Austin, TX

Replay: Texas softball trounces Florida, goes 2-0 in Women’s College World Series

Published

2 years ago

June 2, 2024

Replay: Texas softball trounces Florida, goes 2-0 in Women’s College World Series

After opening the Women’s College World Series with a 4-0 win over Stanford, No. 1 Texas rolled to a second straight shutout win by blasting Florida 10-0 Saturday in a game shortened to five innings by the mercy rule at Oklahoma City’s Devon Park. Like freshman Teagan Kavan did against Stanford, Texas starter Mac Morgan threw a one-hitter against Florida. Texas (54-8), now 2-0 in the WCWS, needs one more win to reach the best-of-three championship series while No. 4 Florida (52-14) will try and stay alive against Alabama Sunday.

More: Texas softball vs. Florida: A preview, prediction for Women’s College World Series game

Final: Texas 10, Florida 0

In Texas’ biggest win ever in a Women’s College World Series game, the Longhorns got three home runs from its power-packed lineup and a one-hitter from starting pitcher Mac Morgan. The Longhorns look every bit the No. 1 team in the nation. Up next on Monday? Either UCLA or Stanford. – Thomas Jones

End 4: Texas 10, Florida 0

Absolute dominance by Texas, which is three outs from the win. Freshman Teagan Kavan threw a one-hitter in the WCWS opener on Thursday in a 4-0 win over Stanford. Can Mac Morgan do her one better? – Thomas Jones

Bottom 4: Texas 10, Florida 0

Texas freshman Katie Stewart shows off her raw power with a massive 3-run home run and Texas now has its most runs ever in a Women’s College World Series game. With the 8-run mercy rule looming, the Longhorns are three outs away from going 2-0 and moving within one more win of the championship series. Oh, and they’re ensured of staying on the opposite side of the Oklahoma bracket with a win. If we get OU vs. Texas, it will be in the championship series, as the laws of nature intended. – Thomas Jones

Bottom 4: Texas 6, Florida 0

Texas third baseman Mia Scott launches a solo home run, her 11th of the season and her third of the postseason. You saw the play at third the previous inning, you see the bat, you see the three All-Big 12 selections. So why didn’t she get a spot on one of the three All-American teams from the NFCA, which also had six at-large spots on each team? – Thomas Jones

Middle 4: Texas 5, Florida 0

That’s why they call it the hot corner. Texas third baseman Mia Scott snags a shot that was about 80 mph off the bat of Skylar Wallace, and that followed a nice play by second baseman Alyssa Washington covering first. The Gators do get their first base-runner against Texas pitcher Mac Morgan but still don’t have a hit. – Thomas Jones

End 3: Texas 5, Florida 0

Texas didn’t score that frame after leaving the bags loaded, but the Longhorns have scored five runs or more in an inning on 29 occasions this year, just like they did in the first. That’s helped the Horns play freely tonight. — Kirk Bohls

More: Texas softball remains loose, confident and dino-mite | Bohls

Middle 3: Texas 5, Florida 0

Texas starter Mac Morgan just in a dominant mode right now. She’s one of the most intense women athletes I’ve been around at Texas. And she’s getting superb defense behind her. — Kirk Bohls

Middle 3: Texas 5, Florida 0

Mac Morgan, who’s been rock-solid this entire postseason for Texas, matches her season-high with five strikeouts and has yet to allow a base-runner. She threw a no-hitter in the NCAA opener against Siena, but it’s too early to blog such things, right? And blogs are immune from jinxes, right? – Thomas Jones

More: Texas shortstop Viviana Martinez played for USA Softball, and it helped journey to WCWS

End 2: Texas 5, Florida 0

Florida’s Ava Brown, who came in for starter Keagan Rothrock during a disastrous first inning, retires the Texas side in order. OK, Brown has settled in for the Gators. Now, those bats need to do the same against Texas pitcher Mac Morgan. – Thomas Jones

