No. 3 Texas softball won its doubleheader matchups on Saturday by a combined total of 18 runs, but head coach Mike White still thought his team’s defensive performance left something to be desired. However, by Sunday’s matchup against Incarnate Word, the Longhorns seemed to have worked out the kinks.
They took the Cardinals down in an 8-0 run-rule victory, preventing any sort of offensive production from their opponent. This display of defensive prowess revolved around junior pitcher Teagan Kavan, who didn’t allow a single hit across all six innings of play.
White talked about Kavan’s improvement throughout this season after the game.
“I think she was just nibbling too much (early on),” White said. “She’s the best pitcher of missing by three inches I’ve ever seen, so let’s make three inches on the other side, and she was able to do that, and came out especially after those first couple innings. I think she was still nibbling a little bit, then she took it in control and was more aggressive with her pitches.”
Kavan’s ability to establish control seemed to rub off on her teammates as well, as White noted that the Longhorns functioned more effectively as a unit on Sunday.
“I thought they did a better job communicating,” White said after the game. “(There was a) nice catch in the outfield by (senior outfielder) Kaiah Altmeyer, and of course a no-hitter by Teagan, so I thought we were better in all phases of the game.”
Altmeyer’s running catch ignited the home crowd at the Red & Charline McCombs Field, and it seemed to provide life to the ballpark during this less eventful matchup.
This sort of defensive performance is particularly helpful on days where Texas has a bit of a harder time creating offensive momentum. Junior center fielder Kayden Henry was responsible for a home run over left field that helped the Longhorns add three runs to their total, but relatively little offensive explosiveness existed outside of this play in comparison to some of their other recent matchups.
“I think sometimes our energy can just get a little low,” Henry said. “We can get a little complacent at times. I think in the smaller, slower games it can feel like we’re dragging a little bit. So, I think we just have to push ourselves mentally to continue to fight through those innings.”
Luckily for Henry and the Longhorns, bigger and faster games should be on the horizon, with Sunday’s matchup serving as Texas’ last game of the weekend and their last matchup before Southeastern Conference play commences.
The Longhorns will face the South Carolina Gamecocks on the road this upcoming weekend, with the first game of the series set for Friday at 5 p.m.
“We have a lot of talent on the team, but we’ve still got to perform,” White said. “We know the competition gets a lot tougher coming into the SEC this week.”
