Sure, Texas softball welcomes back the bulk of last season’s team that went 56-12 and won its first national championship. But don’t expect head coach Mike White and his team to rest on the leftover laurels from last season’s historic run.
The Longhorns want another one, White said. And even though the team boasts established All-Americans such as pitcher Teagan Kavan and catcher Reese Atwood, almost half the faces on the 25-player roster are new to the program.
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“My thing from day one of coming back from last year was: We can be even better,” White said. “We won the national championship, but I don’t think we reached our peak, so to speak, or how good we can really be. And that’s a challenge right now; let’s keep pushing, let’s see how good we can be and keep chasing instead of waiting for someone to catch us.”
Here are 26 questions about No. 1 Texas softball entering the 2026 season, which starts Friday against No. 11 Nebraska at the UTSA Invitational in San Antonio:
What was the biggest offseason loss for Texas?
The graduated Mia Scott was one of a kind, one and off the field. The team’s primary third baseman for the past few seasons brought a panache with her style of play that helped make her the Longhorns’ all-time leader in runs. Her swagger will be missed.
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Did Texas lose any other key 2025 players?
First baseman Joley Mitchell provided a big bat and some steely savvy to last season’s team, Kate Cimusz had versatility and veteran leadership and steady Mac Morgan was a solid presence on the pitching staff who’s now coaching at UTSA. She’ll have a reunion of sorts with Texas this weekend at the UTSA Invitational.
Did any Longhorns leave in the portal?
Only Rachel Wells, a seldom-used walk-on. White has apparently perfected his player-retainment speech, since several Texas reserves — pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez and utility Kaydee Bennett come to mind — would likely step into prominent roles at other programs.
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Which of those 2025 losses are the hardest to fill?
It has to be Scott. Preseason All-SEC selection Katie Stewart (.381, 17 HRs, 80 RBIs in 2025) looks ready to slide seamlessly into the starting role at first base in place of the departed Mitchell, but White will likely turn to one of two freshmen at third: MaTaia Lawson or Jaycie Nichols.
Texas utility Katie Stewart (20) celebrates after hitting a home run in the fourth inning of a Women’s College World Series softball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Texas Longhorns at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Monday, June 2, 2025.
Bryan Terry/Bryan Terry- Imagin Images
MaTaia Lawson or Jaycie Nichols: who’s got the edge?
Both are highly regarded recruits that are part of the Longhorns’ seven-player class of 2025, which ranked fifth in On3’s class ratings. Lawson, from the Chicago suburb of Tinley Park, boasts a better bat but Oklahoma native Nichols excels with the glove. “If you blend those two together, we’ve got a Mia Scott,” White said. “It’s just a matter of how we can use them.”
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Which other UT freshmen could have quick impacts?
Outfielder Alisa Sneed from Conroe may be the top player in the class and could start in left field. She boasts solid speed and good power for a player with a 5-foot-4 frame, and White praises her poise and composure. Utility players Caigan Crabtree, Drea Wilson and Megan Wallace could see spot duty and Hannah Wells may see action at the plate and in the pitcher’s circle.
Why might Hannah Wells sound familiar?
Well, she’s a high school legend in the state of Texas who led tiny Coahoma to three consecutive state championships, which means she’s already made good memories at McCombs Field, the Longhorns’ home stadium that annually hosts the UIL state tournaments. The 6-foot Wells earned multiple All-American and all-state honors during her prep days, when she proved equally dominant as a pitcher and hitter. White says she’ll do both as a freshman.
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Why aren’t we talking more about Texas’ returning players?
Because everyone knows players like Kavan and Atwood, right? Kavan (28-5, 2.16 ERA in 2025), a junior, has established herself as one of the top pitchers in the nation over the past two seasons. She’s also shown a proven clutch gene; in last season’s Women’s College World Series, she earned the most outstanding player award after setting a new WCWS pitching record with 31⅔ scoreless innings across seven outings. In those seven games pitched, Kavan picked up the win in each of her four starts.
What makes Reese Atwood special?
For one, the senior from South Texas has more power than anyone in program history. Don’t believe it? Look at the numbers. Atwood (.393, 21 HRs, 89 RBIs in 2025) is already the school’s all-time leader in RBIs with 222 and needs just four home runs to reach 59 for her career and surpass Taylor Hoagland for the top all-time spot.
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Could Reese Atwood play first base, too?
White has hinted at some spot duty at first for Atwood in order to keep her fresh for a long season that could potentially again stretch into June. That said, she’s really good defensively behind the plate. She won last season’s Johnny Bench Award as the nation’s best catcher and threw out four of the seven steal attempts by an opponent last season.
Texas Longhorsn outfielder Kayden Henry (21) takes the field ahead of game three of the NCAA Women’s College World Series against Texas Tech at Devon Park on Friday, June 6, 2025 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Aaron E. Martinez / American Statesman
Who returns in the Texas outfield?
A couple of special players in sixth-year senior Ashton Maloney (.415, 23 RBIs, 62 runs) and junior center fielder Kayden Henry (.409, 30 RBIs, 72 runs). Maloney set a single-season school record a year ago with 93 hits, and Henry enters her third season as a starter with a preseason All-SEC nod.
