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NiJaree Canady, Texas Tech softball ride ‘selfless’ attitude to WCWS finals

Why Texas Tech, Texas will win 2025 WCWS It’s a Lone Star State Women’s College World Series this year, and reporter Jenni Carlson breaks down one reason Texas Tech will win and one reason Texas will win the WCWS. OKLAHOMA CITY — It took NiJaree Canady until the Women’s College World Series finals to admit […]

Published

3 weeks ago

June 3, 2025

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OKLAHOMA CITY — It took NiJaree Canady until the Women’s College World Series finals to admit this season has been hard.

Not only has the best pitcher in the country been put under the microscope for her name, image and likeness deal with the Matador Club to join the Texas Tech softball team, Canady also spent the bulk of the 2025 season with an injury everybody knew she had, though the extent of which was hidden until recently.

On Monday, before playing Oklahoma in the semifinals, Gerry Glasco revealed to a radio show that Canady spent much of the year playing with a torn hamstring. The injury occurred in the Feb. 26 game at North Texas, where Canady, playing first base for the first time, stretched out to get the out. She came out of that game in Denton, and Texas Tech wound up losing 6-5 on a walk-off home run.

“I just know it was a really serious injury,” Glasco said Tuesday, “that was going to take eight or nine weeks to get over completely.”

Canady was back in the circle three days later, leading the Red Raiders to a 7-2 win over then-No. 5 Texas A&M. The injury, Glasco said, would have shut Canady down until she recovered had it been in her right leg. Since it was in her left, Canady was able to continue pitching but had to make concessions elsewhere.

Midweek bullpen sessions were eliminated, as was hitting, something that played a major factor in Canady’s decision to transfer from Stanford to Texas Tech. For about a month, Canady pitched in games, and that was about it.

“Honestly,” Canady said, “I think the results said it was worse than it was.”

Canady said the injury is a bit overblown, and she spent the better part of two months pitching through it. The million-dollar arm continued to excel in the circle, battling through obvious pain and discomfort. She never said anything about it.

During the time Canady was pitching on a torn hamstring, she totaled 114⅔ innings with a 0.98 ERA across 19 pitching appearances. That ERA, even with the injury, would rank as the best in the country.

“We didn’t talk a lot about it, but it was a significant setback,” Glasco said, “… and then to still have the results that she did, to show what a tremendous competitor and what a tremendous talent she was.”

After earning the game-winning sacrifice fly against Oklahoma, Lauren Allred said the team chose a word to live by this season. That was was selfless, and it exemplifies Canady pitching through the pain and not telling anybody about it.

“NiJa’s a tough competitor,” Texas Tech pitching coach Tara Archibald said, “a team-focused individual. I’ve never met a player with as much talent as NiJa has, who thinks about the team more than anything in the world, and it just says who she is.

“She didn’t have to battle through that. She didn’t have to play through that. But this was NiJa’s goal. NiJa wanted to win a national championship, and she knew if we lost those games in the middle of the year, we wouldn’t have a chance to do it and she was determined to put is in a spot to be able to do it, but that’s just who she is as a person and says a whole lot about her.”

Getting to the Women’s College World Series finals wasn’t an easy trek. Not only were the Red Raiders figuring themselves out, they were doing it with a hobbled workhorse. The only way it was going to work was with everybody doing their part, something Texas Tech’s roster has done throughout the postseason run.

“I think we’ve been playing selfless and playing for each other,” Allred said, “and that’s helped us get through all the tough games.”

Much has been made about what Canady has brought to Texas Tech, the softball team and the athletic department as a whole. Glasco said when the Red Raiders signed her, he was told nearly 1 million stories were generated around her NIL deal. But her value, the coach said, is incalculable.

“I think,” Glasco said, “when you look at how she endured injury, she endured a young team around her, or a new team around her and with a new coaching staff and went through with a new pitching coach, and then she’s got a new hitting coaching working with her on hitting, just total adjustments, but throughout all that, no matter what, she was just rock solid in the circle for us and provided us with that solid stone cold assassin out there in the circle that allowed us to grow and become a really good softball team at the end of the year.

“I think it even surprised us.”

Glasco likened Canady to Superman for her ability to compartmentalize everything around her and power on. Even Superman has a weakness, and while Canady will never complain about her circumstances — if she’ll tell anybody about them at all — getting to this point has been anything but a breeze.

“Honestly,” Canady said, “this year, it’s been hard, just for me personally. I’ll say this, too, I feel like we had a lot of road bumps, and this was not an easy ride.

“We actually were joking about it on the bus, if you would have asked us earlier in the year, earlier in the preseason if we would be two games away from hoisting a National Championship trophy, we would probably laugh. We took some hard losses early on.

“Honestly, just feel like we’ve just grown as a team. Part of the road getting here is peaking at the right time. I feel like we’re finally just catching our step, and we’re getting to know each other on the field, and I feel like we’re just playing for each other right now.”

2025 Women’s College World Series Championship

Best-of-three series at Devon Park, Oklahoma City

Wednesday, June 4

WCWS finals Game 1: Texas Tech vs. Texas, 7 p.m., ESPN

Thursday, June 5

WCWS finals Game 2: Texas Tech vs. Texas, 7 p.m., ESPN

Friday, June 6 (if necessary)

WCWS finals Game 3: Texas Tech vs. Texas, 7 p.m., ESPN

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Big 12 Must Make Key Change to Keep Up With Rest of College Football

The college football landscape is evolving, and the Big 12 can’t waste time if it wants to keep up. Over the past few years, college football has begun to look more like the NFL. With players essentially having a free agency period with the transfer portal, and NIL delivering massive deals to players, the past […]

Published

9 minutes ago

June 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The college football landscape is evolving, and the Big 12 can’t waste time if it wants to keep up.

