Texas Softball to Face Arch-Rival Oklahoma In WCWS Final

The Longhorns and the Sooners will continue the Red River Rivalry, bringing it all the way to Oklahoma City for the Women's College World Series Championship Final.

Texas' Alyssa Washington gets an our at second during the game against Oklahoma Friday, April 5, 2024, at McCombs Field in Austin. / Briana Sanchez/American-Statesman / USA

In a result that felt destined from the beginning of playoff softball, No. 1 Texas will face No. 2 Oklahoma in the Women’s College World Series Championship Finals in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

First pitch for the highly anticipated matchup will be on Wednesday, June 5 and will kick off a potential three-game series between the two powerhouses, spanning from the fifth to the seventh.

Texas was the first of two foes to qualify for the Finals after a clinical shutout run through the No. 1 seed side of the bracket. Texas gave up no runs in its three games versus Florida and Stanford twice, outsourcing its opponents 15-0. The Longhorns have been anchored by the dynamic duo of junior Mac Morgan and freshman Teagan Kavan, two of the nation’s best pitchers so far this postseason. Kavan and Morgan have combined for 19 innings of scoreless softball this World Series, striking out 20 while giving up just seven hits and five walks.

Texas pitcher Teagan Kavan (17) celebrates after an inning during a Women's College World Series semifinal softball game between the Stanford Cardinal and the Texas Longhorns at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Monday, June 3, 2024. Texas won 1-0. / Bryan Terry/The Oklahoman / USA TODAY

Oklahoma’s road to the finals was a bit more difficult than that of the Horns. Oklahoma’s second game against UCLA was similar to the Longhorns' second matchup against Stanford, with the winner scoring just a singular run in a 1-0 pitchers duel. With the higher seed, Oklahoma’s next opponent Florida had to win twice to qualify for the finals. Florida came to play, beating the Sooners handily in the first game of the matchup 9-3. As the second game came around, Florida felt on the precipice of something special, beating the best program and coach in softball history to advance to the finals.

Oklahoma trailed for the majority of the second game, with Florida holding the lead until the bottom of the sixth inning. Oklahoma’s Ella Parker’s clutch hitting brought the game to a tie, and two innings later OU legend Jayda Coleman walked it off with a home run in the bottom of the eighth. The Red River Softball movie couldn’t have asked for a better prequel.

The Longhorns and Sooners are, of course, very familiar with each other. Just two years ago, this same matchup saw Oklahoma taking the 2022 WCWS after destroying Texas in two games. But the Longhorns team is new and improved from 2022, and actually had the upper hand in the regular season.

In an early April series, the Longhorns stood their ground in Austin and handed the Sooners one of its only two series losses. Oklahoma, however, got the last laugh in the end, defeating the Longhorns in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship. Texas got its series win, Oklahoma got its Big 12 Championship, and now both teams will battle for the WCWS Championship.