Texas softball finally exorcised its demons against Red River rival Oklahoma in the Women’s College World Series.
The No. 6 Longhorns defeated the No. 2 Sooners 4-2 in the winner’s bracket of the WCWS at Devon Field in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Saturday. Texas had never beaten Oklahoma in the tournament, including dropping the championship series last season.
Texas ace Teagan Kavan struck out Gabbie Garcia and Hannah Coor with the tying run on base to preserve the victory for the Longhorns. Kavan finished with eight strikeouts and just two walks, while allowing one earned run on seven hits in her complete game effort. Kavan said she pitched for her grandmother, who died earlier in the day, in her postgame interview.
Kayden Henry hit the go-ahead home run for the Longhorns in the fifth inning, with Joley Mitchell adding a solo home run in the sixth inning as insurance. Mitchell now has three home runs in two WCWS games this postseason.
Texas will find out its next opponent following a pair of elimination games on Sunday. Meanwhile, Oklahoma will play Oregon in an elimination game on Sunday, putting the Sooners’ chance at a historic five-peat in serious peril.
Catch up here for scores and highlights from the Longhorns’ historic WCWS win over the rival Sooners:
Teagan Kavan works out of trouble in the top of the seventh inning to help Texas hold on to a 4-2 victory over Oklahoma to advance in the winner’s bracket. With runners on first and second and one out, Kavan struck out Gabbie Garcia and Hannah Coor to finish off the victory.
Oklahoma will play Oregon in the loser’s bracket in an elimination game on Sunday. Texas will play in the semifinal, needing one win on Monday to advance to the championship series.
End of sixth inning: Texas 4, Oklahoma 2
Texas three outs away from first win over Oklahoma at WCWS
Joley Mitchell adds a crucial insurance run for the Longhorns with a home run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Now, Texas is three outs away from sending Oklahoma to the elimination bracket and putting its chance at a five-peat in danger.
It won’t be easy, though, as the Sooners will send the top of their order up in the top of the seventh inning.
Joley Mitchell home run gives Texas insurance run
Joley Mitchell hits her third home run in two WCWS games to put Texas ahead 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning. Mitchell had two home runs against Florida.
Oklahoma strands runner on third with chance to tie game
Teagan Kavan bares down to keep Texas in front 3-2 after the Oklahoma fifth inning. Cydney Sanders reached base on a leadoff single before being lifted for pinch runner Tia Milloy. Milloy advanced to second on a groundout and to third on a wild pitch.
However, with a runner on third and just one out, Teagan Kavan struck out Maya Bland and induced a foul out off the bat of Abigale Dayton to escape the jam.
The Sooners are down to their final two outs, but do have the top of the order coming to the plate in the seventh inning, including Ella Parker, who had the walk-off home run against Tenneesee.
End of fifth inning: Texas 3, Oklahoma 2
Kayden Henry home run gives Texas lead
Kayden Henry gives Texas a 3-2 lead with a one-out solo home run to right field. It’s the fourth home run of the season for Henry. That’s the Longhorns’ first run since the first inning.
End of fourth inning: Texas 2, Oklahoma 2
Texas strands pair of runners in fourth inning
Despite getting runners on first and second with two outs, Texas is unable to capitalize and score any runs to re-take the lead. Oklahoma starter Sam Landry gets Kaydee Bennett to line out to third base for the final out of the inning to keep the game tied 2-2.
Teagan Kavan works around leadoff walk
Tegan Kavan has now pitched 11 shutout innings of 12 thrown at the 2025 WCWS. In the top of the fourth, she worked around a leadoff walk to Ailana Agbayani to once again keep the Sooners off the scoreboard.
End of third inning: Texas 2, Oklahoma 2
Sam Landry works around leadoff single for scoreless 2nd
Ashton Maloney reaches on a leadoff infield single, but is stranded on second to keep Texas scoreless as Sam Landry retires the next three hitters in order to get out of the inning with the game tied 2-2.
Teagan Kavan records 1-2-3 inning
Teagan Kavan bounces back from a two-run second inning by Oklahoma by retiring the Sooners 1-2-3 in the top of the third inning. Kavan picked up a strikeout of Sydney Barker, her second of the game, in the inning.
Bottom of second inning: Texas 2, Oklahoma 2
Oklahoma scores two runs, leaves two on
Aided by an error by second baseman Kaydee Bennett, the Sooners are able to even the score 2-2 in the top of the second inning. Teagan Kavan strikes out Joley Mitchell swinging with runners on first and second and two outs to prevent Oklahoma the opportunity of taking the lead.
