June 2, 2025 • 10 mins
The Texas Longhorns are returning to the WCWS Finals for the second consecutive year! Coach Mike White joins The Craig Way Show to discuss the 2-0 win over Tennessee, the pitching performances from Mac Morgan and Teagan Kavan, and their matchup against either Oklahoma or Texas Tech.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
No need for an elimination bracket for the Texas long
Horns softball team. The Longhorns are through to the National
Championship Round. As you heard it live here on thirteen
hundred Zone this afternoon with Andrew Haynes on the call.
Texas with a two to nothing shutout of the Tennessee Volunteers.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Back in the National Championship.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Round for the second straight year and for the third
time in these past four seasons. Very pleased to be
joining live right now from Oklahoma City. By head coach
Mike White. I'm always curious when you get a big
win like this at the postseason and you've got a
couple of days. I know there's planning that goes on,
but how much of this do you allow yourself to enjoy?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Mike, congratulations on the win.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Well know so much myself, but thank you for that.
They know so much myself. With the girls, for sure,
they were told about mana cues and pittyqs and things
like that, so you know they're enjoying the time off
for sure. But it's great to be able to sit
back and be able to watch the other teams compete
and then find out who we play.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
So no Manny Petty for you there you can lax
and enjoy a cold malted beverage while they're working on
your feet or something like that.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Now, maybe the latter without the defeat.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
But yeah, hey, yeah, I'll do what I have to do.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Yeah, I wanted. I was curious to get your thoughts
on this. You'd talked to Holly Row. I was watching
the telecast when you mentioned about how you were setting
up your pitching for it, and it started with Mac
Morgan and you and I talked about Mac last week
and you said she's going to be an important part
of what we do before this is done. And what
she really seemed on the beam today even doing what
(01:27):
she normally doesn't do in great abund this is getting
strikeouts because she does such a fabulous job at getting
posting players to hit the ball on the ground. But
how would you characterize what you saw in analyzing what
Mac did for you in the circle today?
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Oh, it's huge for us, you know, the ability to
go out there and play against one of the best
hitting teams in the country. I mean, they got seven
runs off the Florida last the other night, just in
the fisht and things. So to come out and really
set the tone for us defensively, you know, and they
allow us to kind of battle that way through against
one of the best pitches in the country. It was
It was great and also allowed teaguing to have mixed
to wrist well.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
And that's where I was going next, because you know
that a lot of layman fans would sit back and
see what maca done and say they're making a change.
He's making a change, he's bringing it. But but Tigan's
been your go to your bell cow all season long.
So was it in your mind as soon as you
got a lead you were going to go to Tigan
or what? Did it just depend on how Mac was going?
(02:22):
Or was there a point even if you had not
gotten the homer from Katie Stewart and was still scoreless
after for what? What was your your plan as that
was you might say, unfolding throughout the course of the
middle innings.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Yeah, for sure. I mean you always make plans and
there to be adjusted. And the plan was to go
five innings with with Mac. So we were one short
of that, but I thought it was time. She was
getting the ball up just a little bit, and that's
a telltale sign when we need to make a change
with Mac. But I'm just so proud of hearing the
way she fight it, with the way she fought and uh,
you know, kept that team in the game, and then
(02:56):
of course once we got that lead, it was like,
we're not giving this up.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
How sure were you that the ball off Katie's battle
was a home run? I mean, seeing all the replays,
it was very very close, and maybe a leap might
have been able to get it, might not have.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
But when it came off the bat, were you thinking
it was going out?
Speaker 3 (03:15):
I thought it may have a chance, but I thought
it was going to stay in. And then it started drifting.
I saw who drifting, and I was like, let's go,
come on. And then you know, I think we got
some heavenly helps up there. So it definitely just barely
met it.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Over visiting with Mike White, Texas softball coach here on
thirteen hundred zenter. Okay, you brought up Teagan and how
important it was when you got the lead. Also, how
important you think it was since you got a day
off tomorrow for her, even as much work as she
has put in the season for her still to get
in there and give you three innings she got to
(03:48):
save to get in a little if you almost you
might say, tune up, work some work there before she
goes back to the circle for you on Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
Yeah, she's pitching a little bit more than she normally
does for us, but just been really impressed with his
stamina so far, and she looked pretty good coming in.
