Teagan Kavan etches her name into the history books with her WCWS clinching outing

OKLAHOMA CITY — For Longhorns fans, Vince Young owns the Rose Bowl. Tonight, Teagan Kavan proved she owns Devon Park.

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Kavan, who holds the record for the most complete games pitched in the Women’s College World Series, didn’t start the game in the circle. But she most certainly ended it.

Texas fans were on their feet to watch Kavan secure the last three outs of the 2026 softball season. Coming off a high in the bottom of the sixth, where she struck out the side in relief of Citlaly Gutierrez, Kavan was dialed in.

It all came down to one final showdown with Texas Tech center fielder Mihyia Davis, who hit a home run off of Kavan in the first inning of Wednesday’s game one. With a 1-2 count, Kavan got Davis to chase and strike out swinging to give the Texas Longhorns back-to-back NCAA softball championships.

When the final pitch crossed the plate, Kavan thought back to when she was younger, unable to master her riseball with her pitching coach Bill Hillhouse, and the resiliency she had to show at a young age.

But she mastered the riseball as her career progressed and used it with great effect on Thursday night to where Davis had no choice but to respect it. That’s what made Kavan’s change-up effective not just all season, but in the championship-clinching moment.

“He always told me ‘don’t let the highs get to high, or the lows get too low, just remain steady,’” Kavan said. “That what I carry with me for the rest of my life… just remain steady in every moment, and just always trust myself and the people around me.”

Her time in Oklahoma City has never ceased to amaze. In 31.1 innings at the WCWS, she’s tossed 30 strikeouts, including five in tonight’s championship game where it was up to her to get the last six outs against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. She pitched two perfect innings to flip the switch and light the UT Tower burnt orange.

Kavan launched herself toward home plate and into the arms of her teammate Reese Atwood after Texas Tech had its final unsuccessful swing. The rest of the team joined quickly after. The group that met in the middle of the diamond shared the moment of celebration. But that final moment capping a 53-12 season and earning a second straight national title showed the team had a championship DNA that persisted in spite of the ebbs and flows of the 2026 season.

That DNA was most apparent in the moments when Kavan stepped into the circle at Devon Park. Ice flowed through her veins.

As the players who made the All-Tournament Team were announced, the crowd swelled in anticipation waiting for Kavan’s name. When the her name finally rang through the speakers, the burnt orange in the stand erupted, knowing they witnessed Kavan’s name become etched into softball history. She became the first player to be declared the WCWS Most Outstanding Player twice.

Even after carrying Texas to another national championship, Kavan didn’t gloat. She didn’t even want to talk about herself. Instead, she looked to her teammates, smiled at Atwood through the tears, and just expressed the strong bond she has with the group of girls around her.

It’s up to her teammates to convey the kind of athlete Kavan is — the one who is looking out for the team and not herself. Atwood, who was her battery mate all season, described Kavan’s role as a leader who motivated those around her to their own clutch moments. 

“She believes in us so much,” Atwood said. “She’s always like ‘hey just score one,’ or ‘I’ll keep you here.’”

Kavan’s performance left TTU head coach Gerry Glasco stunned.

“In the postseason, she steps up so big every year,” Glasco said. “If you know softball, you know how rare and special a talent she is.”

Gutierrez set the stage for Kavan, pitching 4.1 innings, delivering three strikeouts, and allowing just one run. Even when she came back into the game after freshman Hannah Wells got into trouble and loaded the bases in the fourth, Gutierrez delivered and shut down Tech’s offense.

With another national championship under Kavan’s belt, soon the world will ask if she can do it again. She did do it again. Of course she can do it again. The season didn’t contain solely highs, but that doesn’t matter, it ended on one thanks to No. 17 in the circle. Kavan has the heart of a champion and the soul of a teammate — and that’s how she continued her success in OKC.

“She ended up putting the team ahead of her own goals,” head coach Mike White said. “And when she was able to do that, you got the production that you got in the last half of the season.”