How Texas Tech Softball Turned Gutsy WCWS Call Into Recruiting Weapon

Makayla Garcia's steal of home at the 2025 Women's College World Series wasn't just the play of the tournament. It became a recruiting pitch.

In a recent Q&A with media members in Lubbock, Texas, Taylor Pannell, a transfer from the University of Tennessee, and teammate Kaitlyn Terry, who transferred from UCLA, expressed what captured their attention about Coach Gerry Glasco at Texas Tech.

Nathan Giese of Lubbock Online and A-J Sports posted a video from yesterday's interview questioning their decisions to join the Red Raiders, and both players pointed to the same moment: that steal of home.

"I think, obviously, when they stole home, I was like, who doesn't want to play for a coach that is all out, that is so bought into winning, that they'll do anything for the team and make some risky calls, high risk, high reward, and I just love the way they all played," said Pannell.

Tennessee transfer Taylor Pannell had a similar story about wanting to join Texas Tech. pic.twitter.com/4G67YRUnFw
— Nathan Giese (@NathanGiese) January 13, 2026

In case you don't know, she was referring to Garcia's steal of home during Texas Tech's 3-1 elimination game victory over UCLA on May 31, 2025. In the top of the fifth inning of a scoreless game with two outs, Glasco called a double steal. Garcia took off for home as UCLA catcher Alexis Ramirez threw the ball back to the circle.

That play was probably the play of the whole WCWS and is one of the gutsiest calls seen in the sport for quite some time. After the game, Garcia put it perfectly to the NCAA’s on-site reporter, Michella Chester, when asked what went through her head.

“He had an idea, and I was like, okay, we're going for it, and I trust him.  He's a great coach, and we just went for it, and it worked in our favor,” said Garcia.

Coach Gerry Glasco has since been referred to as a coach who will go all out and gamble. Stealing home is something you don't see in major college softball every day, especially not with a trip to the national semifinal series on the line.

That gutsy call paid off. Texas Tech advanced to the championship series against the eventual champion Texas Longhorns, and now they are ranked No. 1 in the preseason according to Softball America's Top 25.

Taylor Pannell then made the move. She hit the transfer portal with a do-not-contact tag and transferred to Texas Tech. Her move sparked some attention and disbelief, especially inside the Lady Vols camp, as head coach Karen Weekly made a public call for possible tampering.

"I think we can all agree on 2 things: 1) women making money in sports is awesome and long overdue; 2) contacting players (directly or indirectly) before their season ends and signing them to NIL deals before they enter the portal is wrong. Money isn't the issue, tampering is!"

UCLA transfer Kaitlyn Terry saw Malayla Garcia steal home against her team in the WCWS. How that played into her decision to join Texas Tech. pic.twitter.com/BYQaY1qXhB
— Nathan Giese (@NathanGiese) January 13, 2026

Kaitlyn Terry, who was on that UCLA team, was drawn in by the play as well. She, however, was not the pitcher in that moment, as she made clear in the interview, but was in right field when Garcia made her dash home. She piggybacked off of Pannell's answer.

"Obviously, going off of what Taylor said, I was on the team that they were playing when they stole home, but I was in right field. But I think, like, the same thing, like, when I saw it, I was like, wow, like, that coach does anything to win. It was a close game, and then he had to do anything to get that run across the plate," Terry explained.

For Glasco and Texas Tech, one gutsy play became an eye-opening moment for future players. When you're willing to steal home at the World Series, recruiting pitches write themselves.

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