Gainesville, Fla. — There have been many questions about the University of Texas softball program heading for its first Southeastern Conference (SEC) series this weekend. Teagan Kavan and Katie Cimusz provided these answers as the second-placed Longhorns won two-game double headers at 7-2 and 13-7 in third-ranked Florida, winning their first SEC game, as well as winning their first SEC series.
Relying on those who helped win the Big 12 Conference in 2024, the Texas Miascott and Reese Atwood duo defeated a 1-1 tie at the top of the game’s four innings by driving on five runs with Atwood’s three-run home run that hit a big hit.
And despite Florida (27-4, 2-3) returning to the bottom half of the innings on one run, Jolie Mitchell brought Texas’ advantage back to five at the top of sixth place by scoring Ashton Maloney on a sacrifice fly.
This week’s incumbent pitcher, Kaban (11-1), threw 100 pitches in 4.2 innings of Game 1, facing a minimum of three, scattering five singles, scattering the fourth-highest scoring offense in the nation. She gave way to Mac Morgan with two on-and-a-ways two away on and two apart, with the fifth and third year longhorns finishing the frame on one pitch.
Morgan (S, 1) continued to allow two singles at the bottom for the sixth (two consecutive singles). On the way to earn her sixth career save, she tied her fourth on the program’s career save list.
Game 2 was a seesaw event as Florida rose 2-0 after the first inning, with Texas leading 3-2 in third and Florida gaining a 7-6 lead in fourth place, before expanding to 6-2 in fourth place. Katie Sims quickly took the game to the top of the fifth, filming the game 7-7 with a solo home run, with the Longhorns opening up at the top of the sixth inning to get Cimusz’s second home run on the bat.
From head coach Mike White
“It was obviously a tough day, but mentally drained, but it was a good victory in the first game. Both teams really worked, so the second game went back and forth for a while.
From Senior Kate Sims
“For me, I just wanted to fly on the pitch on time. I know I was a little late to some of the first game. I wanted to find a pitch that I could drive.”
Game Notes
By winning the pitching circle in Game 1, Teagan Kavan earned his 30th career victory, joining Mac Morgan (39), and Citlaly Gutierrez (31) is an active longhorn pitcher with over 30 career victory on 40 acres. Texas is currently the only Division I softball program with three active pitchers to win more than 30 games in one school. By scoring a run-score hit by pitch at the top of the fourth game on Saturday’s second game, Reese Atwood (20; 2023-P)) joined Nadia Taylor (21; 2009-12) as the only student-athlete in program history to hit more than 20 pitches during his Texas career. On his fourth three home runs in Game 1, Leeth Atwood (45; 2023-P) joined Taylor Hoagland (58; 2010-13) and Lindsay Stevens (47; 2013-16) as the only Texas softball student-athlete with a career home run over the age of 45. Credited to a single at the first top of Game 2, Mia Scott has extended his current batting streak for 16 straight times. Scott’s streak has been tied for third history ever since Lindsay Stevens recorded a 16-game batting streak from February 15, 2014 to March 8, 2014. Scott is one of just five student-athletes in Texas softball history and has been hit by more than 16 games. Miascott’s three-run home run at the third top of Game 2 was the 20th career home run for the senior longhorn infielder in the fourth year. As a result of her offensive productivity in both games on Saturday, Reese Atwood became the first player in Texas softball history, earning a career home run over 45 and a career RBI over 175 (177). Saturday marked Katie Cimusz’s second career multi-home game and his first time against LSU since March 19, 2022.
next
After potential bad weather in and around Gainesville and its surroundings shifted the schedule for the Texas three-game conference series with Florida, the Longhorns (28-1, 2-0) will close their weekend stay at Sunshine State when they concluded the series on Monday, March 17th with a 6pm CT/7 PM ET at 6pm and end the series on the SEC network.
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