By Jayden Mount via Extra Inning Softball, 16h ago

NiJaree Canady Lands Record-Breaking New Partnership NiJaree Canady has officially changed the landscape of college softball. In 2025, she signed the sport’s first-ever $1 million NIL deal , aligning with The Matador Club and launching new branded apparel. The record-setting agreement puts Canady at the top of the NIL charts and signals a major shift in what’s possible for women’s sports. This player spotlight breaks down Canady’s journey, what NIL means for softball, her record deal, the impact she has made at Texas Tech, and why this deal matters. Want access to more exclusive athlete stories and rankings? Become a…

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 2-seeded Florida Atlantic softball team’s season concluded on Saturday at the NCAA Gainesville Regional’s double-elimination tournament, falling to No. 1-seed Florida by a score of 14-6 and No. 4-seed Mercer in a 7-0 defeat.

 

In their final outing of a remarkable year, the Owls (45-12) went toe-to-toe with the Gators (45-14), the No. 3 overall seed in the nation, and held a lead through four innings before surrendering seven runs in the bottom of the fifth. Florida Atlantic out-hit the Bears 7-5 in the later game but left 11 on base to officially end the postseason campaign of the back-to-back American Athletic Conference regular season champions.

 

GAME ONE

Redshirt sophomore outfielder Kylie Hammonds led off the day with a base hit and advanced to third via a bunt and then a single from junior third baseman Jesiana Mora. Mora found herself caught in a rundown on an attempted steal, but the distraction allowed for Hammonds to come home for the first score. On the next pitch, sophomore first baseman Bella Cimino hit a double off the wall to bring home a second run for a 2-0 lead. 

 

The Gators tied it up in the bottom of the first with a two-run home run, but two strikeouts from junior pitcher Jaden Martinez and a diving catch from sophomore shortstop Kiley Channell mitigated the damage.

 

Neither team scored again until the top of the fourth, when Cimino launched her second home run in as many days and her seventh of the year to break the tie and go up 3-2. Florida responded with a five-run bottom half of the inning for a 7-3 lead. Not going down without a fight, junior catcher Chloe Yeatts worked a long at-bat that culminated in a three-run blast to bring the score to 7-6 entering the bottom of the fifth. Florida ultimately ended the game with seven more runs, with a grand slam enacting the run rule.

 

GAME TWO

Hammonds reached base in the leadoff spot once again, this time via a hit-by-pitch. The Owls put batters on base in each of the first six innings but were unable to score a run.

 

Mercer took a 2-0 lead off an error in the single in the bottom of the first and held on the rest of the way.

 

Florida Atlantic had runners in scoring position in the second through sixth innings, including a bases-loaded situation in the top of the fourth before a flyout retired the side.

 

NOTES/NOTABLE

• The Owls conclude the season with the most runs in program history (367), their most wins since 2016 (45) and their first NCAA Regional win since 2016.
• With 54 RBI, Yeatts sets the single-season program record. 
• Hammonds finishes the season reaching base in 26 consecutive games and 53 out of 57 appearances in 2025.
• Cimino is the first Owl batter to homer twice in a single NCAA Regional period.

 

FOLLOW THE OWLS

For the Owls’ complete schedule, click HERE. To follow the team socially, visit @fausoftball, or for the most up-to-date information, go to www.fausports.com.

 

The Owls’ 2025 postseason is powered by Demand the Limits Injury Attorneys.

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Sophomore Alenka Navarro and freshman Nanami Nakashima each tallied under-par rounds to lead the Kansas State women’s golf team during the opening round of the 2025 NCAA Championship on Friday at the par-72, 6,330-yard Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.
 
The Wildcats recorded a first-round total of 1-over par 289 as they are in seventh place in the 30-team field. K-State is one shot back of a tie for third place, while the Cats are two shots ahead of an eighth-place tie between Tennessee and Northwestern.
 
Navarro finished her first round at 2-under par 70 and is tied for 10th place, while Nakashima was one shot back and is tied for 17th.
 
“There were a couple of nervy moments starting out today, but we just hung in there,” head coach Stew Burke said. “We didn’t let it get away from us thanks to a couple of nice birdies toward the end. We are in a fairly good position. I am really proud of the effort today. Now, it’s all about getting some good rest. We were up at 4:45 a.m., having breakfast. We will be able to sleep in a little bit in the morning, make sure we have a good warm up and go again tomorrow.”
 
The Wildcats tied for third in the first round by carding 15 total birdies on a course that is averaging 4.69 strokes over par per player.
 
Navarro parred each of the first nine holes before her first birdie of the day on the par-4 11th. After a bogey on No. 15 to bring her score back to even, the Mexico City product birdied two of her final three holes – including a five-foot birdie putt on the final hole of the day – for her eighth under-par round of the season.
 
The sophomore finished the first round by tying for 11th in the 156-player field with 14 pars, while she is tied for first with only one bogey on the day.
 
Nakashima entered the NCAA Championship with momentum after a final-round total of 67 in the NCAA Lexington Regional. She used that momentum in the opening round as she birdied two of her first four holes. After running into trouble with consecutive bogeys on Nos. 7 and 8, the Kani, Japan, native was able to rebound with a birdie at No. 9 to close out the front at 1-under par. A bogey at No. 13 lowered her to even par before a birdie on No. 16 and pars on the final two holes put her in the clubhouse with her 11th under-par round of the year.
 
