Mike White spotlights Texas family, resislency amid Teagan Kavan playing through grandmother's death

Teagan Kavan may not show the emotion in the circle but the Texas pitcher is playing with a heavy heart at the Women’s College World Series. Kavan recently lost her grandmother, the same day Texas beat Oklahoma to advance to the semifinals. Now in the championship series, head coach Mike White will continue to rely on Kavan.

You can say the same thing about Kavan as she goes through the emotions of losing a grandparent. White revealed the family-like atmosphere inside the locker room before Texas goes up against Texas Tech for a national championship. Everyone has been there for Kavan and she is certainly repaying them with great performances.

“I think we break a lot with family,” White said Tuesday on SEC Network. “I think that’s true in these times, you need your family to lean on. She’s leaning on us and we’ve been leaning on her. So, it’s been great.”

From the outside, nobody knew what Kavan was going through until a postgame interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe. Kavan was brought to tears when speaking on why her performance against Oklahoma was a special one.

Of the 129 pitches Kavan threw vs. the Sooners, 89 of them wound up strikes. Oklahoma put up two runs in the second inning but was held scoreless otherwise. Kavan’s final line finished 7.0 IP, two runs, one earned run, two walks, and eight strikeouts. An incredible outing for her, considering the circumstances.

“My grandma, she’s got the best seat in the house,” Kavan said on Saturday. “This is where she wants me. She is rooting for us all the way. This is where she wants us… Through her, my teammates, they all have my back,” Kavan said. “All 21, 22 of us. They all have my back, my coaches. It was all for her, it was beyond me, actually. Just relying on them. Looking them in the eyes and getting confidence from them.”

Kavan’s grandmother was a huge supporter of hers — it’s the reason she wears No. 17. Going out there to compete for a national championship appears to be what she would have wanted. Now, Kavan has the opportunity to set the tone right away.

Texas takes the field on Wednesday night, facing off against old Big 12 rival Texas Tech. Oklahoma City will get quite the pitching matchup, as the Red Raiders will send their own star pitcher, NiJaree Canady, out there.