Oklahoma ties game in second inning
Abigale Dayton drives in Cydney Sanders on a single and Kasidi Pickering plates another on a fielder’s choice. Sanders opened the inning with a walk, Alana Agbayani reached on an error and Isabela Emerling laid down a sac bunt to set up the scoring opportunities for Oklahoma.
End of first inning: Texas 2, Oklahoma 0
Kayden Henry steals home to give Texas lead
Kayden Henry steals home on a delayed steal when Oklahoma tries to nab Mia Scott stealing second. Scott advanced to third on an error and scores a play later on a sac fly by Reese Atwood.
Teagan Kavan works around 2 singles for scoreless first
Teagan Kavan allows a one-out single to two-hole hitter Ella Parker and a two-out single by Gabbie Garcia, but works around it for a clean first inning. Parker’s single was a screamer to center field, while Garcia’s single put runners on the corners with two outs. Kavan gets Sydney Barker to pop up to second to end the threat.
Kavan is up to eight scoreless innings in the WCWS so far this year.
Oklahoma to bat first as designated road team
The Sooners bat first as the “designated road team” for the matchup against Texas in the winner’s bracket. They’ll try to get the scoring going early against Teagan Kavan.
Pregame
Oklahoma starting lineup
Here’s a look at the Oklahoma starting lineup against Texas for today’s game:
Kasidi Pickering, LF
Ella Parker, DP
Nelly McEnroe-Marinas, 3B
Gabbie Garcia, SS
Sydney Barker, RF
Cydney Sanders, 1B
Ailana Agbayani, 2B
Isabela Emerling, C
Abigale Dayton, CF
Starting pitcher: Sam Landry
Texas softball starting lineup
Here’s a look at the Texas starting lineup against Oklahoma for today’s game:
Ashton Maloney, RF
Kayden Henry, CF
Mia Scott, 3B
Reese Atwood, C
Joley Mitchell, 1B
Katie Stewart, LF
Leighann Goode, SS
Katie Cimusz, DP
Kaydee Bennett, 2B
Starting pitcher: Teagan Kavan
Oklahoma softball seeking to make history
Oklahoma is looking to join rarified air with a fifth straight national championship. If coach Patty Gasso and the Sooners can pull off the WCWS win, they’d join John Wooden and UCLA basketball as the only college program to win five straight championships.
Read more about Oklahoma’s chance at history from a story by USA Today’s Kevin Skiver here.
Texas-Oklahoma softball history
Oklahoma leads the all-time series against rival Texas 48-13 in softball. The Sooners have won six consecutive games over the Longhorns, including a three-game series sweep in the regular season in Norman, Oklahoma. They also swept the CWS championship series last season.
The Longhorns’ last win in the series was a 2-1 win on April 7, 2024, in Austin, Texas. Texas is 1-11 all-time against Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The lone win was a 3-1 win on May 13, 2005.
What time does Texas vs Oklahoma softball start?
Date: Saturday, May 31
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Where: OGE Energy Field at Devon Park | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
What TV channel is Texas vs Oklahoma softball WCWS game today?
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men’s volleyball team completed a successful weekend at Worthen Arena, defeating NJIT in four sets (25-13, 21-25, 25-12, 25-15) Saturday evening.
The Cardinals (3-0, 0-0 MIVA) limited the Highlanders (0-4, 0-0 EIVA) to a 0.80 hitting clip while averaging .391 themselves, along with a team block total of 15.5 compared to NJIT’s 3. The evening saw just one lead change, three points into the fourth set, as NJIT recorded an attack error at the end of a Patrick Rogers serve.
Rogers led the way as he matched his kill total from the evening prior, tallying 16 while hitting .522, along with six digs, two assists and a team-leading three aces. Ryan Louis was credited with 11 kills on a .318 clip, two aces, four digs and a career-high seven block assists. Wil Basilio earned nine kills, three digs and four block assists.
Ball State’s defense halted the Highlanders at the net, aided by Jacob Surette who recorded a career-best nine block assists, Louis’ seven and Braydon Savitski-Lynde’s five. Savitski-Lynde also completed five kills while hitting .522. Freshman libero Adir Ben Shloosh led the men with eight digs.
Lucas Machado’s hustle was on full display throughout the match, dishing out 37 assists with three kills.
The Cardinals led by as much as 14 in the opening set, highlighted by an 8-0 run which brought them to set-point. After three-straight points by the Highlanders, Rogers punched a kill to finish it, capping off a set that saw Ball State hit an efficient .688 clip.
