The Texas Longhorns are set to compete in the women’s College World Series, where they will first face off against the Stanford Cardinal in Oklahoma City. The winner of this game will advance to play either the Florida Gators or Oklahoma State Cowgirls. While Texas coach Mike White has expressed his displeasure with playing games in Oklahoma City due to what he believes is a local advantage for teams like Oklahoma, it is unlikely that the venues will be rotated, so the Longhorns will have to play in hostile territory.
In Bracket 1, Texas and Stanford will be joined by Florida and Oklahoma State, while Oklahoma, UCLA, Duke, and Alabama make up Bracket 2. The Longhorns and Cardinal have faced off seven times since 2006, with Texas holding a slim 5-2 edge over their opponents. Reese Atwood has been named Softball America Player of the Year and leads the Longhorns with impressive statistics this season. On the mound for Texas, Teagan Kavan has 18 wins, while Citaly Gutierrez leads with a 1.79 ERA.
Stanford’s Emily Jones boasts a .337 batting average this season, while Caelan Koch and Aly Kaneshiro lead in doubles with 11 each. Kaneshiro also has an impressive total of 11 home runs and 41 RBIs under her belt. NiJaree Canady is atop the Cardinal pitching staff with an impressive record of 22 wins and a .65 ERA. The upcoming matchup between these two powerhouse teams is scheduled for Thursday at OGE Energy Field at Devon Park in Oklahoma City at 6 p.m CT
