Texas Tech’s historic softball season ends one win shy of a national title

It was a season to remember for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The final chapter, though, was written with heartbreak as the team fell just one win short of capturing the Women’s College World Series (WCWS) national championship. Texas Tech dropped the decisive Game 3 of the title series to in-state rival Texas, 10-4, on Friday night at Devon Park.

Despite the loss, the Red Raiders (54-14) walk away from 2025 with their heads held high, rewriting the program’s record books and establishing themselves as a national powerhouse in college softball.

A Season of Firsts

Before their Cinderella run to the WCWS final, Texas Tech had already made history multiple times over:

First-ever Big 12 regular season title

First Big 12 Tournament championship

First time hosting an NCAA Regional

First Super Regional sweep (vs. Florida State)

First-ever WCWS appearance

These milestones weren’t flukes—they were the product of a dominant, deep, and resilient team that showcased grit from February through June.

Game 3 Recap: Early Deficit Too Much to Overcome

In Friday’s rubber match, Texas struck early and hard. The Longhorns (56-12) put up five runs in the opening frame, tagging National Pitcher of the Year NiJaree Canady early. After back-to-back RBI singles by Reese Atwood and Katie Stewart, Leighann Goode broke the game wide open with a three-run home run.

Canady, who had been nearly unhittable throughout the tournament—including 52.0 consecutive WCWS innings pitched—was pulled after the first, a testament to how potent the Texas bats were on this night.

The offensive onslaught continued in the fourth, when Mia Scott launched a grand slam to center, making it 10-0 and effectively putting the game out of reach. Scott, part of the heart of the Longhorns' 2-5 lineup, finished 2-for-3, helping lead a balanced attack in which each of those key hitters recorded at least two hits. Kayden Henry led the team with a 3-for-4 night.

Texas Tech’s Fight Never Faltered

Despite the early blow, Texas Tech didn’t fold. The Red Raiders showed the same fight that brought them to the championship stage.

Sam Lincoln, entering in relief in the fourth, put the brakes on the Texas offense. She pitched three no-hit, shutout innings and worked out of a sixth-inning jam with back-to-back strikeouts, keeping her team within striking distance.

At the plate, Hailey Toney was a bright spot. She recorded three of Tech’s seven hits and drove in three runs, including a two-run single in the fifth and an RBI knock in the sixth. But by then, the early damage was too much to overcome.

Texas starter Teagan Kavan (28-5) was steady and effective. Though she gave up four unearned runs, she kept the Red Raiders quiet for the first three innings and went the distance for the complete-game win, striking out three.

The Bigger Picture: A Program on the Rise

It’s easy to look at a season-ending loss and focus on what wasn’t achieved, but that would be missing the point. What this Texas Tech squad accomplished in 2025 was nothing short of transformational:

They knocked down historical barriers.

They raised the national profile of the program.

They brought together a fan base that rallied behind every pitch and every run.

From Canady’s dominance in the circle to the clutch hitting up and down the lineup, the Red Raiders showed they belong on the biggest stage in college softball—and they likely won’t be strangers to Oklahoma City in the future.

Looking Ahead

The loss to Texas will sting, no doubt. Losing to a rival on the grandest stage only adds to the emotion. But Texas Tech didn’t just compete this year—they arrived. The foundation has been laid. The experience gained by this group—especially younger players—will pay dividends for years to come.

The journey may have ended a win short, but the 2025 Red Raiders will be remembered not for how the season ended, but for how they changed the story of Texas Tech softball forever.