OKLAHOMA CITY — Minutes before Texas Tech and Texas touched off the Women’s College World Series finals Wednesday, Red Raiders coach Gerry Glasco told ESPN’s Holly Rowe, “Everything we’ve built in the last year-and-a half has been for this moment, and I believe we’re ready.”Barely 24 hours later, with Tech down 1-0 in the series but clinging to a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth, shortstop Hailey Toney fielded a sharp grounder to her right, pivoted to make the easy throw to third base to get out of the inning — and missed wildly. Two runners scored, ruining Tech ace Nijaree Canady’s shutout.Two innings later, after falling behind 3-1, two Texas Tech fielders let an easy foul ball down the third base line drop between them. Three batters after that, right fielder Lauren Allred couldn’t glove an incoming line drive, resulting in another run to make it 4-1. Even her relay throw to second base was bobbled.A year ago, Tech was a Cinderella that made it all the way to the final night of the season before succumbing to Texas. This time, Glasco’s loaded group of all-star transfers was the preseason No. 1 team and yet missed out on a national championship to Texas again, this time one night short of the final night of the season.The 2026 Red Raiders — which may have been the most expensive non-revenue team of the NIL era — were not ready.“Anyone that understands our sport knows that you can’t buy a championship,” said the coach who so many softball fans have accused of trying to buy a championship.Kentucky men’s basketball, Texas football and a bunch of other big-spending non-champions in other sports would concur with Glasco.Texas Tech became the villains of its sport for attempting to elevate the previously forlorn program the way so many football and basketball programs have rebuilt theirs: By shelling out dollars to upgrade their rosters. No one knows exactly how much Texas Tech spent, just that it’s well more than anyone else. In a sport where a small handful of players make even $100,000, the Red Raiders had a lineup full of players making well north of that, led by seven-figure pitcher Canady.It wasn’t just the dollar figures that irked folks; it was the alleged tampering. The softball establishment was so offended by their tactics — Tennessee coach Karen Weekly told The Athletic last month that ex-Lady Vol Taylor Pannell signed a deal with Tech during last season — that Power 4 teams refused to play them in non-conference games.While all that controversy was great for the TV ratings — not to mention sportswriters — it put an enormous target on Texas Tech players’ backs. Their entire NCAA tournament run was an adventure, from having to rally from down 8-0 in the seventh inning against Ole Miss in the Regionals to a 10-2 loss at Florida in the Super Regionals (and Florida’s pitchers plunking ex-Gator Mia Williams five times in three games) to an extra-inning loss to Tennessee in their second WCWS game, followed by an extra-inning win against UCLA the next night.