Set two was a different story, as the score tied seven times until NJIT’s late momentum pushed them just enough to claim the set.
The men’s squad was unfazed, easily taking sets three and four. Rogers swatted nine kills between the two sets, and claimed two of his three aces in set four, with one of those bringing the Cardinals to match point. Surette’s four block assists were also instrumental, including back-to-back blocks assists by him and Basilio.
In his first career appearance with the Cardinals, sophomore Jason Harris put the exclamation point on the weekend with the final kill of the match, finishing with two.
The Ball State men’s volleyball program ride this momentum into next week when it travels to Phoenix, Ariz. for the First Point Collegiate Challenge Tournament at the Phoenix Convention Center. The men square off against No. 1 UCLA Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. ET, followed by No. 9 Stanford Jan. 18 at 4 p.m. ET.
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men’s Volleyball team defeated Harvard 3-1 Saturday night to close out the final round of the 61st ASICS Invitational. The Gauchos open the 2026 season undefeated, having also beaten Kentucky State and Maryville earlier in the tournament.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Harvard opened the gate with a first-set win, taking it 25-22. The Gauchos hit just 0.074 in the first and were unable to collapse Harvard’s early lead.
The Gauchos finally clicked during the second, bringing it home 25-18. Santa Barbara and Harvard stayed even through the second, with neither team managing to gain more than a three-point lead until the set’s finale. At 19-18, Santa Barbara went on a six-point scoring run that brought them directly to victory.
Santa Barbara shone in the third, capturing a 25-14 success for their cleanest win of the match. The Gauchos made off with a 7-2 head start and stayed at least three points ahead at all times. Senior Owen Loncar sealed the set with a service ace.
Finally, the Gauchos closed out the match by winning the fourth and final set 25-19. They held a slight initial lead before springing multiple points ahead of the Crimson.
Santa Barbara revived their hitting percentage after the grim first set, hitting 57% in the remaining three. As a team, they dug 42 digs and made ten aces.
George Bruening put on a hitting masterclass, annihilating 26 kills and hitting .455. He tied his career record in kills and made ten in the fourth set alone. Ben Pearson delivered the match’s second highest kill count with nine, while Riggs Guy lasered eight. Guy also placed a career-best six assists.
Cole Schobel achieved all over the court, popping 42 assists, five kills, and a block. He also led the match in service aces with four, hit .714, and tied Jason Walmer for the match-high dig count at nine. Joe Wallace followed with seven digs and freshman Dylan Pilkvist made a team leading 5 block assists
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will continue home play for their next match, hosting The Master’s University on Friday, Jan. 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the Thunderdome.
UC San Diego men’s volleyball (1-0, 0-0 Big West) kicked off its 2026 campaign with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Jessup (0-1, 0-0 MPSF) on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at LionTree Arena.
The key to the Tritons’ victory was the offensive firepower of junior outside hitter Josh Ewert, who racked up a game-high 17 kills, including the final point in two of the four sets. Junior outside hitter Leo Pravednikov added 15 kills of his own.
The first set showcased opening-game jitters with both sides committing a multitude of attacking errors. Ewert came to play from the first serve, racking up five kills in the opening set alone. However, Jessup had its own go-to guy — senior middle blocker Clement Osahon Jr. caused major issues for the Tritons early on. By the end of the set, UCSD shook off its early errors and created some separation. Fittingly, Ewert scored the set point, a kill that pushed his team over the line to clinch the first set with a score of 25-20.
The second set started sloppily, but a vicious kill from Triton junior middle blocker Leo Wiemelt ignited a spark. A sneaky dump set from senior setter John Luers extended the Tritons’ lead to six. Yet, UCSD was plagued by service errors following strong kills, allowing Jessup to remain on the Tritons’ heels.
“[The offense] is so potent at times, and then, at times, we struggled with the blockers and getting the ball in the court consistently,” head coach Brad Rostratter said in a postgame interview with The UCSD Guardian. “So, our strengths can be our weaknesses.”
Ewert led the Tritons to set point after a crafty tool of the Warriors’ block. Despite a final 3-point push from Jessup, a powerful kill from senior middle blocker Peter Selcho drove UCSD over the line 25-22.
Jessup refused to go quietly in the third. After a couple of early kills from Ewert, the Warriors found their momentum. UCSD responded with a block from Wiemelt and an emphatic kill and ace from junior outside hitter Sebastiano Sani. However, a solo 3-0 run from Jessup’s senior opposite hitter Carter Depue tied the game at 18. Late Triton errors ultimately allowed Jessup to build its lead and eventually take the set 25-22.
