OKLAHOMA CITY — Early in the season, Texas pitching legend Cat Osterman pulled Longhorns freshman Teagan Kavan aside to chat about the ups and downs of a long collegiate season, the challenges of adapting to life as a student-athlete and, yes, pitching.

And who better to give some advice? Osterman is the unquestioned greatest player to ever don the burnt orange, a three-time national player of the year who led Texas to three appearances at the Women’s College World Series before an international career that included one gold medal and two silvers at the Olympics.

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“I just told her that there were going to be bumps in the road and it was just a matter of how did you handle those internally,” said Osterman, who played for Texas from 2002-06 with a one-year hiatus for the 2004 Olympics in Athens. “And I think she's handled it very well. We see a stoic but a very tested freshman. She's really able to be out there and keep her composure and continue to execute her game plan. I’m just seeing game after game that she gets stronger and stronger. It's fun to watch.”

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It’s not so fun for opposing batters, especially in Oklahoma City. Kavan has thrown back-to-back one-hit shutouts against Stanford at the WCWS, including Monday’s 1-0 win that propelled the Longhorns into the championship series that starts Wednesday. There’s no doubt Texas coach Mike White will use Kavan once the championship series starts, possibly as early as Game 1.

Osterman, who now broadcasts Texas games for ESPN, has seen Kavan develop into a breakout star at this year's WCWS. Kavan has already joined her as the only Texas pitcher in school history to throw multiple shutouts at the WCWS, and Osterman thinks Kavan will have a good chance to surpass her own record of four before the end of her career.

“There’s no doubt,” Osterman said when asked if Kavan will keep improving. “As time goes, obviously, you can add pitches to your repertoire. You change speeds a little bit in different ways. You're able to continue to grow on just what your foundation is. So, she's going to have a lot of time ahead of her to be able to add things, to be able to play with her pitches and see what she can do to continue to keep hitters off balance. And a part of it is just your mental game and being able to kind of play the mind game with hitters.”

Osterman, who will watch Texas play Wednesday from the stands as a fan, traveled to Oklahoma City in part to watch her beloved Longhorns as well as to attend an announcement about the launch of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League in 2025. Osterman serves as an advisor to the AUSL along with fellow USA Softball Hall of Famers Natasha Watley and Jessica Mendoza, who is calling the WCWS games for ESPN.

Kavan leads Texas with 30 appearances, 128⅓ innings, 20 wins and 135 strikeouts, but Mendoza said the freshman also has taken a big step under the sport’s brightest lights.

“When you're watching Texas early this season, Teagan was not their ace,” Mendoza said. “They were using the entire staff throughout most of the year, and then Teagan has emerged. One reason is she has that conviction with her pitches; she’s able to challenge hitters inside but also throws her off-speed without being fearful, which she is going to need if she ends up facing Oklahoma or Florida.”

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas legend Cat Osterman praises freshman Teagan Kavan for 'mental game'