So just ability to discover three innings, I think just
over forty pitches, so it wasn't too bad. So I
think your pitch count, considering she's thrown in three games,
is relatively low, and of course getting another day off
tomorrow cerily helps as well.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Uh, you know, it's it was a pretty emotional win
for Oklahoma over Oklahoma. It would be that way for
anybody given the excellence of the suitors.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Were you able to.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Tell a tangible emotional lift and carryover for your group,
not just because it was a win, and not just
because it was a win in the in the College
World Series there in Oklahoma City, but because of who
it was you beat, where you beat them, and the
impact that it carried for you numerically into the semifinals.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Yeah, all three of those things put together for sure.
I mean, it was a huge breakthrough win trap program.
I mean, the first time was when we actually beat them,
I think a couple of years ago with Hailey Delcini,
I think the one the series against them. You know,
I said that was the first breakthrough. And then, you know,
we hadn't really beaten them in Oklahoma at all, and
we really hadn't played that well against them until you
(05:15):
the truth, and for us to kind of get that
monkey off at back, so to speak, is huge, and
hopefully we can continue to play free and with confidence
like we are doing right now.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Curious to get your thoughts on this.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
I've read and seen and heard quite a few comments
from coaches and players of other teams there in Oklahoma
City talking about this being kind of an unfair advantage
for Oklahoma playing at Devon Park and all of that
sort of stuff. Is your group only because they played
there so much and because they've played Oklahoma as much
(05:49):
as they played them in that state, are they pretty
easily able to block out all the extraneous And it's
an awful lot of extraneous, the noise and the excitement
and the obvious home crowd advantage that the Sooners have
when they're out there.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Yeah, it certainly is something that's to their advantage and
we know that, but there's nothing we can do about
it except compete. And we've just got to put that
behind us, and you know, stop making excuses and so
to speak, and really just kind of focus on what
we can control and what we need to do and
just work our way through it. I thought the other
night when we played really well, the Crab was a
little bit more quiet, so we kind of took them
(06:25):
out of it, and that was a big advantage for
us actually.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
In imperfect world and when we all live in an
imperfect world, but Mike, in a perfect world, would a
more ideal situation be for I don't know if it'd
be the NCAA or a sparticular city, maybe in Frisco,
in the Dallas for Ward therea which is really billing
itself as a as a sports complex capital of the world.
(06:48):
To have a twenty thousand seat or whatever fifteen thousand
seat saltball stadium in a big market that doesn't necessarily
have a collegiate allegiance, to have a true neutral in
a perfect world, would that would that be a more
ideal setup?
Speaker 3 (07:03):
I think it's something to look at the next time around.
I know there was a multi year contract because the
city of Oklahoma City put in a lot of money
I think over twenty million dollars into that stadium that
was part of the agreement to get it for so
many years. So I think the next time round, I
think it would be something to look at. I mean,
you really shouldn't ideally have a field like that within
(07:24):
thirty miles or twenty miles of someone's campus. That's definitely
a major player in the sport. But you know, again,
we're not. It is what it is, and they were
willing to put the money up and put the funds.