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Is shortstop Vivi Martinez back healthy?
After missing last season with a knee injury, Martinez is indeed back and looks like her old self, White said. Now a redshirt junior, she started as a freshman and sophomore at shortstop and impressed enough to earn a spot on the U.S. national team. She’s a career .361 hitter with 104 RBs, 10 home runs and 79 runs who hit in the heart of the lineup before her injury.
How does Vivi Martinez’s return mean for UT’s other infielders?
Senior Leighann Goode (.295, 45 RBIs, 10 HRs) became a postseason hero in 2025 while taking over at shortstop, and she’ll likely return for her former spot at second base. That means Kaydee Bennett, who started 64 games a year ago, can serve as a versatile utility player who can line up in the infield or outfield.
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Who’s Texas’ No. 2 pitcher behind Teagan Kavan?
This may be the top question for White to answer before the start of SEC play March 6 at South Carolina. Senior Citlaly Gutierrez (10-1, 2.56 ERA in 2025) boasts 44 career starts but carved out a role as a reliable reliever a year ago, which may remove her from the starting conversation. Sophomore Cambria Salmon (7-2, 2.48) showed promise and Wells will have the opportunity to compete for this role. White doesn’t want to overwork Kavan during the regular season, so finding a reliable No. 2 starter may be the team’s biggest concern.
Does Texas have any Austin-area players?
The only one is sophomore Taylor Anderson, a Dripping Springs graduate who transferred in from Oklahoma State. A former all-state player for the Tigers, the utility player will likely see immediate action as a pinch runner
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Could any other transfers make big impacts?
The other transfers include senior outfielder Kaiah Altmeyer (Arizona), sophomore pitcher Brenlee Gonzalez (Texas Tech) and freshman pitcher Sophia Bordi (Oklahoma), who didn’t play for the Sooners last season but can only practice with the team because of NCAA transfer rules that prohibit game action. White would like to use Gonzalez, but she only threw 12 1/3 innings last season at Texas Tech. Altmeyer should be a steady platoon player if she doesn’t start in left field considering she has played in 173 career games and earned second-team All-Big 12 honors a year ago.
Will anyone besides Teagan Kavan lead in a pitching category?
Not likely, although Gutierrez did have the lowest opponent’s batting average last season at .215. Pencil in Gutierrez for team-high honors in saves considering her expected role out of the bullpen.
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Who will lead Texas in hitting?
This will be competitive since Maloney, Henry, Atwood and Stewart all hit better than .380 a year ago. Let’s go with the speedy Maloney, who may not have a home run in her career but is arguably the college game’s premier slap hitter.
Who will lead the Longhorns in runs?
Maloney hit leadoff for much of last season with Henry in the No. 2 spot, so let’s say Henry approaches her team-high 72 runs a year ago.
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Who will lead Texas in RBIs?
It’s hard to pick against Atwood, the program’s all-time leader in RBIs. Eighty nine of her 222 came a year ago, so expect more of the same.
Who will lead Texas in home runs?
Stewart blasted 17 homers a year ago, four behind Atwood. But playing full time at first could make things even more comfortable for Stewart, who looks poised for a monster season.
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Who will lead the Longhorns in steals?
Easy. Henry. By a lot. The cat-quick junior has 61 steals over her first two seasons, and she could challenge for the most in the nation if White gives her the green light.
What’s the best Texas home series to attend?
With no Texas Tech — the team the Longhorns vanquished in the WCWS finals a year ago — on the nonconference schedule like last season, a home series with Oklahoma April 10-12 edges out a home series with Texas A&M March 27-29 for the hottest ticket of the season. Maybe.
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Is Oklahoma still Texas softball’s top rival?
Yes. Don’t forget that Oklahoma won the four previous national titles before losing to Texas and Texas Tech in the WCWS a year ago. Two of those championships came at the expense of the Longhorns in the WCWS finals. Head coach Patty Gasso and her bunch remain the biggest villains in the Texas softball universe.
Is Texas the best softball team in the SEC?
The pollsters in the preseason polls think so since the National Fastpitch Coaches Association as well as the ESPN/USA Softball poll rate the Longhorns No. 1. But the SEC remains a gantlet; No. 3 Oklahoma has reloaded with the nation’s top recruiting class, No. 4 Tennessee welcomes back pitching ace Karlyn Pickens and a potent lineup, and No. 6 Florida and No. 8 Arkansas both look loaded. Don’t forget about Texas A&M, which lost plenty to graduation and the transfer portal but boasts an elite slugger in Mya Perez and stellar shortstop KK Dement.
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Can Texas win another national championship?
They sure can, considering the return of Martinez at shortstop could strengthen the team’s infield concerns from a year ago. But Texas needs to find a No. 2 pitcher, and they’ll need a freshman or two to step up and help fill the gap left by the departure of Scott and Mitchell. Texas Tech looks like a top threat after signing a touted transfer class that should help lessen the load on star pitcher NiJaree Canady, and Oklahoma always remains dangerous. But anything less than a fourth trip to Oklahoma City and the WCWS in the past five years would be a major disappointment for Texas.