Teagan Kavan's complete game secures first win against Texas Tech in WCWS championship series

OKLAHOMA CITY — The energy was palpable inside Devon Park entering the top of the seventh inning. Texas Tech fans were willing their team forward with hopes of another late-game comeback, while Texas fans could only think about winning the first game of the championship series.

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Junior TTU catcher Jasmyn Burns wasn’t making it easy on Texas’ junior ace Teagan Kavan in the first at-bat of the last inning. With a full count, Burns fouled three balls in a row before Kavan threw the right pitch to get her to chase, striking her out.

The rest of the inning went off without a hitch, and the Longhorns were embracing Kavan on the field after just six more pitches, taking the first game of the championship series 7-3. 

The road wasn’t easy for Kavan. Facing the second batter of the night, senior outfielder Mihyia Davis, Kavan was left looking at a homer over the left field wall. Texas fans at Devon Park collectively groaned. 

But throughout the night, Kavan kept the mistakes to a minimum, a credit to her ability to keep her body and mind strong throughout a full game.

“(I) just kind of tell myself, ‘oh well that’s probably going to happen at some point,’ and so I just put my head down, do the work for my team, and try to keep us in the game as long as possible,” Kavan said. 

It was a game of déjà vu for the Red Raiders. In 2025, Texas Tech lost the first game 2-1, then evened the series with a 4-3 win, just to eventually lose the championship 10-4 in the third game.

The Red Raiders accumulated just three hits against Kavan’s arm, with two of them being homers that accounted for all three of Tech’s runs.

“She’s just a really good pitcher,” TTU junior infielder Mia Williams said. “I think she has good command of her balls and she’s elite.”

Williams struck out swinging in her first two at-bats, but figured out Kavan’s game in her third appearance at the plate, launching a ball past Texas’ junior center fielder Kayden Henry and over the outfield wall. 

Still, her two hits weren’t enough to elevate the Red Raiders’ score above the Longhorns’ with Kavan throwing all seven innings, dealing six strikeouts and allowing two walks. 

While Texas head coach Mike White kept it consistent in the circle, Texas Tech’s head coach Gerry Glasco went back to his habit of swapping his pitchers when the opposing team started gaining momentum. That strategy didn’t change against the Longhorns’ offense.

Junior TTU pitcher Kaitlyn Terry made her start in the circle, but was quickly swapped out for senior NiJaree Canady when Terry gave up a two-run bomb to junior infielder Katie Stewart then allowed runners to reach the corners In the first. Canady couldn’t clean up the mess, and it was quickly 5-1 after just one inning.

While the runs allowed by his bullpen were concerning for Glasco, it was Kavan’s performance that knocked his socks off and his team off kilter.

“She’s one of those great athletes that’s able to have great focus in a big moment,” Glasco said. “You just got to tip your hat to her, like this is a great pitcher, she’s proven what she is over and over and over, and she was good tonight.” 

With 115 pitches thrown tonight, Kavan’s arm may not be ready for the start against Texas Tech tomorrow. However, White noted that it’s a luxury to have a No. 2 pitcher like Citlaly Gutierrez to lean on when Kavan is fatigued. 

“I’m not sure what I’m going to do yet,” White said. “Citlaly did pitch very well the last couple of times out, so that’s an option there.”

The second game of the Women’s College World Series is in less than 24 hours, so the time for recovery is short. While Texas Tech has not lost two games in a row this season, the Longhorns are determined to break that cycle and hoist another championship trophy in the air tomorrow.