But it was also at the home of Essay Softball
as well before the Collegeable Series ever came here as well,
so it was a well known city for softball.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Visiting with Mike White taxas softball coach. Okay, let's turn
the attention toward this, this other semifinal. How do you
and the staff go about your viewing of this game
between Texas Tech and Oklahoma. You're well acquainted obviously, not
only with the Sooners, but but also with the Red
Raiders and Najerie Kennedy and that sort of thing. So
(08:06):
how closely are you not only just watching, but in
terms of your scouting thing and with the things that
you're looking for tonight as those two get together.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Yeah, I mean, I think as you can tell, you know,
Jerry Glasco is quite the trickster, and you know you
don't see home still very often, and he'd been so
aftable and he did that the other night, and he
likes to run and be a little unpredictable, so that
could happen again. He could use his speed to kind
of play on their defense a little bit. And of
course they have the ace in the hole with Nija
Cannery Canneday. She's a tremendous pitcher and has a below
(08:38):
one ERA, so it's not very often you score a
lot of runs against her, so you know they kind
of have that advantage right now. But again they're going
to have to hit, you know, as soon as pitching
as well.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Given the fact that your team has had success against
her Kennedy I'm talking about, as well as the most
recent of success against Oklahoma, you think your group's going
to have a really good feeling regardless of who comes
out of that other side to match up with for
the championship.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Yeah, we've got to feel good about ourselves. We can't
be worried about what the other team's going to do.
And I think you know a team kind of sit
that in the press conference today is we have to
worry more about what we're going to do than what
the other team's going to do. Obviously, we're going to
have to have a game plan against two what we play,
but we're going to have that confidence that we've played
these teams, and we've played in this environment and we
can beat them.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Mike, I appreciate the time.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
As always, I'm glad you had a chance to in
a very pleasant way catch your breath coming off the win,
and obviously appreciate you joining us again. Wish you the
best of luck and we'll be watching and listening very
very carefully.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Good luck in this one and beginning on Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Thank you, Greg, and I appreciate being a toll to
have fans and hook.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Them, hook them.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Indeed, that is Mike White, Texas softball coach. They're in
the National Championship round. They're going to play the winner
of Texas Tech and Oklahoma. Now again, if Oklahoma wins
this game against Tech, they forced one final if necessary game,
which Tennessee could have done had Tennessee been able to
beat didn't happen. Great pitching for Mac and Morgan through
the first four innings and then Teag and Cavan and
(10:05):
the long Corn's got enough runs. He got a home
run from Katie Stewart and then scored a run on
a throwing.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Error as well.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
So they win to nothing and they're in the championship
round and they will play the winner whoever comes out
of that other side, Oklahoma or Texas Tech.
No need for an elimination bracket for the Texas long
Horns softball team. The Longhorns are through to the National
Championship Round. As you heard it live here on thirteen
hundred Zone this afternoon with Andrew Haynes on the call.
Texas with a two to nothing shutout of the Tennessee Volunteers.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Back in the National Championship.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Round for the second straight year and for the third
time in these past four seasons. Very pleased to be
joining live right now from Oklahoma City. By head coach
Mike White. I'm always curious when you get a big
win like this at the postseason and you've got a
couple of days. I know there's planning that goes on,
but how much of this do you allow yourself to enjoy?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Mike, congratulations on the win.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Well know so much myself, but thank you for that.
They know so much myself. With the girls, for sure,
they were told about mana cues and pittyqs and things
like that, so you know they're enjoying the time off
for sure. But it's great to be able to sit
back and be able to watch the other teams compete
and then find out who we play.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
So no Manny Petty for you there you can lax
and enjoy a cold malted beverage while they're working on
your feet or something like that.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
Now, maybe the latter without the defeat.
Speaker 2 (01:02):
But yeah, hey, yeah, I'll do what I have to do.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Yeah, I wanted. I was curious to get your thoughts
on this. You'd talked to Holly Row. I was watching
the telecast when you mentioned about how you were setting
up your pitching for it, and it started with Mac
Morgan and you and I talked about Mac last week
and you said she's going to be an important part
of what we do before this is done. And what
she really seemed on the beam today even doing what
(01:27):
she normally doesn't do in great abund this is getting
strikeouts because she does such a fabulous job at getting
posting players to hit the ball on the ground. But
how would you characterize what you saw in analyzing what
Mac did for you in the circle today?
