Texas softball vs. Stanford: A preview, prediction for Women's College World Series semifinal
To reach the championship series of the Women’s College World Series, No. 1 Texas will once again have to beat the best pitcher in the nation.
Four days after topping Stanford and ace pitcher NiJaree Canady 4-0 in the WCWS opener, the Longhorns will again face the Cardinal in a WCWS semifinal Monday at 6 p.m. at Oklahoma City’s Devon Park.
With a win, Texas will play either Oklahoma or Florida in the best-of-three championship series, which begins Wednesday. A Stanford win will hand the Longhorns their first loss in the double-elimination WCWS and force a second game on Monday evening to determine the spot in the finals.
Let’s take a look at the matchup.
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About the Longhorns: Top seed on roll at plate, in circle
Texas (54-8) has looked every bit the top-seeded team in the tournament while beating Stanford and Florida by a combined score of 14-0. After freshman Teagan Kavan shut out Stanford 4-0 in a WCWS opener Thursday, Mac Morgan followed with a one-hit gem against Florida in a game shortened to five innings by the mercy rule. In three starts in the NCAA Tournament, Morgan has three wins and has allowed a total of six hits and two runs over 17⅓ innings. … Kavan will likely get the start against Stanford even though Texas coach Mike White won’t let his players know the starter until Monday. In her WCWS debut, Kavan allowed just one hit while striking out eight Stanford batters and improved to 19-2 on the season. … After going 5-for-20 against Canady on Thursday, the Texas bats exploded for 10 hits in 21 at-bats in the 10-0 win over Florida. Kate Stewart, Mia Scott and Alyssa Washington all homered in the biggest WCWS win in school history.
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About the Cardinal: Still all about NiJaree Canady
The Cardinal (50-16) have a mediocre offense that ranked in the lower half of most Pac-12 offensive categories all season, but Canady makes Stanford a contender. Selected as USA Softball’s player of the year over a short list of finalists that included Texas catcher Reese Atwood, Canady entered the WCWS leading the nation in strikeouts with 310 as well as with an ERA of 0.65. … Canady has started all three of Stanford’s WCWS games and has allowed 12 hits and five runs in 19 total innings. Her strikeouts have been slightly down in Oklahoma City; she’s fanned 20 batters while giving up seven walks. Texas had five hits in its 4-0 win over Stanford, including RBI hits by Bella Dayton, Kayden Henry and Mia Scott. … In their 3-1 win over UCLA to secure the semifinal spot on Sunday, the Cardinal had six hits, including two hits and two runs scored from centerfielder Emily Jones.
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Prediction
Texas 3, Stanford 1. The Cardinal don’t want to again see Kavan, who kept Stanford quiet in the WCWS opener. Canady gives Stanford a chance in any game she pitches, but the deepest lineup in the nation should generate enough against the sophomore ace.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas softball vs. Stanford: A preview, prediction for WCWS semifinal
