Joley Mitchell Makes WCWS History for Texas Softball
Joley Mitchell made Texas program history when she crushed two different pitches off Florida starter Keagan Rothrock in the opening game of the Women's College World Series on Thursday.
Mitchell became the first player in program history with a multi-home run game at the WCWS. Her solo shot in the second inning gave Texas a 1-0 lead and she followed it up with another solo homer in the sixth.
🗣️ "No one has done what @marie_joley has done!"
— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) May 29, 2025
Joley Mitchell is the first ever @TexasSoftball player to hit multiple HRs in a WCWS game 👏#WCWS x 🎥 ESPN pic.twitter.com/VX8KsSHfVu
If one has been watching Texas softball this postseason, they have seen Mitchell’s name light up the box score, and for good reason. She’s not just swinging for contact, she’s swinging for history.
Through late May, Mitchell’s bat has been electric. She’s hitting .375 with a slugging percentage north of .730 and an OPS that sits at a ridiculous 1.181. In just 24 games, she’s launched seven home runs and driven in 26 RBIs. And when Texas needed a spark against Michigan during Regionals, Mitchell didn’t just answer, she detonated. Her grand slam was the exclamation point in a six-homer game for the Longhorns, putting the NCAA on notice.
JOLEY MITCHELL HAS HER SECOND HOME RUN OF THE GAME#WCWS | #NCAASoftball | @NCAASoftball | @TexasSoftball pic.twitter.com/AHn4dXohFT
— Depressed New York Fan (@JudgeEnjoyer) May 29, 2025
But this isn’t some overnight success story.
Mitchell’s roots trace back to Rose Bud, Arkansas, where she was named the 2019 Gatorade Player of the Year. She batted a jaw-dropping .717 her senior season with 13 bombs and 55 RBIs – numbers that turned heads nationally.
She started her college journey at Notre Dame before transferring to Texas, and it’s safe to say she found her stride in Austin.
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Katie Burkhart is a former professional softball pitcher and Arizona State University alumna, where she was a three-time All-American and led the Sun Devils to a national championship. She played professionally in the U.S., Japan, and Italy, and has coached at the Division I level. She now provides private pitching instruction and mindset training for athletes of all levels. Katie is also the author of Mental Muscle and Beyond the Game, books focused on athletic performance and life after sports.