Speaker 3 (01:40):
Oh, it's huge for us, you know, the ability to
go out there and play against one of the best
hitting teams in the country. I mean, they got seven
runs off the Florida last the other night, just in
the fisht and things. So to come out and really
set the tone for us defensively, you know, and they
allow us to kind of battle that way through against
one of the best pitches in the country. It was
It was great and also allowed teaguing to have mixed
to wrist well.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
And that's where I was going next, because you know
that a lot of layman fans would sit back and
see what maca done and say they're making a change.
He's making a change, he's bringing it. But but Tigan's
been your go to your bell cow all season long.
So was it in your mind as soon as you
got a lead you were going to go to Tigan
or what? Did it just depend on how Mac was going?
(02:22):
Or was there a point even if you had not
gotten the homer from Katie Stewart and was still scoreless
after for what? What was your your plan as that
was you might say, unfolding throughout the course of the
middle innings.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Yeah, for sure. I mean you always make plans and
there to be adjusted. And the plan was to go
five innings with with Mac. So we were one short
of that, but I thought it was time. She was
getting the ball up just a little bit, and that's
a telltale sign when we need to make a change
with Mac. But I'm just so proud of hearing the
way she fight it, with the way she fought and uh,
you know, kept that team in the game, and then
(02:56):
of course once we got that lead, it was like,
we're not giving this up.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
How sure were you that the ball off Katie's battle
was a home run? I mean, seeing all the replays,
it was very very close, and maybe a leap might
have been able to get it, might not have.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
But when it came off the bat, were you thinking
it was going out?
Speaker 3 (03:15):
I thought it may have a chance, but I thought
it was going to stay in. And then it started drifting.
I saw who drifting, and I was like, let's go,
come on. And then you know, I think we got
some heavenly helps up there. So it definitely just barely
met it.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Over visiting with Mike White, Texas softball coach here on
thirteen hundred zenter. Okay, you brought up Teagan and how
important it was when you got the lead. Also, how
important you think it was since you got a day
off tomorrow for her, even as much work as she
has put in the season for her still to get
in there and give you three innings she got to
(03:48):
save to get in a little if you almost you
might say, tune up, work some work there before she
goes back to the circle for you on Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
Yeah, she's pitching a little bit more than she normally
does for us, but just been really impressed with his
stamina so far, and she looked pretty good coming in.
So just ability to discover three innings, I think just
over forty pitches, so it wasn't too bad. So I
think your pitch count, considering she's thrown in three games,
is relatively low, and of course getting another day off
tomorrow cerily helps as well.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Uh, you know, it's it was a pretty emotional win
for Oklahoma over Oklahoma. It would be that way for
anybody given the excellence of the suitors.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Were you able to.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Tell a tangible emotional lift and carryover for your group,
not just because it was a win, and not just
because it was a win in the in the College
World Series there in Oklahoma City, but because of who
it was you beat, where you beat them, and the
impact that it carried for you numerically into the semifinals.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
Yeah, all three of those things put together for sure.
I mean, it was a huge breakthrough win trap program.
I mean, the first time was when we actually beat them,
I think a couple of years ago with Hailey Delcini,
I think the one the series against them. You know,
I said that was the first breakthrough. And then, you know,
we hadn't really beaten them in Oklahoma at all, and
we really hadn't played that well against them until you
(05:15):
the truth, and for us to kind of get that
monkey off at back, so to speak, is huge, and
hopefully we can continue to play free and with confidence
like we are doing right now.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Curious to get your thoughts on this.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
I've read and seen and heard quite a few comments
from coaches and players of other teams there in Oklahoma
City talking about this being kind of an unfair advantage
for Oklahoma playing at Devon Park and all of that
sort of stuff. Is your group only because they played
there so much and because they've played Oklahoma as much
(05:49):
as they played them in that state, are they pretty
easily able to block out all the extraneous And it's
an awful lot of extraneous, the noise and the excitement
and the obvious home crowd advantage that the Sooners have
when they're out there.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Yeah, it certainly is something that's to their advantage and
we know that, but there's nothing we can do about
it except compete. And we've just got to put that
behind us, and you know, stop making excuses and so
to speak, and really just kind of focus on what
we can control and what we need to do and
just work our way through it. I thought the other
night when we played really well, the Crab was a
little bit more quiet, so we kind of took them
(06:25):
out of it, and that was a big advantage for
us actually.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
In imperfect world and when we all live in an
imperfect world, but Mike, in a perfect world, would a
more ideal situation be for I don't know if it'd
be the NCAA or a sparticular city, maybe in Frisco,
in the Dallas for Ward therea which is really billing
itself as a as a sports complex capital of the world.