Middle 2: Texas 5, Florida 0

Texas pitcher Mac Morgan is throwing those dropballs with some heat today and already has four strikeouts, which is just one shy of her season-high. A dandy, diving play by right-fielder Ashton Maloney also helped that inning. Six up, six down for the Gators. – Thomas Jones

Top 2: Texas 5, Florida 0

I really felt like Texas was uptight against Texas A&M and played tight in the super regional because all the pressure was on it. But they look loose and confident in this WCWS. — Kirk Bohls

End 1: Texas 5, Florida 0

Alyssa Washington greets new Florida pitcher Ava Brown with a moonshot into centerfield! That homer gives the Longhorns three more runs, and the Texas bats are certainly glad to have Stanford’s NiJaree Canady in the rearview mirror; the Horns beat Stanford 4-0 in the first game of the Women’s College World Series . – Thomas Jones

Bottom 1: Texas 2, Florida 0

Freshman Katie Stewart comes in and doubles to the wall to score Vivi Martinez, and that’s an early exit for Florida ace Keagan Rothrock. Wow, the Longhorn bats are smoking early, and there’s still two on with just one out. Ava Brown is now in the circle for Florida, moving over from first base. – Thomas Jones

Bottom 1: Texas 1, Florida 0,

The Longhorns open with a bang. Outfielder Bella Dayton hits leadoff for the second straight game and bangs a long single to the wall, reaches second on a sac bunt from Mia Scott, then scores on an RBI single by Vivi Martinez. That’s how Texas coach Mike White would draw it up, eh? – Thomas Jones

Middle 1: Florida 0, Texas 0

Texas is the designated home team, so Texas pitcher Mac Morgan gets her first crack at a Gator offense fourth in the nation in runs per game. Morgan gets 90% of her outs on groundballs, so of course the drop-ball pitcher gets a pop out and two strikeouts. Three up, three down. Now time for Texas. – Thomas Jones

Mac Morgan gets start for Texas

After throwing in all three games during Texas’ series win over Texas A&M in last week’s super regionals, junior pitcher Mac Morgan will get the start against Florida. Morgan, 15-1 on the season, boasts a 1.99 ERA with just 38 strikeouts and 22 walks. She’s a contact hitter that forces lots of ground balls, so expect a busy day for third baseman Mia Scott, shortstop Vivi Martinez and second baseman Alyssa Washington. In 13.1 innings last week against the Aggies, Morgan gave up 11 hits and five runs. Florida will counter with freshman phenom Keagan Rothrock, who’s among the nation’s leaders in wins, complete-games and innings pitched. – Thomas Jones

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Austin, TX

Austin Police Department updates procedures after controversial deportation

Published

1 hour ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Austin Police Department updates procedures after controversial deportation

AUSTIN, Texas — An update to the Austin Police Department’s (APD) procedures outlines that officers are not required to contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when a person is found to have an ICE administrative warrant if they have no other arrestable charge.

The update follows a controversial deportation from January, when a woman’s disturbance call to APD led to her detainment, alongside her 5-year-old child, who is a U.S. citizen.

The incident led to questions from the community regarding the way APD is supposed to interact with ICE.

In a March 4 memo, APD Police Chief Lisa Davis said that the directives provided by ICE administrative warrants could be confusing in their wording.

According to Davis, officers have not historically regularly encountered administrative warrants while using the National Crime Information Center database, which is used to conduct identity checks. However, in 2025, federal agencies began entering a large volume of administrative warrants into the system.

According to the memo, administrative warrants are formatted in a way that looks similar to criminal warrants in the system.

The APD General Orders have been updated to clearly define the difference between criminal warrants and ICE administrative warrants, as well as specific instructions for how ICE administrative warrants should be handled moving forward.

“APD recognizes the sensitivity of this issue, not only within our city but across the nation. These policies were updated to provide clarity to our officers, ensure compliance with state law, and maintain officer discretion guided by supervisory oversight and operational consideration,” Davis said in the memo.

The updated procedures instruct officers to contact their supervisor when a person is found to have only an ICE administrative warrant, but no other arrestable criminal charge. From there, the officer or their supervisor may contact ICE, but is not required to.