“Their middles did a really good job of committing, slowing down our middles, and touching and defending the middle of the court,” Rostratter said. “It’s something they did really, really well. And we struggled; it took a little bit of adjusting to their higher quick set.”
The Tritons decisively regained control in the fourth set, and Ewert set the tone with back-to-back service aces. UCSD went on an 8-2 run, which included a vicious kill from Selcho and another ace from Ewert. For the first time in the match, the Tritons had a comfortable lead at 18-11. Ewert sent one last back-row kill past the unresponsive Warriors to take the fourth set 25-20 for UCSD.
The Tritons stayed hot with a 3-1 home victory against Daemen on Friday, Jan. 9. UCSD will finish off its three-game homestand against Rockhurst on Sunday, Jan. 11, before heading to Utah to face BYU in a two-game road trip from Jan. 16-17.
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Purdue Fort Wayne men’s volleyball team collected their first win of the season on Sunday night (Jan. 11), topping NJIT in the Mastodons’ second five set match of the season (25-20, 18-25, 25-22, 23-25, 15-12).
Owen Banner and Carlo Huisden led the ‘Dons offensively in the match, combining for 43 of the ‘Dons 67 kills. Banner finished with 21 kills, two aces, nine digs and three total blocks. Huisden tallied 22 kills on a .472 hitting percentage, along with seven digs.
Both teams battled early in the first set, until NJIT took the lead with a 5-1 run. Purdue Fort Wayne rallied back midway through the set with their own 6-1 run to claim a 16-13 lead. The Mastodons finished the set on a .481 hitting percentage to take the frame 25-20.
The Highlanders jumped out to an early second set lead, using a 6-2 run. NJIT added onto their lead with the help of another 6-1 run, sitting on top of a 16-9 score. Despite the ‘Dons boasting another high hitting percentage (.429), the Highlanders maintained the lead and finished out the set at 25-18.
Purdue Fort Wayne rallied to begin the third set, shooting out on a 7-0 run. Banner earned nine of his kills and the Mastodons defense rejected four attacks during the frame. The ‘Dons took a 2-1 set lead after a 25-22 conclusion.
The fourth set was highly contested, neither side owned larger than a three point lead. Both teams were held to under .100 hitting percentage. NJIT forced a fifth set after taking the fourth 25-23.
Purdue Fort Wayne dropped the first two points of the final frame, but bounced back with a 6-1 run. NJIT closed the gap to 9-11 after a 3-0 run of their own. The Mastodons managed to hold on to their lead and close out the contest at 15-12.
Hunter Hopkins finished with a near double-double of 53 assists and nine digs. Casey Lyons tied his career-high with eight block assists. Andrew Mayer dug out 11 attacks in the contest.
Purdue Fort Wayne moves to 1-1. NJIT falls to 0-5. The Mastodons will take on the Under Armour Challenge, hosted by Lindenwood, next weekend. The ‘Dons will face off against Menlo on Friday (Jan. 16) and No. 11 CSUN on Saturday (Jan. 17).
Brian Liebowitz during Jan. 10 race. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook Athletics
Stony Brook men’s track & field competed in its first meet of the New Year on Jan. 9 at the TCNJ Invitational from The Armory in New York City. As a team, the Seawolves recorded eight top-eight placements, including a first-place finish in the 3000m race by Brian Liebowitz.
HIGHLIGHTS
Liebowitz won the 3,000m, with a time of 8:33.52, setting a new PR.
Luca Maneri recorded a third-place finish in the mile run (4:23.26).
Freshman Jamal Joseph finished third in the 200m (22.41).
Cain Lawler placed fourth in the mile run (4:23.42).
Andrew Lawler posted a fifth-place finish in the mile run event, setting a new PR with a time of 4:23.65.
The team of Walesky Nowak, Andres Acosta Mondriguez, Jaden Medrano, and Matthew Brodsky finished fifth in the 4x400m relay (3:23.20).
Chris Tardugno recorded an eighth-place finish in the mile run, setting a new PR with a time of 4:27.64.
Brodsky finished eighth in the 500m and set a new PR in the event (1:06.37).
The team continues its busy January slate returning to The Armory for the Ramapo College Invitation on January 16, with action set to begin at 9:30 am.
Seniors at Quaker Valley who will continue their careers at the next level include, in front, from left, Meredith Fallgren, Alexa Westwood, Makenna Kamnikar; in back, from left, Eoin Parnell, Todd Kagle, Bruce Anderchak, Henry Zupanc, Jayden Juliano and River Capek.
