Caitlin Clark may not be watching much basketball as she recovers from her quadriceps injury. Instead, she could be tuned in to the Women's College World Series, where a friend is starring on the mound for Texas.
Longhorns pitcher Teagan Kavan grew up in the same neighborhood as Clark in West Des Moines, Iowa, and the two overlapped at Dowling Catholic High School.
Last year, the Fever guard was rooting for Kavan and Texas as they competed for a national championship — she even skipped out on watching the NBA Finals to support her neighbor.
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"I had the women's college softball World Series on instead," Clark said. "There's a girl that pitches for Texas who's a freshman that actually lived a couple streets over from me growing up."
The Longhorns are off to a hot start in Oklahoma City in 2025, with Kavan firing a shutout while giving up just two hits in their first game against Florida.
Here's what to know about Teagan Kavan and Caitlin Clark.
MORE: Who is in the WCWS? Teams, bracket for 2025 NCAA softball tournament
Teagan Kavan-Caitlin Clark relationship
Teagan Kavan and Caitlin Clark grew up a few streets away from one another in West Des Moines. They attended the same high school, and Clark, a senior, helped out with the JV basketball team when Kavan was playing as a freshman. Kavan spoke about their relationship on a softball podcast in April.
Iowa Pride💛
— D1Softball (@D1Softball) April 2, 2025
The latest D1Softball Podcast features @TexasSoftball sophomore @teagan_kavan, who opens up about her connection to Caitlin Clark, her Midwest roots, and the momentum behind women’s sports. pic.twitter.com/I6dhnFCjna
"She took me to basketball practice my freshman year summer, and it's really cool we have that connection," Kavan said. "I think it's fun we have this Iowa tie because there's a lot of Iowa pride and a lot of Midwest pride that comes out of both of us."
Caitlin Clark high school
Clark attended high school at Dowling Catholic in West Des Moines, where she became one of the top women's basketball recruits in the country. As a senior, she was named the Iowa Gatorade Player of the Year, averaging 33.4 points per game and leading her team to the state finals.
Where is Teagan Kavan from?
Kavan is also from West Des Moines and attended Dowling Catholic. Like Clark, she made a name for herself as one of the top prep athletes in Iowa. Kavan played travel softball exclusively and was ranked No. 5 on Perfect Game's Top 50 players in the Class of 2023.
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