inning with a go-ahead home run off Oklahoma starter Sam Landry, giving the Longhorns a 3-2 lead. Joley Mitchell sealed the deal with a solo shot in the sixth, her third home run in two WCWS games, providing a crucial insurance run. Mitchell emphasized the team’s focus, stating, “We weren’t focused on the crowd or what Oklahoma was doing. We were focusing on what Texas softball was doing.”
For Oklahoma, the loss was their earliest WCWS defeat since 2021, pushing the four-time defending champions into an elimination game against No. 16 Oregon on June 1. The Sooners, who had dominated Texas with a 48-13 all-time series lead and a sweep in the 2024 WCWS finals, struggled to counter Kavan’s pitching and Texas’ late-inning heroics. Coach Patty Gasso now faces the challenge of rallying her team to keep their unprecedented five-peat hopes alive.
This historic win reshapes the narrative of the Texas-Oklahoma rivalry, with the Longhorns (52-11) proving they can topple the juggernaut Sooners (51-7) on the sport’s biggest stage. Texas advances to face either No. 7 Tennessee or the loser of the Texas Tech-UCLA matchup in the semifinals on June 2, needing just one win to reach the championship series. As the Longhorns chase their first national title, this victory signals their readiness to compete at the highest level, fueled by heart, grit, and a breakthrough performance that will be remembered in Austin for years to come.
