### Texas and Texas Tech Gear Up for Thrilling Women's College World Series Finale

In a dramatic turn of events, the Oklahoma Sooners bowed out of the Women's College World Series, first succumbing to No. 3 Texas Longhorns and subsequently being knocked out by the surprising Texas Tech Red Raiders. As a result, fans eagerly anticipate a showdown in the finals featuring Texas and Texas Tech, with both teams vying for their first national championship title.

The Longhorns are no strangers to the big stage, having made it to the finals before but falling short to Oklahoma in 2022 and 2024. On the other hand, Texas Tech arrives at this stage for the first time under the leadership of first-year head coach Gerry Glasco. A notable boost to their campaign has been ace pitcher NiJaree Canady, whose $1 million NIL deal has underscored her significance to her team and marked a significant milestone in Texas Tech's sports history.

Despite Canady's impressive record this season—boasting a 33-5 record, 0.90 ERA, 21 complete games, seven shutouts, and 304 strikeouts in 226 innings—the Longhorns remain unfazed. Texas has emerged victorious in three out of four encounters with Canady over the past two seasons. Highlighting their strategy and determination, Texas narrowly edged out Texas Tech 2-1 in a nine-inning game in Austin earlier this year, caught Canady off guard in last year's WCWS opener, and then clinched another win with an unearned run in a tight 1-0 elimination game.

Sophomore right-hander Teagan Kavan was pivotal to Texas' success in those outings. With a combined 23 innings pitched, 32 strikeouts, and allowing only one run on six hits, Kavan's performances included back-to-back shutouts against Stanford last year. "I like when it's a pitcher's duel - it's fun to compete in those atmospheres against the best," Kavan noted.

Senior first baseman Joley Mitchell refrained from making any bold predictions about their advantage over Canady. "I'm not going to say yes or no," Mitchell remarked. "Games can change. Things can be different, especially last year to this year. I'm sure NiJa is just a different pitcher, but we just have to focus on what's in front of us, take it one pitch at a time."

To overcome Canady's dominance, the Longhorns will likely need to employ a small ball strategy, capitalizing on manufacturing runs and exploiting opponent errors, much like their previous encounters where they scored using bunts, infield singles, and even benefiting from wild pitches.

Mitchell emphasized the importance of sticking to their game plan rather than relying on the big home runs that have characterized their postseason. "Just sticking within ourselves, just being disciplined, being on time," she explained.

On the other side, Texas Tech has proved especially formidable when scoring first, with a 47-5 record under such circumstances this season. They've maintained a clean sheet in terms of trailing across 55 innings of NCAA Tournament play. Mitchell, however, remains confident. "I trust our team and if they score first, okay, it's a game of scoring. As coach [Mike Whit] says, 'The game doesn't know.' So we have to go out there and play our best game regardless and if you hit a little bit of adversity, it doesn't mean you have to back down," she asserted.

With both teams bringing a thrilling mix of talent and tenacity, fans can expect an electrifying finale as Texas and Texas Tech battle for their first Women's College World Series title.