https://www.statesman.com/story/sports/college/longhorns/softball/2025/06/08/why-texas-coach-mike-white-didn-t-use-many-transfers-to-build-wcws-roster/84101629007/
https://www.statesman.com/story/sports/college/longhorns/softball/2025/06/08/why-texas-coach-mike-white-didn-t-use-many-transfers-to-build-wcws-roster/84101629007/
OKLAHOMA CITY — When Texas softball coach Mike White took over the Longhorns’ program in 2019 after nine successful seasons at Oregon, he didn’t exactly find a bare cupboard.
But there were more plastic plates than fine China in the cabinets, and White knew that he had to upgrade the talent that had slowly leaked away from the Longhorns in the final years under former coach Connie Clark.
White’s work on the recruiting trail paid off in full Friday, when Texas beat Texas Tech 10-4 in the third and final game of the best-of-three finals in the Women’s College World Series.
“One of the things I wanted to do (first) was recruit the best kids, keep the best kids in Texas,” the former men's fastpitch star said. “A lot of our best kids were playing for other programs.”
How Mike White took advantage of rule changes
But keeping the state’s best players in state proved particularly tricky when White first arrived in Austin. Back then, college softball coaches were identifying the top players in middle school and offering them scholarships before they ever threw a pitch or swung a bat at the high school level.
That meant the 2021 recruiting class — which, for Texas, featured key players on this year’s championship squad like third baseman Mia Scott and outfielder Ashton Maloney — was the initial group that White could fully commit to throughout a full recruiting cycle.
“It was difficult because you had the early recruiting that was happening,” said White, who turns 58 this year. “So, if you missed out on that cycle, it took you a while to get that (recruiting class) through.”
The rules have since changed, and college coaches can’t contact a recruit until Sept. 1 of their junior season in high school. But White quickly figured out all the best routes on the recruiting trails, especially in the state of Texas. That helped him build a roster reliant on traditional recruits rather than transfers, which contrasts heavily with Texas Tech and several other teams in this year’s WCWS.
Florida and Tennessee, two of Texas' WCWS opponents, were largely built through high school recruiting, but each had at least three transfers as regular contributors. Three of Tech's top-four leaders in at-bats transferred in as well as its ace pitcher. The lineup for Oklahoma, the previous defending champions, features impressive homegrown talent; still, four different transfers took over 100 at-bats this season.
Of the 20 players on this year’s Texas roster, all but three have been with the Longhorns since their freshman seasons.
“Because of the recruiting rules, you have to wait for things to go through,” White said. “You start getting the top recruits. We feel like we're starting to get into that with top recruits coming in.”
'Build this as we go'
White, who was born in New Zealand but has live in the U.S. for decades, has shown an ability to key in on Texas' top talent.
The 2023 class featured five players who earned All-Big 12 freshman honors with the Longhorns, including catcher Reese Atwood, infielder Leighann Goode, infielder Vivi Martinez, pitcher Citlaly Gutierrez and Maloney, who had redshirted her first season.
Atwood (Tuloso Midway High School), Goode (San Antonio O’Connor) and Gutierrez (Stamford) all played high school ball in Texas. All played major roles during this season’s championship run.
The 2024 signing class includes three more major contributors to this year’s team, including outfielder Kayden Henry, pitcher Teagan Kavan and utility Katie Stewart. Kavan (Iowa) and Stewart (Illinois) came from the Midwest, but Henry (Dickinson) continued a strong recruiting pipeline White has established into the Houston area.
In-state recruiting continues to look strong for White and his program. Next year’s freshman class includes four Texans among its seven signees.
Pitcher Hannah Wells will be the most familiar with the Longhorns’ home turf at McCombs Field; she recently led tiny Coahoma to a third consecutive Class 3A state championship while earning her second state most valuable player honor.
McCombs Field hosts the state championship across all classifications.
“We have a big class coming in next year,” White said. “We hope we can continue to build this as we go.”