OKLAHOMA CITY \u2014 Kaiah Altmeyer would never say so, but her final collegiate season hasn\u2019t panned out quite like she hoped.<\/p>\n
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Until Friday, that is, when Altmeyer’s first home run of the season helped spark\u00a0Texas softball<\/a> to a 4-0 win over Mississippi State<\/a> at the Women\u2019s College World Series that kept the Longhorns\u2019 hopes alive of a second consecutive national championship. Not that the laid-back Southern Californian sweats such stakes, even if she is playing in her first WCWS after spending the previous three years at Arizona.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Texas Longhorns outfielder Kaiah Altmeyer (44) catches a fly ball during the NCAA Softball Championship Super Regional against Arizona State at Red & Charline McCombs Field on Saturday, May 23, 2026 in Austin.<\/p>\n Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman Texas Longhorns outfielder Kaiah Altmeyer (44) grabs a ball during the NCAA Softball Championship Super Regional final against Arizona State at Red & Charline McCombs Field on Sunday, May 24, 2026 in Austin.<\/p>\n Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn’t affect me,\u201d Altmeyer said. \u201cI think we talk about not making any game bigger than it needs to be. The fans are still the fans, the game is still the game. Just keeping the moment not too big, just playing my game.\u201d<\/p>\n New team, new role for Kaiah Altmeyer<\/p>\n For the first time in her career, Altmeyer hasn\u2019t played basically every game in the outfield like she did at Arizona. She started all 61 games in 2025 while earning All-Big 12 honors after hitting .365 with 50 runs scored and 55 RBIs. In Austin, she picked up where she left off by hitting .418 with 22 RBIs and 14 runs through the season\u2019s first 23 games.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Texas Longhorns outfielder Kaiah Altmeyer (44) throws the ball to the infield during the NCAA Softball Championship Super Regional final against Arizona State at Red & Charline McCombs Field on Sunday, May 24, 2026 in Austin.<\/p>\n Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n But she cooled off as the season wore on and began to share time in left field with Alissa Sneed and Kaydee Bennett.\u00a0In her previous 36 games before Friday, Altmeyer had produced only two RBIs and six runs and was hitting .292 for the season.<\/p>\n \u201cShe came in and had a lot of expectations, coming from a successful program, being a successful player at Arizona,\u201d Texas coach\u00a0Mike White<\/a> said. \u201cThe transition is always difficult. You try to explain that to them.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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