NCAA Softball Championship Set
Only two teams remain in the race for the 2026 NCAA softball national title, and both are from the Lone Star State. The No. 2 Texas Longhorns and the No. 11 Texas Tech Red Raiders have secured their spots in the Women’s College World Series (WCWS) championship series, scheduled to begin later this week in Oklahoma City.
The path to the finals was decided on Monday after a thrilling day of semifinal action.
Texas Overcomes Tennessee in Doubleheader
In the first semifinal matchup, Texas faced a must-win situation against Tennessee. The Longhorns rose to the occasion, first staving off elimination with a 5-2 victory to force a decisive second game. Texas then completed the sweep with a commanding 4-0 win to punch their ticket to the title series.
Pitcher Teagan Kavan was a standout in the final game, delivering six scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and striking out six batters. Offensively, Katie Stewart continued her hot streak, launching a home run in both games, marking her third consecutive game with a long ball. While Stewart provided power, the Longhorns also showed their versatility in the second game, executing small-ball tactics that included a daring steal of home in the third inning.
With this victory, Texas advances to its third straight WCWS championship final and will have a chance to defend its national title.
Texas Tech Stuns Alabama with Two Straight Wins
The second semifinal was a dramatic, back-and-forth affair that saw Texas Tech fend off elimination twice against No. 1 Alabama.
The Red Raiders forced a second game thanks to a season-saving, walk-off solo home run by Mia Williams in the bottom of the seventh inning of the first matchup. That contest was a rollercoaster: solo homers from Texas Tech’s Lauren Allred and Alabama’s Marlie Giles kept the game tied early. Texas Tech took the lead in the fifth on a two-run homer by Taylor Pannell that narrowly escaped the glove of Alabama’s left fielder, Audrey Vandergriff.
Just when the Red Raiders were two outs away from victory, Alabama’s Jena Young delivered a clutch two-run homer in the top of the seventh to tie the game once more. However, Williams ended the suspense quickly, blasting another solo homer on just the fourth pitch of the bottom of the inning to walk it off and keep Texas Tech’s season alive.
Forced into a winner-take-all Game 2 due to the double-elimination format, the Red Raiders carried their momentum forward. Jasmyn Burns broke the scoreless deadlock with a home run in the fourth inning. From there, pitcher NiJaree Canady took over, shutting out Alabama for the remainder of the contest. An insurance run in the seventh, when Mihyia Davis scored on an Alabama error, secured the 2-0 victory and a rematch in the championship series.
Championship Series Preview
The stage is now set for an all-Texas showdown. The WCWS championship series, a rematch of last year’s finals, begins Wednesday night. Fans can catch Game 1 on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET.