Two Texas Longhorns Softball Stars Earn Major Honor After Series Win vs. Texas A&M

On Saturday, the Texas Longhorns secured their third conference series win of the season after a 3-2 victory in game two of the dirt edition of the Lone Star Showdown. The Longhorns took game one of the rivalry series 9-8 in a slugfest walk-off fashion on Friday night.

After the game on Saturday, the Longhorns celebrated their series win over their bitter rivals, hoisting the Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown trophy. However, the series win wouldn't be the only thing that the Longhorns celebrated.

As the celebrations would just be getting started when a pair of their stars earned a massive honor postgame.

Reese Atwood and Leighann Goode Received AUSL Golden Tickets

Texas Longhorns catcher Reese Atwood celebrates as she drives in two runs on a single in the sixth inning of Game 1 of the Women's College World Series championship series. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Heading out onto the field of Red and Charline McCombs Field, Kim Ng, the commissioner of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, the professional softball league that started play just a year ago, presented Longhorns seniors Reese Atwood and Leighann Goode with golden tickets to the AUSL.

In the words of the AUSL, "golden tickets represent official selections into the AUSL College Draft pool, highlighting standout college players set to transition into the professional level following their collegiate careers."

And for Atwood and Goode, their futures after wearing burnt orange in their final season on the Forty Acres are sealed, with the duo both having their spots already set in stone to turn pro and make the jump to one of six AUSL teams.

Atwood has been a pillar of the Longhorns program in her four seasons on the squad, as she owns the program record for the most career home runs, along with other major honors, being a two-time All-American, winning the NFCA Catcher of the Year and Johnny Bench Award a season ago.

"I was definitely so grateful to be able to have this opportunity to go professional," Atwood said after Sunday's game. "I think it's every softball player's dream to make it to that next level."

Also getting the chance to go pro was Goode, who is off to a blazing start to her senior season after a breakout year as a junior. To this point in the season, Goode is batting well over .400 with five home runs and 23 RBIs to her tally.

"I just initially started crying," Goode said. "All my hard work has paid off, and I've dreamed of going to pro softball, whether it's be that league (AUSL) or the Olympics, just being able to be on that stage and possibly play with people I used to play with."

Head coach Mike White also gave his thoughts about two of his players earning the chance to play in the AUSL.

"It's special," White said. "We're trying to build softball fastpitch, and AUSL has been doing a great job, along with the backing from Major League Baseball. It's an opportunity for these young women to take the game to another level and to have two of our athletes get golden tickets. It's just special for our program and for softball."

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