“Austin Police and City of Austin leadership share a paramount goal for Austin to be a safe city for everyone who lives, works, or visits here,” Davis said in the memo. “We particularly want to ensure that anyone who witnesses or is the victim of a crime feels secure in contacting the police for help.”

According to the memo, the entire APD staff will be required to complete new training regarding these updates.

“In concert with the policy updates, APD is launching a public webpage to help people understand their rights and provide links to resources available from the City of Austin and community organizations, such as Know Your Rights training,” Davis said in the memo. “The webpage will also include information on the option of using APD Victim Services as an alternative to calling 9-1-1, when appropriate, and links to all general orders and policies related to immigration.”

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Austin, TX

Texas Plans Second Execution of the Year

Published

13 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Texas Plans Second Execution of the Year

Cedric Ricks spoke in his own defense at his 2013 murder trial, something most defendants accused of a terrible crime do not do. Ricks confessed that he had killed his girlfriend, Roxann Sanchez, and her 8-year-old son. He admitted he was aggressive and had trouble controlling his anger, stating that he was “sorry about everything.” […]

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Austin, TX

Will the rest of Austin allergies seasons be as bad as cedar this year?

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Will the rest of Austin allergies seasons be as bad as cedar this year?

Austin had a particularly itchy and drippy cedar fever season to start the year. Many winter days, from late December into February, had high or very high ashe juniper (aka cedar) pollen counts.

Central Texas has a year-round allergy season with mold popping up at any time. For the more traditional spring and fall allergy seasons, forecasters at AccuWeather are predicting some of the allergens across the country will be worse this year than average.

Texas, though, is a different story.

For grass allergies, which happen now through September, AccuWeather estimates Austin will have an average season. However, just west of the Interstate 35 corridor in the Hill Country to almost El Paso, that season is expected to be worse than normal.

“Texas may experience above-average grass pollen for a few weeks,” AccuWeather’s allergy report said, “though the season could be shorter-lived compared to northern areas.”

It all depends on the weather

How much rain we get in the next six months and the perennial Texas heat will all affect the growing season for grasses and weeds, as well as the amount of pollen trees produce. The Farmers’ Almanac and the Old Farmers Almanac are both predicting a wetter and warmer spring.

Rain helps plants grow, which can increase pollen production over time. However, rainfall during allergy season can also bring temporary relief by washing pollen out of the air. That’s what we’re expecting this weekend, with our first meaningful rain chance in nearly three weeks. Tree and weed pollen levels might briefly drop, but mold could spike because it thrives in damp, humid weather.

If spring continues with excessive heat like we saw in February, it could limit the growth of some plants and trees. Extreme heat can reduce how much they grow, and how much pollen they produce. On the other hand, if we get a healthy balance of rain and only slightly above-normal temperatures — not extreme heat — pollen counts could climb. That’s especially true as we head into April, typically our windiest month of the year, which helps spread pollen more easily.

How can you treat allergies in Austin?

If you are feeling the effects of allergies, here are some things you can do to lessen them:

Start taking allergy medication at least two weeks before your allergen’s season is supposed to start. Keep taking your allergy medication throughout your allergen’s season, even on low-pollen days.
Vary your allergy medication. You can take a nasal spray, an eye drop and an oral antihistamine at the same time to treat the different symptoms. If one kind of allergy medication isn’t working, consult your doctor about whether you should add a second one or switch out the medication.
Take a shower before going to bed.
Take off outside clothes or shoes when you get into the house.
Do a daily nasal wash such as a neti pot or saline spray.
Consider seeing an allergist to get drops or shots to lessen your reaction to the allergen.

Consider these household tips to improve your chances of keeping allergens away:

Change the filters in your house regularly during cedar fever season.
Vacuum and sweep regularly.
Change your sheets, especially your pillow regularly.
Keep doors and windows closed.
Clean out the vents in your home.
Have your home tested for indoor allergens such as mold.
Wash and brush the animals in your house to lessen the amount of allergens in the air.
Wear a mask outside or inside while you are trying to lessen the pollen or mold indoors.

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