![Texas Tech second baseman Mia Williams (1) gets Florida infielder Kenleigh Cahalan (31) out at second during game 3 of the super regional of the NCAA Division 1 softball championship at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Sunday, May 24, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_78,w_2655,h_1493/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/275/01ksejwsdf9bv4av9cm7.jpg "Texas Tech second baseman Mia Williams (1) gets Florida infielder Kenleigh Cahalan (31) out at second during game 3 of the super regional of the NCAA Division 1 softball championship at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Sunday, May 24, 2026. [Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun]")
Another Super Regional conquered, another trip to Oklahoma City for Gerry Glasco and the Texas Tech softball team. The Red Raiders, for the second time in as many seasons, are going back to the Women’s College World Series.
And Texas Tech really looks like a team that when playing at its full potential is truly capable of beating anyone and everyone that gets in the way of the Red Raiders celebrating a national championship.
After taking two of three from the Florida Gators in Gainesville (thanks to a 16-7 Game 3 run-rule win of the Gators that finished the Super Regional up), Texas Tech is now going back to the Women’s College World Series.
This is huge. Truly monumental for this program. The second ever trip to Oklahoma City.
With this win, I have a few questions. Nothing too consequential, just a few ponderings as the Red Raiders prep for what's next.
Will we see Texas Tech’s offense continue to dominate when facing WCWS-caliber pitching in Oklahoma City?
It really feels like the Texas Tech softball team is just about unbeatable when the Red Raiders can get the bats going. This is a team that hits over .380 on the season. Texas Tech, right now, has managed to hit 136 home runs this year.
But things got a little iffy at times when the Red Raiders had to face off against Keagan Rothrock. Now, not every team in the Women’s College World series is going to have a pitcher who will stump Texas Tech, but there’s going to be really, really good pitching there. And as we witnessed in Game 2 against the Gators, Texas Tech’s bats can seemingly disappear suddenly and unexpectedly against great pitching.
The Red Raiders are also capable of scoring 16 runs in five innings against a proud program like Florida. So, after averaging over nine runs per game against the Gators, how will Texas Tech’s lineup do when facing teams in the Women’s College World Series?
Can Texas Tech continue to build upon this momentum when the Red Raiders face Mississippi State?
Like the Mississippi State Bulldogs, for example. Texas Tech isn’t the only sort of underdog that’ll be present in Oklahoma City this season and the first team that the Red Raiders will meet up with once they get to the Women’s College World Series will be the team that ended up eliminating the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman, Oklahoma.
Samantha Ricketts’ team has demonstrated just how dangerous they can be (and they’re certainly not someone that the Red Raiders can overlook). While MSU doesn’t score a ton of runs typically, their pitching staff was among the best in the SEC this season and that could be a problem for Texas Tech.
But the Red Raiders have already handled a couple of teams from the Southeastern Conference. Like the Ole Miss Rebels and now the Gators in Gainesville. Does that success carry over on Thursday? It’s kind of a quick turnaround for both of those teams after the emotions that have played out. We’ll dig more into some of that soon enough.
How will the pitching duties be split up amongst the Red Raiders in Oklahoma City?
Now, something of a practical nature here. Texas Tech has some really dynamic pitchers of its own. Arguably the most complete and deepest pitching staff in the country as Kaitlyn Terry, NiJaree Canady, and Samantha Lincoln proved by surviving the onslaught that comes when facing the Florida Gators’ lineup in Gainesville.
Terry leads the way with a 1.68 ERA and has 158 strikeouts with 133.1 innings pitched this season. Canady isn’t far behind with a 1.78 ERA and 226 strikeouts in 161.0 innings pitched. And then Lincoln rounds things out with a 3.43 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 71.1 innings pitched.
As the Red Raiders demonstrated today, with the way Terry and Canady can swap in and out on a moment’s notice, it can be incredibly difficult for other teams to keep up. Even if they’re among the best and most productive lineups in the country (just as Florida’s was), it’s hard to compete with the Red Raiders’ pitching staff. So, how exactly will Glasco and Texas Tech’s coaching staff split things up for those three in OKC?
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