Texas Longhorns infielder Leighann Goode (43) celebrates a home run during 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

Smart Moves Propel Texas Softball Back to Women's College World Series

Originally posted on Texas Longhorns on SI
By Ylver Deleon-Rios | Last updated May 25, 2025 3:37 PM ET

The Texas Longhorns will return to the Women's College World Series for the third time in four years, though clinching the spot at the 2025 World Series was not an easy feat for the Longhorns, needing to come back in the Super Regional series against the Clemson Tigers.

Head coach Mike White made many changes throughout the three games, reshuffling his squad's defense after struggles in game one, the batting lineup, and making key pitching changes in pivotal moments of the next two games.

A highlight from the series was the performances from junior Leighann Goode, who at the plate was 7-11 for an impressive .636 batting average, five RBI, and one home run across three games. Not only was Goode great at the plate, but her defensive contributions were important for the Longhorns, moving to shortstop from second base after some struggles at the shortstop position.

"I was just sticking to my approach and just having confidence in myself and having that positive self-talk and having that right mindset," said Goode in a post-game press conference. "We banded together as a defense; the communication was just unreal this weekend on the dirt and even in the outfield, so the different leadership roles people stepped into were big for us this series.

In one of the biggest decisions of the series, coach White went to his bullpen in game three to replace the starter, sophomore Tegan Kavan, with senior Mac Morgan, who had not pitched since May 9. The last time Morgan was in the circle, it was a rough outing for the senior, giving up five earned runs in the first inning and being replaced right away.

However, in a high-pressure game, Morgan came through, retiring the first seven batters she faced, though giving up a two-run home run in the seventh. Morgan sealed the game, forcing back-to-back groundouts.

"I felt the velocity was going to challenge them...we know that when she locates it, she can do a pretty good job," White said. "So we felt confident she was the right one to bring in at that time, and it's a gut feeling, she hasn't pitched in three weeks...but like I said yesterday, desperate times call for desperate measures, and it wasn't desperate, it was a calculated gamble.

The Longhorns were able to pull themselves into their eighth Women's College World Series in program history with a gritty Super Regional Series victory. Texas gets ready to face off against a pair of SEC teams, either the Georgia Bulldogs or Florida Gators, whose game three of their Super Regional is decided Saturday afternoon. The Women's College World Series kicks off on Thursday, May 29.

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

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