Texas softball's early struggle vs scrappy Wagner will help in NCAA Tournament | Golden

“You can see it sped them up a little bit,” White said. “Their heart rate started going a little and they started pressing and swinging at some pitches. They made us work hard and it’s a credit to them. Fortunately, we were able to come through with just a deep enough lineup.”

The Longhorns react as Texas Longhorns' starting pitcher/relief pitcher Hannah Wells (13) scores a home run during the fourth inning as the Longhorns take on Wagner a NCAA Tournament game at McCombs Field in Austin, Friday, May 15, 2026. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman)

Sign up for Ced's Corner

Sign up for Cedric Golden’s newsletter for hot takes and expert analysis each Tuesday on Texas Longhorns football and beyond.  It's called Ced’s Corner, from the mind of the American-Statesman’s resident sports columnist who was named the NSMA's 2025 Texas Sportswriter of the Year.

The historical accounts will remember it as a national championship contender blowing out a sub-.500 team in a mismatch, but scores can be deceiving. There was a time early in the game where if the teams weren't wearing jerseys, you'd swear it was the Seahawks who were stalking an NCAA repeat.

“We were all jacked up for this,” said Wagner coach Glenn Moore. “We came out, I felt, ready to play. Our players had a lot of energy. We got off to a good start and held them down as long as we could.”

Until they couldn't.

Texas Longhorns' starting pitcher/relief pitcher Hannah Wells (13) winds up to pitch as the Longhorns take on Wagner a NCAA Tournament game at McCombs Field in Austin, Friday, May 15, 2026. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman)

An 'amazing' return

The Horns have weapons falling from the sky and are far from a one-woman band. The five-run fourth inning was a 10-minute blitz that quickly settled the issue. One inning later, it was over.

“They’re the best team we’ve played all year,” Moore said in the biggest understatement of the early postseason, even if he was 100% accurate in his assessment.

Texas, the NCAA's No. 2 overall seed, has as much star power as any team in the tournament and while the big names like Teagan Kavan, Leighann Goode, Katie Stewart, Kayden Henry and Reese Atwood are going to dominate the headlines, there are less heralded players like Hannah Wells and shortstop Vivi Martinez, who turned in an All-SEC season after missing the 2025 postseason with a knee injury.

Martinez had three hits in her first postseason game since the 2024 College World Series and is one player from the 2025 roster who has an obvious hunger to be on the field for a repeat.

MORE CED: Can Texas QB Arch Manning capture rare triple crown?

“It’s so amazing, just getting back on the field and playing with my teammates,” Martinez said. “That’s the just best thing in the world. It feels like right now there is so much joy in the postseason, it’s always fun. How could it not be? Getting to play out here again is awesome. I just love embracing that.”

Texas Longhorns' infielder Viviana Martinez (23) reacts to a play during the fourth inning as the Longhorns take on Wagner a NCAA Tournament game at McCombs Field in Austin, Friday, May 15, 2026. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman)

The Hannah Wells Effect

The Texas separation coincided with White replacing starting pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez with Wells in the third inning. Wells, a freshman who has admittedly battled nerves at times in her first season, was an absolute wall thereafter: three innings of no-hit ball with seven strikeouts. She also blasted a solo homer.

Did I mention serving nachos at the concession stand between innings?

“(It was about) trusting my defense, going out there and doing it for them,” Wells said. “(It was) understanding that it’s just a moment and anything could happen. I’m going to do my best and let my defense work.”

Let’s just say it was a light workday for the defense since they couldn’t touch her.

Texas Longhorns' outfielder Ashton Maloney (7) runs to first base as the Longhorns take on Wagner a NCAA Tournament game at McCombs Field in Austin, Friday, May 15, 2026. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman)

What it means for Texas

The Horns are two wins away from what could be a super-regional showdown with Texas A&M, but much work remains to be done before we can start embracing any renewal of that blood feud.

During the most recent "On Second Thought" podcast, White wasn't looking too far ahead. He knows the road to another championship will be paved with potholes and challenges that will present themselves in due time.

On Friday, the Horns got a little taste of being battle-tested with the knowledge that things are about to get tougher as they navigate this bracket.