Teagan Kavan pitches the ball at the Texas softball game against Southeastern Louisiana at Charline & Red McCombs Field on Wednesday, Feb, 25.
At a glance, Texas’ 7-2 victory over Southeastern Louisiana might look like any other non-conference game against an opponent that never had a real chance at sizing up. However, the Lions are not your ordinary Southland Conference competition.
Southeastern Louisiana opened its season with a tight extra-inning loss against then-No. 13 Clemson, taking down then-No. 5 Oregon 4-2 just four games later and establishing a strong reputation to start off 2026.
However, Texas wouldn’t fall into the same trap as the Ducks did.
“We knew they were going to be tough,” head coach Mike White said. “They’ve got a very good pitching staff, and it’s pretty consistent. And they’ve got a low ERA, so it tells you they’re very good. … Fortunately, we were able to take momentum.”
It wasn’t flashy, and the Longhorns certainly didn’t display as much offensive dominance as they did in Palo Alto, California, this past weekend. But the Longhorns took care of business in seven innings by settling into a rhythm and rallying around their depth.
“Even though we’re pitching around (senior catcher Reese Atwood) and (junior infielder and catcher Katie Stewart), we were able to have other people step up,” White said. “(Freshman infielder MaTaia Lawson) and (senior outfielder) Kaiah Altmeyer were able to drive those runs in for us in key situations, and that’s what we need.”
Atwood and Stewart have been integral to Texas’ offensive effort this season, and their standout plays helped the Longhorns outscore their opponents 48-9 this past weekend at the DeMarini Invitational. On Wednesday, though, White emphasized that his team’s offensive success isn’t limited to the powerful duo.
Lawson and Altmeyer were major contributors for the Longhorns on Wednesday, with Lawson doubling to center field in the fourth inning to bring batters home and Altmeyer singling up the middle to bring another two home in the fifth.
Atwood tallied a home run in the first inning of the game, but Texas’ offensive strategy didn’t seem to rely as heavily on her as it sometimes can.
Texas junior pitcher Teagan Kavan anchored the Longhorns on the mound defensively through all seven innings, allowing five hits and two runs and totaling two errors.
Kavan has had ups and downs so far when it comes to establishing momentum and consistency, but the experienced pitcher is working on taking it one pitch at a time.
“I just try to take a deep breath,” Kavan said. “I think sometimes, when it gets long counts, I’m just letting the game speed up and not taking it pitch by pitch, just worried about the next pitch instead of the present one. It’s a mental reset for me to go and attack that current pitch and not worry about anything else.”
Despite any shortcomings Kavan might have had against the Lions, her ability to get her team through the whole game without having to be replaced signifies a level of success that Southeastern Louisiana couldn’t achieve.
The Lions went through four pitchers against the Longhorns, doing everything in their power to slow them down and keep the matchup tight for as long as possible.
Texas now turns its attention toward the Longhorn Invitational this upcoming weekend on the Forty Acres, where they will open against Houston at 6 p.m. Friday night.