Senior Carla Bernat is tied for 27th place after a first-round score of even par. She bogeyed No. 4 but responded with birdies on three of her next four holes to make the turn at 2-under par. She got to 3-under par with a birdie on No. 10, but two bogeys and a double bogey – along with a birdie on No. 17 – made her 2-over par on the back. She finished the first round tied for seventh with five birdies.
 
Senior Sophie Bert went 4-over par 76 as she enters the second round in a tie for 98th place, while junior Noa van Beek is tied for 144th place at 8-over par 80.
 
Vanderbilt holds the 18-hole lead at 6-under par 282, two shots ahead of Oklahoma State. Bailey Davis of Tennessee is atop the individual leaderboard at 5-under par 67.
 
Kansas State starts its second round of the 2025 NCAA Championship with tee times beginning at 12:12 p.m. (PT) off the 10th tee, and the Wildcats will once again be paired with Oklahoma State and Vanderbilt. Live results can be followed on SCOREBOARD powered by Clippd.

 

When a freshman wide receiver helps win a national title, breaks records, and commands a $4 million NIL valuation, it turns heads. When he signs a new deal with a celebrity-backed car empire? That’s when the college football world stops and pays attention.

Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith isn’t just rewriting the record books—he’s reshaping the NIL landscape.

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Fresh off a dominant freshman campaign that saw him rack up 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, the 19-year-old phenom announced his latest endorsement: a deal with the Mark Wahlberg Auto Group, a dealership brand co-founded by the Hollywood icon and known for its sleek Columbus showroom.

“Glad to be joining the Mark Wahlberg Auto Group,” Smith posted, standing in front of a jet-black Mercedes-Benz, a smile as polished as the vehicle behind him.

The signing marks another major win for Smith’s expanding business empire. Already the top-valued wide receiver in college football, Smith ranks No. 4 on the On3 NIL 100 list—trailing only Arch Manning, Cooper Flagg, and Carson Beck. Notably, he’s the highest-ranked non-quarterback in the country.

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Smith’s brand portfolio already reads like a Fortune 500 shopping cart: Red Bull, Nintendo, Lululemon, The Foundation, The 1870 Society, Ricart Automotive, and Battle Sports.

His deal with Wahlberg’s auto group isn’t just another flashy post. It cements Smith’s presence in the Columbus market and positions him as a dual force—unstoppable on the field, magnetic off it.

With at least two more years of eligibility, Smith is just getting started. And with each play, each post, and each partnership, he’s redefining what it means to be a college athlete in the NIL era.

Get ready. Jeremiah Smith isn’t just building a legacy—he’s building a brand.

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Related: USC star recruit stands out for donation to high school program

STILLWATER – Oklahoma State wrapped up the regular season by securing a series sweep of Arizona State with a 7-4 win Saturday afternoon at O’Brate Stadium.
 
With the win, the Cowboys improved to 27-22 overall and 15-12 in Big 12 play, while ASU dropped to 35-21 and 18-12 in the league. OSU will open play at the Big 12 Championship Wednesday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
 
Brayden Smith was the catalyst for the Cowboy offense in the finale, continuing his excellent series with a 3-for-4 game that included both a home run and a steal of home. Nolan Schubart and Colin Brueggemann also homered in the contest.
 
Ryan Ure picked up the win in relief of starter Hunter Watkins, who worked 5 1/3 innings and allowed three runs while striking out eight. Ure improved to 2-4 on the season as he gave up one run on two hits over 1 2/3 frames.
 
Gabe Davis earned his second save of the season, working a clean ninth inning.
 
After Watkins struck out a pair in the first inning, the Cowboys took the lead in the bottom of the frame. Smith and Ian Daugherty got hits to start the game, putting runners on first and third for Brueggemann. The first baseman hit into an RBI fielder’s choice to score Smith and put OSU ahead 1-0; the RBI pushed Brueggemann to the 50 mark on the season.
 
Arizona State tied the game in the second inning courtesy of a Kien Vu home run, but Cowboys quickly regained the lead.
 
In the bottom of the second, OSU hitters worked four walks against ASU pitcher Easton Barrett, the fourth of which was an RBI walk from Daugherty to put the Pokes back up 2-1.
 
Smith brought O’Brate Stadium to its feet in the bottom of the fifth. He led off the inning with a double, stole third base, and with Brueggemann at the plate, executed a straight steal of home to push the lead to 3-1.
 
Watkins got into trouble in the sixth inning, allowing a run before handing the ball to Ryan Ure with a pair of Sun Devils on the bases. ASU tied the game with an RBI groundout before Ure was able to end the frame.
 
ASU took the lead in the seventh on a single from Matt King past a drawn-in infield that put the visitors up, 4-3.
 
The lead didn’t last long, however, as the Cowboys answered back with a loud bottom of the seventh. Avery Ortiz led things off with a walk before Smith caused O’Brate to erupt for the second time on the day with a go-ahead two-run home run to left-center field. It was Smith’s ninth consecutive plate appearance reaching base, which included seven hits.
 
It only got louder when Schubart hit a missile to left field for his 17^th home run of the season. And on the very next pitch, Brueggemann did the same for his 14^th homer as the back-to-back jacks put OSU up by a 7-4 margin.
 
Sean Youngerman pitched the eighth inning and escaped a bases-loaded jam to preserve the three-run lead, and Davis came on for the save and worked an easy, seven-pitch ninth inning to secure the sweep.