Quaker Valley senior Mimi Thiero signed to play basketball at Maryland. She was joined by her parents, from left, Mariam and Almany. (Photos: Quaker Valley School District)
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Quaker Valley’s college signings for 2025-26 hit double figures in December.
A total of 10 senior athletes at QV finalized their college commitments last month including Todd Kagle (Frostburg State baseball), Meredith Fallgren (Christopher Newport lacrosse), Bruce Anderchak (Mercyhurst wrestling), River Capek (Haverford cross country and track and field) and Alexa Westwood (Grove City lacrosse).
Kagle is a 6-foot-2, 195-pound right-handed pitcher/shortstop/third baseman. He was recruited as a pitcher by Frostburg State, located in Western Maryland.
“The baseball team has been successful over the past couple years, making a run in the MEC tournament four years in a row,” said Kagle, who has a 3.7 GPA. “It’s a great opportunity and felt like the best overall fit for me. I also really liked the coaches.”
Fallgren is a midfielder/defender on the QV girls lacrosse team. She also participates in Student Council, Key Club and Letters of Love.
The 5-2 Fallgren actually made an early commitment to Christopher Newport, located in Newport News, Va.
“Christopher Newport University has a great balance of academics and athletics. They also have excellent facilities,” Fallgren said. “The lacrosse program is amazing. They are a very competitive team. They have a great team culture that I’m excited to be a part of, and they are a very competitive team.”
Christopher Newport proved to be the frontrunner for Fallgren.
“CNU was the first school I visited,” she said. “After being there, I kept comparing the other schools I visited against it. It always just stood out to me. CNU plays a very challenging schedule, and they often are in the (Division III) NCAA Tournament. I was impressed by how hard they work playing that schedule.
“In addition, CNU is bigger than other schools I looked at, has great academics and offers a lot of majors. It is also beautiful and near the beach.”
Fallgren is looking to majoring in business and also has an interest in sports management.
Capek (5-10, 140) competes mainly in the 400- and 800-meter races on the track. He plans to pursue a double major in biology and psychology on a premed track and has a weighted GPA of 4.54.
“I decided to sign with Haverford because it is an academically strong school and the track team has shown a lot of success over the years,” Capek said. “Haverford is a small liberal arts school outside of Philadelphia and is pretty academically competitive. The track and field and cross country programs have seen a lot of success in the past, including sending many track athletes to NCAA nationals in the past years.
“There are also very strong community and honor values at Haverford, which I appreciate a lot.”
Rounding out the 10-pack of recent college signings at QV are Henry Zupanc (Saint Vincent baseball), Eoin Parnell (West Liberty wrestling), Makenna Kamnikar (Mount St. Mary’s golf), Jayden Juliano (Long Island track and field) and Mimi Thiero (Maryland basketball).
The 6-1, 175-pound Zupanc is a pitcher/outfielder who plans to major in sports management in college.
“I chose Saint Vincent because it felt like the best fit for me with both my academic and athletic goals,” Zupanc said. “I really liked the campus environment and the coaching staff’s approach to the game.
“Saint Vincent emphasizes strong academics, character building and community. The baseball program is competitive and focused on player development on and off the field, and I like the culture around the team that the program promotes.”
Zupanc also was on the boys golf team at QV and participates in the sports medicine club.
“I take pride in working hard, being a good teammate and leader, and I’m excited to contribute to the Saint Vincent baseball program,” he said.
Zupanc was a .300 hitter last season with four triples.
Parnell (5-4, 120) has been a member of the QV wrestling program for four years. He has been unable to compete this season because of an injury that surgery will address.
“However, I’m still going to be as active as possible on the team as a captain,” he said, “and try to do as much as I can with the team.”
Parnell has a 4.18 GPA, is a peer jury member and plans to major in prelaw at West Liberty.
“I felt that the culture they’ve built in their wrestling program would benefit me the most and help me build to my fullest potential,” Parnell said. “I also feel at home there. The people are amazing and overall it just felt right.
“The wrestling program is run by head coach Danny Irwin, who I have known and built a really good connection with over the past few years. I know their assistant coach Alec Cook as well, who I wrestled with at my wrestling club since I was 5. They truly operate as a family and really make you feel comfortable and at home. And to add, signing with West Liberty was not an easy decision, but through their guidance and advice of my parents and my coaches, the answer became pretty clear.”
Texas softball finally exorcised its demons against Red River rival Oklahoma in the Women’s College World Series.