(06:48):
To have a twenty thousand seat or whatever fifteen thousand
seat saltball stadium in a big market that doesn't necessarily
have a collegiate allegiance, to have a true neutral in
a perfect world, would that would that be a more
ideal setup?
Speaker 3 (07:03):
I think it's something to look at the next time around.
I know there was a multi year contract because the
city of Oklahoma City put in a lot of money
I think over twenty million dollars into that stadium that
was part of the agreement to get it for so
many years. So I think the next time round, I
think it would be something to look at. I mean,
you really shouldn't ideally have a field like that within
(07:24):
thirty miles or twenty miles of someone's campus. That's definitely
a major player in the sport. But you know, again,
we're not. It is what it is, and they were
willing to put the money up and put the funds.
But it was also at the home of Essay Softball
as well before the Collegeable Series ever came here as well,
so it was a well known city for softball.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Visiting with Mike White taxas softball coach. Okay, let's turn
the attention toward this, this other semifinal. How do you
and the staff go about your viewing of this game
between Texas Tech and Oklahoma. You're well acquainted obviously, not
only with the Sooners, but but also with the Red
Raiders and Najerie Kennedy and that sort of thing. So
(08:06):
how closely are you not only just watching, but in
terms of your scouting thing and with the things that
you're looking for tonight as those two get together.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Yeah, I mean, I think as you can tell, you know,
Jerry Glasco is quite the trickster, and you know you
don't see home still very often, and he'd been so
aftable and he did that the other night, and he
likes to run and be a little unpredictable, so that
could happen again. He could use his speed to kind
of play on their defense a little bit. And of
course they have the ace in the hole with Nija
Cannery Canneday. She's a tremendous pitcher and has a below
(08:38):
one ERA, so it's not very often you score a
lot of runs against her, so you know they kind
of have that advantage right now. But again they're going
to have to hit, you know, as soon as pitching
as well.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
Given the fact that your team has had success against
her Kennedy I'm talking about, as well as the most
recent of success against Oklahoma, you think your group's going
to have a really good feeling regardless of who comes
out of that other side to match up with for
the championship.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
Yeah, we've got to feel good about ourselves. We can't
be worried about what the other team's going to do.
And I think you know a team kind of sit
that in the press conference today is we have to
worry more about what we're going to do than what
the other team's going to do. Obviously, we're going to
have to have a game plan against two what we play,
but we're going to have that confidence that we've played
these teams, and we've played in this environment and we
can beat them.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Mike, I appreciate the time.
Speaker 1 (09:24):
As always, I'm glad you had a chance to in
a very pleasant way catch your breath coming off the win,
and obviously appreciate you joining us again. Wish you the
best of luck and we'll be watching and listening very
very carefully.
Speaker 2 (09:37):
Good luck in this one and beginning on Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (09:40):
Thank you, Greg, and I appreciate being a toll to
have fans and hook.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Them, hook them.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Indeed, that is Mike White, Texas softball coach. They're in
the National Championship round. They're going to play the winner
of Texas Tech and Oklahoma. Now again, if Oklahoma wins
this game against Tech, they forced one final if necessary game,
which Tennessee could have done had Tennessee been able to
beat didn't happen. Great pitching for Mac and Morgan through
the first four innings and then Teag and Cavan and
(10:05):
the long Corn's got enough runs. He got a home
run from Katie Stewart and then scored a run on
a throwing.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Error as well.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
So they win to nothing and they're in the championship
round and they will play the winner whoever comes out
of that other side, Oklahoma or Texas Tech.
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