OKLAHOMA CITY -- On June 6, 2024, the Texas Longhorns wandered through the concrete hallways beneath Devon Park while their archrivals hoisted yet another national championship trophy on the softball diamond above them.

There, the Longhorns were left grappling with the reality of the program's latest gut-wrenching disappointment at the Women's College World Series. After reaching its second WCWS national championship series in three years, Texas fell abruptly and emphatically in a two-game sweep to Oklahoma, which celebrated the sport's unprecedented fourth consecutive national title. Swept by the Sooners in the 2022 championship series as well, the Longhorns walked out last June wincing from a familiar pain.

As they boarded the team bus outside the stadium, outgoing senior pitcher Estel

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