{"id":376684,"date":"2026-07-17T10:46:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T10:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/376684\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T10:46:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T10:46:09","slug":"texas-softball-ut-womens-sports-take-spotlight-at-espys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/376684\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas softball, UT women’s sports take spotlight at ESPYs"},"content":{"rendered":"

The hits keep on coming for Texas softball<\/a> pitcher\u00a0Teagan Kavan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Off the field, that is. She didn’t give up that many in Oklahoma City.<\/p>\n

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Kavan led Texas to a second straight Women’s College World Series title <\/a>this spring, powering Texas women’s athletics to another\u00a0Capital One Cup<\/a>. Texas’ fourth cup in five years was announced at the ESPYs\u00a0Wednesday night and Kavan was on hand. The Horns finished ahead of Stanford, UCLA and Texas A&M<\/a> and earned the school’s scholarship fund a nice $250,000 check, courtesy of Capital One.<\/p>\n

What’s in Texas’ wallet? A quarter-mil, if you’re counting at home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kavan\u00a0was a monster for the second straight WCWS and is my pick for the top athlete on campus for the past school year.<\/p>\n

\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns pitcher Teagan Kavan (17) hugs Carly Northup after winning game two of the NCAA Women\u2019s College World Series against Texas Tech at Devon Park on Thursday, June 4, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.<\/p>\n

Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n

MORE CED: Where I rank Sarkisian among the 16 SEC coaches<\/a><\/p>\n

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Kavan and first baseman Katie Stewart<\/a> grabbed the first two spots in my top five, in that order. Kavan is the best money pitcher in the sport and Stewart will enter her senior year with a chance to leave as the school\u2019s career home run leader after blasting 28 this season and earning SEC player of the year honors.<\/p>\n

Chew on this: No Texas team in a traditional team sport has ever won three straight national titles. At this point, I\u2019m not about to bet against\u00a0Mike White<\/a> and Co. at this point though the Oklahoma Sooners, who captured the trifecta from 2021-23 will have something to say in the matter.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Texas Longhorns celebrate a home run by infielder Katie Stewart (20) during game one of the NCAA Women?s College World Series against Texas Tech at Devon Park on Wednesday, June 3, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.<\/p>\n

Aaron E. Martinez\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n

TEXAS FOOTBALL: How the 2027 recruiting class is shaping up<\/a><\/p>\n

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Junior golfer Farah O\u2019Keefe gets the third spot after capturing the NCAA individual golf title. O\u2019Keefe, one of the coolest athletes on campus, also earned the Honda Award and Annika Award while notching WGCA Division I player of the year honors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Give it up for senior swimmer Hubert Kos, who led the Horns to a second consecutive national title after setting NCAA records in the 100- and 200-yard backstroke. He gets the fourth spot.<\/p>\n

Women\u2019s basketball<\/a> came up short at the Final Four<\/a>, but\u00a0Madison Booker <\/a>had an amazing junior year despite a 3-for-23 performance in the semifinal loss to eventual champion UCLA. It was more than enough to give the two-time All-American the fifth spot. She\u2019s the best forward in the country and one rough night doesn\u2019t hurt that standing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Also, shoutouts go to women\u2019s rowing<\/a>, which captured its fourth national title in six years under coach Dave O\u2019Neill and men\u2019s tennis which captured an\u00a0ITA Indoor title under coach Bruce Berque.<\/p>\n

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\"Washington<\/p>\n

Washington Mystics guard Rori Harmon (3) dribbles the ball during the second half of a WNBA basketball game against the New York Liberty, Sunday, May 10, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Daniel Kucin Jr.)<\/p>\n

Daniel Kucin Jr.\/Associated Press<\/p>\n

Why is\u00a0WNBA rookie Rori Harmon glued to the bench in DC?<\/p>\n

Rori Harmon<\/a> can help a WNBA team win, but it\u2019s apparent Washington Mystics coach Sydney Johnson has a different opinion. The fiery point guard led the Horns to consecutive Final Four appearances and looked to be a nice fit with Washington, which took her with the 34th overall pick. But her rookie year has been more about the pine than her playmaking.<\/p>\n

After playing 42 minutes in her first two games, Harmon has logged a not-so-grand total of 23 over the last 20 games entering Thursday’s game against Portland. She has gotten the DNP-CD tag \u2014 Did Not Play-Coach\u2019s Decision \u2014 in 13 games.<\/p>\n

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Sign up for\u00a0Ced\u2019s Corner\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sign up for Cedric Golden\u2019s newsletter<\/a> for hot takes and expert analysis each Tuesday on Texas Longhorns football and beyond. It’s called Ced\u2019s Corner, from the mind of the American-Statesman\u2019s resident sports columnist, the\u00a0 2025 NSMA Texas Sportswriter of the Year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Her biggest individual highlight came in her third game when she made a massive late defensive stop on explosive All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell to preserve a 104-102 win upset win<\/a> over the Indiana Fever.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s nuts that Harmon is languishing on the bench of a roster that isn\u2019t exactly awash in point guards. Kentucky product Georgia Amoore is starting one year after suffering a torn ACL in training camp, but hasn\u2019t been that effective. She\u2019s averaging 6.1 points, 3.5 assists and 2.1 turnovers while shooting 32% from the field.<\/p>\n

The fans are screaming for Mystics rookie Rori Harmon. Harmon is listed as Do Not Play per Coach\u2019s decision. When I asked Coach Johnson why she didn\u2019t play against the Sparks he said \u201cno reason.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/zUK8PucCQ1<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jade (@JadeALawson) June 3, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Harmon appears to be healthy, but Johnson isn\u2019t giving her any run. Some fans have taken to social media<\/a> to question why a solid pure point guard isn\u2019t deemed good enough to play five to 10 minutes a game for a team that\u2019s 12-10 and sixth in the league standings with the top eight advancing to the playoffs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Having been around Harmon for five seasons where she put together a terrific college career \u2014 she\u2019s the program\u2019s career leader in steals and assists<\/a> \u2014 it has to be killing her to not be playing.<\/p>\n

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The Mystics should move her and give her a chance to compete for playing time in another city.<\/p>\n

World Cup draws huge numbers<\/p>\n

The United States has well-documented issues in the political arena, but no one ever said we couldn\u2019t throw one hell of a party. The World Cup has been a smashing success, and then some, in 16 host cities across the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Spain\u2019s 2-0 upset semifinal win Tuesday over tourney favorite France averaged 11.5 million viewers \u2014 a record for a World Cup semifinal on English language TV \u2014 and was played in front of 70,000 plus at Arlington\u2019s Jerry World. Another 22 million watched Argentina’s scintillating comeback win Wednesday over England.<\/p>\n

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So what does that mean for the sport in our country? Well, more kids are going to be wearing Messi, Kane, Bellingham and Ronaldo jerseys and maybe, just maybe, the MLS will see an surge in interest.<\/p>\n

\"SEATTLE,<\/p>\n

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JUNE 19: Alex Freeman #16 of the United States celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s second goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group D match between USA and Australia at Seattle Stadium on June 19, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jamie Squire\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Jamie Squire\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

The sport will always rank behind the NFL, college football, MLB and the NBA here, but the last three weeks have shown our country the passion international soccer can bring first hand. It\u2019s contagious.<\/p>\n