Former Stanford Softball Star Wins Big 12 Pitcher of the Year

The season may not have ended the way that the Stanford Cardinal had hoped, but that does not mean that the Cardinal legacy is over for this year. Following a dominant stint for the Cardinal that saw her evolve into one of college softball's top players, NiJaree Canady transferred to Texas Tech for her junior year in a move that saw her earn a $1 million NIL deal in the process.

Now after one season with the Red Raiders, Canady's legacy continues to grow.

After finishing the 2025 season with a 30-5 record and a nation-leading 0.89 ERA, Canady was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year--the second consecutive season that she won a conference Pitcher of the Year Award and was also selected as a First-team All-Big 12 member.

Because of her strong efforts, undoubtedly becoming Texas Tech's headlining player, the Red Raiders won the Big 12 regular season championship and are currently set to face Oklahoma for a spot in the Women's College World Series championship.

But Canady also received lots of praise at the national level, earning a spot as a First-team All-American and being named the NFCA National Pitcher of the Year for the second straight year. Canady's arrival revitalized a program that has been struggling for the past few seasons.

Last making an appearance in the NCAA tournament in 2019 under former coach Adrian Gregory, the Red Raiders won their first-ever regular season and conference tournament this year while making their first-ever appearance in both the NCAA Super Regionals and the Women's College World Series. This has all happened in both Canady and head coach Gerry Glasco's first seasons in Lubbock.

A star in both basketball and softball at Topeka High School in Topeka, Kansas, Canady posted a 21-0 record with a 0.26 ERA and 232 strikeouts as a junior before committing to Stanford prior to her senior year.

Skipping her senior basketball season to focus on softball, Canady's final high school softball season saw her post a 13-1 record with a 0.84 ERA and 163 strikeouts--in only 74.2 innings.

Following two seasons at Stanford where she posted a 41-10 record with a 0.66 ERA, 555 strikeouts, 65 walks and nine saves, Canady was highly touted in the portal, receiving interest from schools such as Oklahoma, Texas and UCLA.

But the record-breaking NIL deal that Texas Tech offered her combined with her and her family feeling a strong personal connection to Glasco's culture within the program led to her choosing to finish her college career with the Red Raiders.

Now, Canady has the chance to rewrite history by not only helping Texas Tech take down Oklahoma-- a program that has won the last four Women's College World Series, but also bringing the first-ever softball national title to Lubbock. If Canady is able to do both of those things, her legacy as a college softball legend will be cemented.