Three cities, three days, six games, six wins.
No. 1 Texas softball opened up its 2025 season campaign with pure dominance in a road trip that tested its depth and consistency. The Longhorns went undefeated, marking the 12th time Texas has begun a season 6–0 in program history.
Opening day for Texas softball went as expected for the country’s top-ranked team. On Friday, the team won both games against Longwood and Louisiana in Lafayette via the mercy rule, resulting in a combined margin of victory of 16—0.
The doubleheader saw Texas’s pitching power come alive on full display, pitching back-to-back five-inning shutouts. Texas pitchers in 10 innings struck out 11 batters and only gave up four hits while walking just two. Senior pitcher Mac Morgan got the start in the opening game, making it her third straight opening-day start, and sophomore star pitcher Teagan Kavan got the start in game two.
“I thought all of our pitchers were just in control all day,” head coach Mike White said. “So, overall, it was a really good day in the circle for us.”
Batters for the Longhorns were explosive and active. Texas batters combined for 18 hits and 13 RBIs throughout both games. Junior catcher Reese Atwood led the way hitting her first home run of the season, becoming just the seventh player in program history to hit 35.
On Saturday, the Longhorns picked up right where they left off, getting their third straight shutout for the first time in program history against St. John’s.
However, the Longhorns hit their first moment of adversity of the season against Lamar. After a scoreless first inning, the Cardinals scored an unearned run.
Sophomore catcher Katie Stewert got the offense ball rolling at the top of the fourth inning with a solo home run. What followed was the unleashing of Texas’ hitting prowess, scoring 13 runs across four innings. Sophomore outfielder Kayden Henry was a standout, hitting two triples and sealing the win with a double-play.
Texas wrapped up its weekend with two hard-fought wins against Tulsa and Sam Houston. Although fatigue started to show in the Longhorns’ game and the team had to adjust to competing on artificial turf, their offensive weapons overwhelmed both teams.
Junior pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez took over for true freshman Cambria Salmon. Both athletes made errors resulting in Tulsa cutting its deficit by half. However, graduate infielder Joley Mitchell sent a pitch over the fence for a two-run home run at the top of the seventh to clinch the fifth win of the weekend.
Texas scored five unanswered runs across the first three innings against Sam Houston, until Kavan, who was in the circle all game, threw the Bearcats a solo homer in the fifth despite retiring the first 11 batters.
The Bearcats attempted to stage a comeback in the final inning, but a two-home run by Atwood and a solo homer by sophomore infielder Victoria Hunter made the deficit too large for Sam Houston.
“We were playing on a different surface today with the artificial turf on the infield, so the infield was a little bit slower and that took us a little bit getting used to,” White said. “Overall, this was a grueling trip and it made it tough for us, but that’s what they used to do in the old days.”
The Longhorns return to action Friday at home in the Bevo Classic, which sees the team play five games over three days against Maryland, UMass and No. 13/10 Texas Tech.
