'Strong as an ox': The lore around Texas' Katie Stewart grows - ESPN

OKLAHOMA CITY — Katie Stewart played a lot of whiffle ball growing up in a Chicago suburb. Even then, none of the neighborhood kids, the boys included, had power like Stewart.

«She would hit moon shots compared to the rest of us,» said her sister, Danielle.

On Sunday, Stewart hit the biggest moon shot of her career. Her three-run homer in the sixth inning off national player of the year Jordy Frahm lifted Texas to a 3-1 victory over Nebraska and kept the Longhorns' season alive.

«She's strong as an ox,» Texas coach Mike White said. White noted Stewart hit the game-clinching blast off the handle. «Her home runs can be prodigious.»

Stewart's 28th homer this season — a Texas record — moved the defending national champions closer to a return trip to the Women's College World Series championship series. Then on Monday, she hit two more home runs to clinch a spot in the championship finals during two wins against Tennessee.

«She's always been strong,» said her father, Lance Stewart. «She doesn't need to hit all of it. She just needs to get enough of it — and it's going to go.»

Lance realized his daughter possessed uncommon strength when she was 13.

Stewart had just finished a workout and was lying on the floor watching television. Lance, who weighed about 260 pounds at the time, lay on top of her and dared her to do a pushup — no knees.

«You ain't going to get up,» he told her.

She did.

«She literally pushed me up with no effort,» Lance said.

Stewart has been one of Texas' most prolific sluggers since arriving in Austin. She earned freshman All-America honors in 2024 and became a key middle-of-the-order bat during the Longhorns' championship run last season.

Now, the SEC Player of the Year, who also leads Texas in batting