2025 Women's College World Series: Mike White explains switching from third base coach to first base coach during Oklahoma matchup

When Texas is getting their shot in the batter’s box, head coach Mike White is always on the third base side. The more important on-field spot of the two, a switch has come during Saturday’s Women’s College World Series game against Oklahoma. White now finds himself on the first base side.

ESPN’s Holly Rowe noticed the move and asked White about the decision during an in-game interview. Nothing too strategic behind moving over, just looking to see if a different angle of the game can provide White with something new. In these types of game, every little bit of advantage is needed.

“I was trying to see if I could pick something up,” White said. “You never know what you’re going to see from the other way. So we’ll continue to work on it right now.”

So far, the results are good. Texas might be tied at two but White is a fan of getting some early runs on the board. Fielding mistakes are why Oklahoma was able to get those two runs back, something White knows his team will need to clean up moving forward.

“Obviously, we hit the ball pretty good in the first inning. Did a great job scoring, we’re aggressive on the bases, it help set us up for a couple of runs. Unfortunately, we’ve had a couple miscues in the infield.”

Texas facing Oklahoma in critical Women’s College World Series matchup

Texas and Oklahoma meeting in any sport brings a little extra juice, no matter the occasion. The softball rivalry has gone up a level or two in recent years as well. Meeting in the Women’s College World Series provides a ton of emotions, both positive and negative.

Saturday is the latest example, with a little more than just a win over your main rival on the line. These two are both looking to start the weekend with a 2-0 record and have one foot in the championship series. Having to just get one win compared to a possible two is a massive difference.

Florida has already been eliminated after two straight losses. Tennessee is on the other side, waiting for this game’s loser for an elimination game. Neither Texas nor Oklahoma wants to wind up in that position, as the overall goal is to win a national championship. A ginormous few innings are ahead of us in Oklahoma City, hopefully providing another classic between the Longhorns and Sooners.