Just over a month ago, freshman pitcher Hannah Wells allowed seven hits and seven runs across two innings of play against No. 9 Nebraska in her first collegiate start. This Sunday, in her Southeastern Conference debut, she commanded the mound for five innings, conceding just one run and no errors.
Throughout the season, head coach Mike White has referenced the high expectations that Wells creates for herself. He recognizes the pressure associated with being a freshman pitcher, but he sees potential in her even when her results don’t meet her standards.
“She has a lot of expectations (for) herself, so (we will see) whether she can ease her way into things and not fold under some pressure, so to speak,” White said. “But I think she’s going to be elite for us.”
This eliteness started to show itself through during Sunday’s matchup against South Carolina, and it looked as though the freshman felt a bit more comfortable setting the tone for her team. In the bottom of the fifth inning, for example, Wells made a hard stop with her knee, quickly regrouping to initiate her team’s third double play of the afternoon.
Of course, this double play wouldn’t have been possible without sharp execution from both junior shortstop Viviana Martinez and junior first baseman Katie Stewart, who also played integral roles in Texas’ 5-2 victory. Wells’ teammates came through for their freshman pitcher, never letting her forget she wasn’t the only one responsible for helping her team win.
The Longhorns also took more control on the offensive side of the ball in this game than their previous two against the Gamecocks, with action peaking in the third and fourth innings.
Junior outfielder Kayden Henry scored a solo home run in the third inning, putting Texas on the board and bringing life to the Longhorn dugout. Then, in the fourth inning, senior outfielder Kaiah Altmeyer brought a runner in on a double, and senior catcher Reese Atwood brought two more home with a single.
South Carolina deployed five different pitchers to the mound throughout the matchup, none able to significantly shift the game’s energy. The Gamecocks started to generate a bit of momentum toward the end of the matchup when Texas sophomore pitcher Cambria Salmon took the mound, but it wouldn’t be nearly enough to help them make a full comeback.
The Longhorns return to Austin with three more wins added to the column, advancing their overall record to 22–1. White and his fellow coaches got a good look at what different players might be capable of this conference season, including their youngest weapon on the mound.
Ahead of this series against South Carolina, White emphasized how important it would be for Wells to fill into a bigger role during SEC play.
“She’s going to have to play a bigger role for us (to be) successful on the SEC as far as both offensively and defensively – just a nice option to have off the bench,” White said.
Texas will take on the East Texas A&M Lions on Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Red & Charline McCombs Field.
