5 More Texas Longhorns Earn Softball Preseason Honors

The defending national champion Texas Longhorns will soon return to the field to defend their crown as the 2026 season looms in the near future for head coach Mike White and his squad, with opening day slotted for Feb. 6.

Not only will the Longhorns enter the 2026 season, looking to protect their seat at the top of college softball, but the burnt orange and white are viewed as one of the top teams in the country headed into the season. As D1 Softball and USA Softball have the Longhorns as the preseason No. 1 team in the country, while Softball America has Texas ranked No. 2.

The Longhorn's back-to-back championship aspirations unsurprisingly rest on the foundation of talented players within the program, with multiple of those players recently recognized on D1 Softball's preseason All-American rankings.

First Team Preseason All-Americans

Texas Longhorns Softball — Texas Longhorns utility Reese Atwood (14) and pitcher Teagan Kavan (17) talk before the start of the fourth inning during game three of the NCAA Softball Women's College World Series finals. | Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

The Longhorns have their elite battery selected as First-Team All-Americans by D1 Softball, with the duo of junior pitcher Teagan Kavan and senior catcher Reese Atwood both earning nods as preseason First-Team All-Americans. The tandem also earned First-Team preseason honors by Softball America.

Kavan enters the 2026 season as one of the best pitchers in the country after a 2025 season in which she earned the Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player as well as tallying a 28-5 record in which she posted a 2.16 ERA and 230 strikeouts through 207 total innings of work.

And Atwood enters her senior year already as one of the best players in program history, and comes off a 2025 season in which she recorded a .393 batting average, totaled a team-high 21 home runs and 89 RBI.

Joining the duo of Kavan and Atwood is slugger junior utility Katie Stewart, who also earns a preseason First-Team All-American selection by D1 Softball. The junior was selected as a Second Team All-American by Softball America. Stewart ended the 2025 season with a .381 batting average, 17 home runs, tying for the second most on the team, and 80 RBI.

Second Team Preseason All-Americans

The Longhorns also have their key outfield duo in junior Kayden Henry and senior Ashton Maloney, both earning spots as preseason Second-Team All-Americans by D1 Softball. Henry also earned recognition by Softball America as a Second Team All-American.

Henry comes off a 2025 campaign in which she recorded a .409 batting average, 85 hits, four home runs, 30 RBI, and was an elite base runner, tallying a team-high 33 stolen bases throughout the season.

The one new name for the Longhorns who earns preseason recognition is Maloney, who comes off a career year in 2025. The outfielder posted a career-high .415 batting average, set a new single-season program record in hits with 93, recorded 23 RBI, and 11 stolen bases.