Softball On SI

Texas, Texas Tech Carry WCWS Momentum Into Softball America’s Preseason All-American Teams

The two teams had eight players earning Preseason All-American honors.
Maren Angus-Coombs|
Texas has four Preseason All-Americans, according to Softball America's announcement on Tuesday morning.
Texas has four Preseason All-Americans, according to Softball America's announcement on Tuesday morning. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns and Texas Tech Red Raiders are carrying their momentum from the 2025 Women's College World Series championship series run into the 2026 season.

Softball America unveiled its Preseason All-American teams on Tuesday morning, and among the teams, eight players earned recognition.

FOUR-ty Acres

The nickname for the University of Texas campus is Forty Acres, but in this case, the Longhorns have four preseason All-Americans.

Leading the way for the defending national champions is the battery of junior pitcher Teagan Kavan and senior catcher Reese Atwood.

Kavan was unreal last season, appearing in 43 games and starting 33 of them. She finished the season 28-5 with four saves and a 2.16 earned run average. She was also named the WCWS Most Outstanding Player. Other awards last season included Women's College World Series All-Tournament Team ... NFCA Second Team All-American, CSC Academic All-District, D1Softball Second Team All-American, Softball America Second Team All-American, NFCA All-Central First Team, All-SEC First Team, and USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 25 Finalist.

As for Atwood, she played in and started all 68 games for the Longhorns and finished the season with a .393 batting average, an .822 slugging percentage (team-leading), and a .504 on-base percentage. She also led the team in RBIs (89), home runs (21), total bases (157), OPS (1.326), and walks (41).

Atwood's awards from last season included Women's College World Series All-Tournament Team, NFCA First Team All-American, NFCA Catcher of the Year, Johnny Bench Award winner, D1Softball First Team All-American, Softball America First Team All-American, NFCA All-Central First Team, All-SEC First Team, All-SEC Defensive Team, and USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 25 Finalist.

The other two Preseason All-Americans are juniors Katie Stewart and Kayden Henry.

Stewart proved to be invaluable for the Longhorns last season, starting all 68 games and becoming just the second player in program history to drive in at least 70 runs. Defensively, she played all over, making starts at first base, catcher, outfield and shortstop.

Henry started 64 games for Texas as a sophomore and set career highs with a .409 batting average, a.454 on-base percentage, and 85 hits. She also led the team with 72 runs scored.

Guns Up

Texas Tech placed a league-high three players on the First Team. NiJaree Canady, Taylor Pannell, and Mia Williams each earned the prestigious honor, and Mihyia Davis earned Second Team honors.

Canady, a senior, finished the season with a 34-7 record and a 1.11 ERA and 319 strikeouts. She was named Softball America's Preseason No. 1 Player in the country on Monday and was a top-three finalist for the USA Softball Player of the Year in 2025. She was also named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and a First Team All-American as a junior.

Pannell, a redshirt junior from Tennessee, is looking to make some noise in her first season as a Red Raider. She was a two-time All-SEC First Team honoree with the Lady Vols and earned NFCA Second Team All-American honors last season.

Williams, a junior, arrives in Lubbock after two seasons with the Florida Gators. She earned All-SEC Second Team and NFCA Second Team All-American honors as a sophomore.

Davis, a senior, was named to the All-Big 12 First Team, NFCA All-Central Region First Team, All-Big 12 Defensive, All-Big 12 Tournament, and the WCWS Tournament Team last year.

Softball America Preseason First Team All-Americans

  • Reese Atwood, C, Texas
  • Jordan Woolery, 1B, UCLA
  • Mia Williams, 2B, Texas Tech
  • Isa Torres, SS, Florida State
  • Taylor Pannell, 3B, Texas Tech
  • Taylor Shumaker, OF, Florida
  • Kasidi Pickering, OF, Oklahoma
  • Audrey Vandagriff, OF, Alabama
  • Megan Grant, UT, UCLA
  • Gabbie Garcia, UT, Oklahoma
  • Jordy Frahm, P/UT, Nebraska
  • NiJaree Canady, P, Texas Tech
  • Teagan Kavan, P, Texas
  • Karlyn Pickens, P, Tennessee
  • Taylor Tinsley, P, UCLA

To view the Second Team, please visit Softball America.

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.

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