Texas Tech University Athletics
SPOTLIGHT: Lauren Allred
June 02, 2026 | Softball
OKLAHOMA CITY – Back at the team hotel late Monday night after earning a spot in the Women's College World Series Finals for the second straight season, Texas Tech head coach Gerry Glasco sent Lauren Allred a text message.
"He told me that he and his wife were talking about how great of a catch I made and how proud they were of me," Allred said. "His text meant a lot to me. He's believed in me from the beginning. He believed in me before I believed in myself for real. That's never changed. Recruiting me to Louisiana and our time there and then the transfer portal and the past two years here. I've always had confidence in what I can do because he's always believed in me. I sent a text back letting him know that."
The text exchange between coach and player came a couple hours after No. 11 Texas Tech earned two wins over No. 1 Alabama, first a 5-4 win after a Mia Williams walk-off home run and then a 2-0 win to advance to play No. 2 Texas in the WCWS Finals which begin on Wednesday night at Devon Park. Allred put her stamp all over the pair of wins to eliminate the top-seeded Crimson Tide, starting with a solo home run in the third inning for a 2-1 lead in the first win and then making a leaping catch in right field to end the deciding game. On Tuesday during the press conference to preview playing the Longhorns, Glasco and Allred were seated next to each other. Each time Allred spoke, Glasco looked to his left and smiled. His right-fielder looked to her right and smiled as he spoke.
"I'm thrilled to have Lauren here on my left today because the kid's just a team player and been such a great player since her freshman year," Glasco said. "She works so hard and earned it. She's earned what she's got here. I made her earn right field. I didn't give her right field. She earned right field. She does that because she works hard in whatever you've got to do. And because she had to earn it, she's fully confident right now. She's a really good right fielder. That catch she made last night was elite."
Allred has never wavered in her trust of Glasco, including when she was an incoming freshman at Louisiana and was playing catcher. She caught bullpens and in practices but moved to playing infield before the start of her first collegiate season. Last season, in her first season at Tech after transferring from Louisiana when Glasco took over the program, Allred started at first base and helped the Red Raiders advance to the WCWS Finals for the first time in program history. During the summer and offseason after the historic run, another idea and change was put into motion. Move her to the outfield. Allred would not only accept the thought of another position change to the outfield this year but dedicated herself to it.
"The position change was difficult, so to make that catch to end the game was awesome to show that all the hard work and belief that I could play the position paid off," Allred said. "It wasn't an easy thing to do but we worked on it every day in the Fall so it meant a lot to make that catch. The time, support and patience that my teammates and coaches put into me changing positions was a big part of it."
On Tuesday, while talking with the ESPN broadcast team, she credited her time catching before Glasco's first decision to adjust her position for her eye at the plate as a hitter. ESPN's Jessica Mendoza brought up that Glasco told them Allred has the best swing mechanics on the team, prompting a discussion on how her swing was developed.
"We did a lot of tweaking of my swing during my freshman year at Louisiana," Allred said. "I never had a leg-kick coming into college. I never had a coil. We added that to my swing. I definitely credit that to Gerry and it's been my swing ever since. We watched slow motion video clips of great hitters. He gave me Bryce Harper to watch. That's where we got the leg-kick from in my freshman year. Power went up a lot. I was more a gap-to-gap single hitter in high school but I started hitting more balls off the wall and over the fence after the change. The power came from loading my back hip."
In Oklahoma City, Allred is currently 6-for-14 (.429) at the plate with a home run and double through five games. For the season, she's hitting .392 with 11 home runs, 11 doubles and is now at 50 RBI. "Each player is different," Glasco said. "Lauren's been with me four years. I can give Lauren a hit and run for the second time all year, last night in the biggest moment, knowing that four years ago when she was a freshman, we hit and run literally 10 out of 12 of her first college at-bats because I wanted her to quit thinking and just swing. Last night I gave her a hit and run, and I knew she wouldn't miss it. She's brilliant." In their historic comeback after being down 8-0 to start the final inning against Mississippi two weeks ago in the Lubbock Regional, it was Allred who tied the game with a grand slam. Last season in the WCWS Semifinals against Oklahoma, it was Allred who had the walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh for a 3-2 win. Last night's heroics only add to the lore, or insane ability to come through in clutch moments as her teammates would describe it.
"Her bat is insane and then she goes out there and makes an insane catch to help us win it," Williams said. "It really shows that she will do anything to help our team win."
"She's worked so hard," Kaitlyn Terry added. "I really believe she is our best clutch player. I love it when she comes to the plate because I know she's going to produce. Same when she's in the field. She puts in so much preparation with an insane work ethic. She will do anything to win a ballgame."
"Lauren is so clutch," NiJaree Canady said after the win over Alabama. "If there's anyone I want in the box, it's Lauren Allred. I feel like she doesn't get enough credit for all the things she does on and off the field."
Every question Allred was asked about on Tuesday during the WCWS Finals Media Day was answered in some way by giving credit to others. She praised Glasco for his coaching and dedication to his players. She brought up assistant coaches who work with her every day and she steered the focus to teammates when asked about her accomplishments. Asked about her role on the team, she consistently replied that she would do anything to help the team win.
"A lot of my clutch moments that I get credit for is because someone is on base," Allred said. "It's because of my teammates. I see them do something good to get on base and it builds my confidence that I can too. We feed off each other."
While waiting for an elevator to go to the press conference on Tuesday, Glasco stood behind Allred, Canady and Jasmyn Burns as they took a photo of a big WCWS bracket on the wall. You could see happiness in the players and pride from the coach. It was only a small snapshot of this season that now has the Red Raiders with a 61-8 overall record, showing the path over the past week in OKC that started with eight teams and is now down to two. But it was also a quick moment of reflection and appreciation of the journey. In the middle of the tournament bracket, only Texas Tech and Texas remain – setting up a rematch of last season's WCWS Finals and presenting an opportunity for Allred and the Red Raiders to win the first national championship in program history.
"I really believe that we can take our experiences from last year and get over that hump and finish it," Allred said. "The mindset is the same this year as last year though. We are playing for each other. We've all put in the work and we all believe in each other. That's a huge part of what makes our team what it is. It's a team sport and we want to win it so badly for each other."
