Texans Have 2 Softball Teams to Root for in College World Series

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — For the second consecutive year, softball fans from the Lone Star State will have two Texas teams to root for in the College World Series.

The Texas Longhorns and Texas Tech Red Raiders — who met for last year’s World Series title — are both back in Oklahoma City.

The defending champion and No. 2-ranked Longhorns will play No. 7 Tennessee at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, while the No. 11 Red Raiders will play Mississippi State at 11 a.m.

If both Texas teams win, or if both teams lose, they’ll meet in their next game.

This is the third straight appearance and ninth overall for Texas. It’s the second appearance for Tech after the Red Raiders made school history last year with their first trip.

The two teams collided in a memorable final that Texas won 10-4 in a decisive Game 3 to claim its first national title.

Texas has made its way back with a 47-11 record and a roster that includes a couple of small-town girls from our region — Coahoma’s Hannah Wells and Stamford’s Citlaly Gutierrez.

Wells has stepped right into the starting lineup as a freshman and is hitting .281 with 15 home runs. She has also pitched 45 innings with a 6-3 record.

Gutierrez, a senior, has pitched 69.2 innings with a 9-3 record.

Texas Tech’s most well-known player, of course, is Canady. The superstar pitcher became the sport’s first player to sign a name, image and likeness contract worth more than $1 million when she transferred from Stanford to Texas Tech.

Canady has helped the Red Raiders to a 57-7 record for the winningest season in program history.

For San Angelo fans, the teams are nearly identical distances away. Tech is a bit closer at 169 miles from San Angelo, while Texas is 181 miles away.

The other first-round matchups in this year’s World Series are No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 5 Arkansas at 6 p.m. Thursday, followed by No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 8 UCLA at 8:30 p.m.