OKLAHOMA CITY — The time has come to crown a national champion.
Will it be the Texas Tech softball team continuing to upend the status quo, finishing it off with the series win to close the 2025 Women’s College World Series? Or will it be hated rival Texas that uses its experience at Devon Park take take the crown?
Either way, there will be a new champion after Texas Tech eliminated four-time reigning champion Oklahoma. The Red Raiders and Longhorns are both looking for their first national championship, and the trophy comes back to the Lone Star State one way or another.
Texas Tech and Texas will meet in a best-of-three series starting Wednesday with Game 2 Thursday and a decisive Game 3 slotted for Friday, if necessary. All games are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and air on ESPN.
Here’s how the Red Raiders and Longhorns stack up and a prediction on who will take home the national title.
Previewing Texas Tech softball vs. Texas in Women’s College World Series championship
Before the Texas’ departure to the SEC, the Longhorns and Red Raiders were consistent foes in the Big 12 Conference. With the Longhorns and Sooners vacating, Texas Tech emerged as the conference champ and has ridden that momentum all the way to the WCWS finals.
Texas has dominated the series with Texas Tech, winning 61 of the 73 meetings between the two schools on the softball field. The Longhorns have won 12 straight overall and four straight in five-inning, run-rule fashion over the Red Raiders.
That, though, was a different Texas Tech team. The Red Raiders are armed with an array of weapons offensively, sport one of the top defenses in the country and the best pitcher in the country, NiJaree Canady.
The Longhorns can counter with a dominant pitcher of their own in sophomore Teagan Kavan, who struck out 18 batters in the first meeting between Tech and Texas back in February — the Longhorns won both in their home tournament, though Canady only pitched the first matchup, a nine-inning affair Texas won 2-1.
Players to watch: Texas Tech’s Victoria Valdez and Texas’ Reese Atwood
The battle of the catchers is one to watch, and for different reasons.
Texas backstop Reese Atwood is among the best players in the country, a unanimous first-team NFCA All-American (along with Canady) who was named catcher of the year. Entering the WCWS finals, Atwood has hit 21 home runs and driven in 86 batters at the plate. With her strong and accurate arm behind the plate, opponents have only tried to steal bases on Atwood six times this year and were caught four times.
On the other side is Victoria Valdez, a beloved member of the Red Raider roster who has developed a close connection to Canady as Texas Tech’s No. 1 battery this season. However, Valdez is in a big slump at the plate, recording just two hits in the past month (13 games) and seeing her batting average drop to .236 on the year.
Like Mihyia Davis did against Oklahoma, Valdez could use a clutch hit to get herself going, which would add another batter the Longhorns have to respect in the bottom of the order.
Score predictions for Texas Tech softball vs. Texas in WCWS
Game 1: Texas Tech 4, Texas 1 — Canady and the Red Raiders get to Kavan early and cruise to the win.
Game 2: Texas 5, Texas Tech 2 — Longhorns get some revenge with Tech resting Canady’s pitching arm.
Game 3: Texas Tech 3, Texas 2 — Red Raiders cap off an incredible season and send their rivals home without the title.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech softball vs. Texas in WCWS: Scouting report, predictions for Red Raiders, Longhorns
Reporting by Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
