Texas Longhorns pitcher Teagan Kavan (17) and catcher Reese Atwood (14) celebrate the final out of the NCAA D1 Softball Tournament Regional against UCF at Red and Charline McCombs Field on Sunday, May 18, 2025 in Austin, Texas. Aaron E. Martinez / American Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Key Pitching Changes Extend Texas Longhorns Super Regional Chances

Originally posted on Texas Longhorns on SI
By Ylver Deleon-Rios | Last updated May 24, 2025 12:59 PM ET

With their backs against the wall and elimination closing in on the Longhorns, head coach Mike White made changes up and down his squad to stay alive in the NCAA Tournament in game two of the Austin Super Regional.

White's biggest gamble was starting true freshman pitcher Cambria Salmon in the circle, who has not had much game time throughout the end of the season. Friday's start was just her eighth of the season and her first since March 10th. The gamble paid off as the freshman did not shy away from the moment, giving the Longhorns three and two-thirds innings of solid work, striking out two and four earned runs on her book.

"I think [Salmon] controlled the emotions, just looking at her face and her emotions, just the way she carried herself, she looked like she was a senior," White said in a postgame press conference. "There was no pressure; it's a tough situation to put somebody in, and I think she carried herself well and did exactly what we needed from her."

White continued to make changes throughout the night, bringing in senior Sophia Simpson in relief of Salmon in the fourth inning, however, the change did not work out as expected. As Simpson surrendered back-to-back walks and walked in a run, giving the lead to the Tigers.

The Longhorns made another change in the circle, bringing in junior Citlaly Gutierrez to get them out of the inning. Though a rough start for Gutierrez in the fifth, giving up a home run followed by a double with the game slipping away in came the ace sophomore Teagan Kavan.

"We were going to use everybody we have, too, and the order of that [Kavan] was last because she's our closer for us in that moment," White said. "There is no tomorrow if you don't win that game...you don't want to lose with your number one on the bench, so when it got close, I wanted to make sure we finished with [Kavan]."

Kavan proved to be the perfect answer the Longhorns needed in that moment, coming into the game after pitching five innings in game one on Thursday. The sophomore was stellar down the stretch, striking out seven Clemson Tigers, getting out of tough situations, and shutting out the Clemson side for the remaining five innings of the ballgame.

"Gutsy, that's it, Texas Fight right there," White said. "Your back is against the wall, and she was able to corral the energy, especially after the outing she had yesterday, which tells me a lot about [Kavan] and just the growth she's experiencing."

White and his squad will take the field Saturday, May 24, at 8 p.m., for game three. With a victory, the Longhorns advance to the Women's College World Series; a loss ends the 2025 season in heartbreak.

This article first appeared on Texas Longhorns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: