My Queen Mia Scott Is A National Champion

Mia Scott is a menace to every team unlucky enough to face her. At third base, she's an immovable object and a nightmare for all right-handed batters. In the batter's box, she demonizes opposing pitching. Over the three games of the NCAA Softball World Series last week, Scott hit a whopping .529 with two home runs.

In the third game of the WCWS, Scott came up to bat with the bases loaded and no outs, her Texas Longhorns already up 6-0. The Texas Tech pitcher whipped the ball toward her without enough rise or movement. It just sat there above the plate, and Scott's hands flew at it so fast you could barely see the bat make contact in real time. She dropped the bat behind her and trotted to first base, because that gorgeous highlighter-yellow ball was soaring way out to center field, past the 220 sign, and into the stands: a grand slam, in what might have been the very last game of her career.

All of this is even more impressive because Scott was very injured. During Game 2, Holly Rowe reported that Scott was playing with a torn ACL. The Texas head coach (who is named Mike White) refused to confirm Scott's injury, citing HIPAA. And Scott has never talked to the press in her four years as a Texas athlete.

But then, after Texas won, she posted this:

That doesn't look good! Look at all that tape! But watching Scott play in the tournament, you never would have guessed.

I have loved watching Scott play for the last four years. It has been a joy. She's so dominant and talented and nimble. She plays with a fire in her soul that can only be quenched with wins. She's so good that Patrick Mahomes—who famously played baseball at Texas Tech and attended the World Series to support his team—tweeted "3rd baseman for Texas is cold.." in the middle of the game. Over the course of four seasons, she only committed 44 errors. In 2025, she made only 6 errors. She once played all nine positions in one game for Texas against Kentucky as a bit, and Texas won.

I mean, look at this play she made earlier in the series:

The baselines in softball are 60 feet, and Scott is almost always playing in. These line drives are arriving to her faster than the cameras can cover their trajectory. Her response time is so fast. Her hands are so quick. And when I say quick hands, I mean quick hands. Watch this video of her snagging a line drive, throwing her glove up on instinct. At 78 mph off the bat, Scott has less than a second to grab this ball at third base, and she makes it look easy.

Watch this play, and try to remember that ONE OF HER ACLs IS TORN:

It's ridiculous! She is cold! She's a wall at third base that no ball can pass! She's my queen! She's such a star. And winning the championship might have been the last time I get to watch her play.

Scott told White, who told Sports Illustrated, that she was uninterested in professional softball but might reconsider her stance once her knee fully heals. I really hope she does reconsider, but I can't blame her if she doesn't. As I've written before, a young woman trying to find a future in professional softball is traveling a difficult road. One bright spot appeared a couple of weeks ago, when Major League Baseball (who has up until now ignored every professional softball league that has tried to take off) announced that they would back Athletes Unlimited Softball, which began its inaugural season on Saturday.

Softball will return to the Olympics in 2028, so maybe, if I'm lucky, I will get to watch Scott play then. It seems like such a shame to lose her talent. I will miss her.