The championship round of the 2025 NCAA Women’s College World Series is set as just two teams remain. Beginning on Wednesday night in Oklahoma City, Texas Tech will face Texas in the first of a best-of-three series for the title.
Texas, seeded sixth overall, got to the finals by beating Tennessee in the semifinals. No. 12 Texas Tech upset the four-time reigning champs, Oklahoma, to appear on the championship stage for the first time in what has been a remarkable season of firsts for the Red Raiders.
The meeting between these two teams marks the first intrastate championship series since 2004, when UCLA beat Cal. It will also mark the first time the tournament has had a first time champion since 2018, as neither the Longhorns or the Red Raiders have ever won the title. Texas has twice been the runner-up in recent years, falling to Oklahoma in 2022 and 2024.
Texas is powered by one of the nation’s top offenses while Texas is being steered by the best pitcher in the game. The matchup between these two former Big 12 rivals will certainly present a clash of styles and perhaps many fireworks.
These are the four players that will likely decide the series between the two:
Reese Atwood, Texas — Junior, Catcher
The Longhorns rank second nationally this season in batting average (.355), 10th in home runs (91), and fifth in total runs (471). The bat of Atwood is a big reason why their offense has been so potent and so successful.
A year ago, Atwood was named National Player of the Year by D1softball.com and Softball America. This season she was named to the All-SEC First Team and was a consensus First Team All-American, and was also tabbed Catcher of the Year by the NFCA. She ranks 14th nationally in home runs this season (21), first in RBI (86) and 13th in total bases with 153. She also sports a .845 slugging percentage.
Now, Atwood has gone hitless in her last four games, which might be bad news for Texas Tech.
In other words, she’s due for some big moments at the plate.
Mihyia Davis, Texas Tech — Junior, Centerfielder
Texas Tech has become known for its pitching and defense this season, and we’ll get to its star ace in a moment, but the Red Raiders will have to of course generate runs to beat the Longhorns too. Davis is probably the strongest bat in the Red Raiders’ lineup with a .376 batting average and an OPS of .936.
Davis, who was the Sun Belt Player of the Year last season at Louisiana Lafayette, ranks 10th nationally in hits with 86 on the season, and also has five home runs and 26 stolen bases to her name this year as well. Davis came up in a big moment for the Red Raiders against Oklahoma in the semifinals, getting a crucial single to get on base and then outrunning a throw to home for the walk-off run after her teammate hit a sacrifice fly deep into the outfield.
Teagan Kavan, Texas — Sophomore, Pitcher
Folks might know Kavan as the college pitcher who grew up in the same town and went to the same high school as Caitlin Clark — indeed, the Indiana Fever star used to give her rides to practice — but Kavan has built a name for herself in college softball. She’s emerged as the Longhorns’ ace this season, piling up 224 strikeouts and a 26-5 record with a 2.33 ERA. She was named a consensus Second Team All-American and First Team All-SEC selection.
Kavan has pitched well recently, giving up just one home run and taking just one loss in her last nine outings. In that same stretch, she’s tossed four shutouts and struck out 41 batters in 45.2 innings of work.
NiJaree Canady, Texas Tech — Junior, Pitcher
Full stop, she’s the best pitcher in college softball and proving to be worth every penny of the lucrative NIL deal she garnered from Texas Tech’s collective, which was north of $1 million according to multiple reports.
Canady leads the nation in ERA (0.90), wins (33) and hits allowed per seven innings (3.65). She’s also ninth in strikeouts per seven innings (9.4), third in total strikeouts (304) and third in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.91).
She’s pitched every inning of Texas Tech’s last five games, all postseason wins, in which she’s piled up 32 strikeouts and allowed just four runs.
Simply put, Texas Tech will go as far as Canady can take them.
