2026 WCWS: Altmeyer, Kavan keep Texas alive vs Mississippi State

Any time Teagan Kavan has had a rough start this season, she’s bounced back in a big way. The trend continued on Friday as Texas beat Mississippi State 4-0 to stave off elimination in the Women’s College World Series.

Kavan had a clean first inning, but needed 19 pitches to get those first three outs. She cruised the rest of the way, needing 78 pitches for her complete game shutout, allowing just four hits. Kavan seemed to use more of her dropball and changeup from the start, while still leaning on her riseball. She had only two strikeouts, but she didn’t need them with her efficiency in the circle, inducing 13 flyouts and six groundouts.

“(She was) a lot more aggressive in the zone. Taking her chances,” said Texas head coach Mike White. “The ball was moving through the zone. They were on the change-up a little bit, but she still kept throwing it just to keep their stride out of a little bit.

“We made some great plays behind her. That’s what you’ve got to do. But we put the ball on Teagan, and Teagan said she felt like she let the team down a little bit. That’s what someone who is a competitor is going to do, is going to say. Give me the ball back, I’ve got this for my team. That’s what she did.”

Only Xiane Romero was a problem for Kavan, finishing the contest 3-for-3. Romero and Kinley Keller had back-to-back singles to open the seventh, but Kavan responded with three straight outs. Mississippi State tried to stay aggressive early in at-bats, but that seemed to backfire, keeping Kavan fresh.

“I think I was able to kind of not put that pressure on myself to get a strikeout or anything like that. It was nice to kind of throw less pitches,” Kavan said. “Hopefully it will help with the rest of the week with the workload. Awesome to give fly-outs. I think we joked in the locker room that every single person had a ball on the field had a ball today. So that was awesome. Yeah, my defense was awesome behind me, so it’s cool to feed them.”

Kaiah Altmeyer joined Texas as a top-notch transfer addition this offseason. She struggled at times during the season, and the Longhorns rotated left fielders, but when it mattered most, she brought her best. Altmeyer drove out a hanging curveball from Mississippi State starter Delainey Everett for her first home run of the season, putting Texas up two early.

“I think we talk about not making any game bigger than it needs to be,” Altmeyer said. “The fan are still the fans, the game is still the game. Keeping the moment not too big, just playing my game still. Doesn’t affect me. I think once the ball went off the bat, I knew it was out. It was a good feeling.”

White added about her expectations coming into the seaosn.

“She came in and had a lot of expectations, coming from a successful program, being a successful player on Arizona,” White said. “The transition is always difficult. You try to explain that to them. She started off really, really well. Hit as high as three in the order. Then went through a little bit of a struggle. She never pouted, never got down, never did the pity party or anything like that. She stayed, worked hard.

“It’s just great to see her get this moment. It’s just reward for her keeping her head up and being a real teammate. Like the ladies said, she’s got their backs, using her experience in other places, being ready to contribute to the team whenever she can. It’s just a great story.”

Everett exited after the fourth inning for Peja Goold. The second batter she faced, Kayden Henry lined a ball that just got over the right field fence for a solo shot. Goold faced trouble in the sixth after Texas loaded the bases. She kept the Longhorns from adding to their lead with a pair of groundballs.

That wasn’t the case in the seventh. Goold walked Katie Stewart and Viviana Martinez followed with an RBI double as Stewart scored from first base.

Mississippi State’s first trip to the WCWS was short-lived, but another notch for what Samantha Ricketts has built in Starkville.

“Could not be more proud of this group for what they’ve done for Mississippi State softball and for each other,” Ricketts said. “The way they’ve represented this team, this program, our community, and the support that we’ve seen from so many people back home, across the country, who have come out to support us. I think we’re overall very thankful for the love and support that we’ve seen because they deserve it.

“They believe that Mississippi State could be here on this stage when nobody else did. They put in the work and continued to set this as a goal and raise the standard for our program through the good days and the bad. There really was no doubt for anyone in this program that we would be at this stage sooner rather than later. For it to be this group, who really from early on, we knew they were special. They’re a great group.”

Texas moves on to play on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET against the loser of Saturday’s Alabama-Nebraska game. The Longhorns have played both teams, having split the season series against each. With an extra day of rest and Kavan’s low pitch count, she should be able to go again.