Over the past few years, college football has begun to look more like the NFL. With players essentially having a free agency period with the transfer portal, and NIL delivering massive deals to players, the past couple of years have already seen significant changes.

Now, with revenue sharing coming into college sports, the similarities to professional sports are only growing. While those changes have impacted everyone in college sports, there is still one key part of college football that has only been adopted by the top leagues.

Over the past couple of seasons, player availability reports have become more prevalent in college football. With the Big Ten and SEC already requiring these injury reports, the College Football Playoff is the next to follow suit, as reported by CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello.

These reports have been key in giving teams an idea of what their opponent might look like on the field in a given week and has given fans more transparency on injuries. While college football injuries had been covered up and effectively left up to coaches to report on in press conferences for years, these reports have been a significant move in the right direction.

Of course, that move in the right direction has only been relevant for the two conferences that have implemented that change. For example, any Oklahoma State injury information about a player who could be held out of a game will still likely be covered up throughout the week before fans find out during the game or mere minutes before kickoff.

With the increase in gambling popularity obviously being another factor in these reports being required, it’s apparent which conferences are ready for this era of college sports and which conferences will be left behind due to complacency. Brett Yormark has tried to make his conference one of the best in the country and talked about being at the forefront of change, but the Big 12’s lack of action on this issue shows that the conference might never be capable of being on the same level as the SEC or Big Ten.

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Who is Texas Tech softball facing in Women’s College World Series? Bracket, times set

The field for the 2025 Women’s College World Series is set and the Texas Tech softball team knows its path toward the national championship. Texas Tech was the first team to punch its ticket to Oklahoma City, sweeping Florida State in the Super Regionals with the series concluding Friday afternoon. The Red Raiders had to […]

Published

48 minutes ago

June 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The field for the 2025 Women’s College World Series is set and the Texas Tech softball team knows its path toward the national championship.

Texas Tech was the first team to punch its ticket to Oklahoma City, sweeping Florida State in the Super Regionals with the series concluding Friday afternoon. The Red Raiders had to wait for the final possible game of the weekend to find out their opponent.

More: Turns out NiJaree Canady’s NIL deal with Texas Tech softball is a bargain | Giese

More: NiJaree Canady finishes Super Regional sweep to send Texas Tech softball to Women’s College World Series

Ole Miss will be first up for Texas Tech with the game set for 6 p.m. Thursday in a game that will air on ESPN2. The Rebels pulled off another upset by taking out 4th-seeded Arkansas 7-4 in the third game of their Super Regional series.

Like Texas Tech, Ole Miss will be making its first appearance in the WCWS in program history. Those two are joined by Big Ten teams Oregon and UCLA on their side of the bracket. The Ducks and Bruins will square off in the final game of opening day.

Other teams to make the WCWS field include Oklahoma, Texas, Florida and Tennessee.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech softball to face Ole Miss in Women’s College World Series first

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Coastal Carolina coach says CWS ejection was unwarranted and he was wrongly accused of bumping ump – 960 The Ref

OMAHA, Neb. — (AP) — Coastal Carolina coach Kevin Schnall, tossed from the game along with first base coach Matt Schilling in the first inning of the College World Series finals Sunday, said his ejection wasn’t justified and he was wrongly accused of bumping an umpire. Walker Mitchell was at bat with two outs and […]

Published

1 hour ago

June 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Walker Mitchell was at bat with two outs and Sebastian Alexander had just stolen second base when Schnall went to the top steps of the dugout, gestured at plate umpire Angel Campos with three fingers and began shouting at him.

The NCAA said Schnall was arguing balls and strikes, was given a warning and thrown out when he did not leave immediately. Instead, Schnall went onto the field to continue arguing.

The Tigers won 5-3 for their second national championship in three years.

When Schnall was arguing with Campos, one of the base umpires ran toward the confrontation and fell on his back.

“If you guys watch the video, there was a guy who came in extremely aggressively, tripped over Campos’ foot, embarrassed in front of 25,000, and goes ‘two-game suspension’ and says ‘bumping the umpire,’ Schnall said. ”There was no bump. I shouldn’t be held accountable for a grown man’s athleticism. Now it’s excessive because I was trying to say I didn’t bump him.

“It is what it is. If that warranted an ejection, there would be a lot of ejections. As umpires, it’s your job to manage the game with some poise and calmness and a little bit of tolerance.”

A spokesman said the NCAA stands by its original statement on the incident when asked for comment on Schnall’s remarks about bumping an umpire.

The NCAA in its initial statement on the incident said Schnall and Schilling engaged in “prolonged arguing,” which is to result in a two-game suspension. Schnall would miss the first two games of the 2026 season.

Schilling was thrown out for the comments he made while arguing, the NCAA said. If an assistant is ejected, he automatically also is suspended for one game. Schilling also got an additional two-game suspension under the “prolonged arguing” rule, the NCAA said. That means he will miss the first three games next year.

Associate head coach Chad Oxendine took over Schnall’s duties.

Schnall said he couldn’t hear Campos’ initial warning when he was arguing balls and strikes from the dugout.

“As a head coach, it’s your right to get an explanation for why we got warned,” Schnall said. “I’m 48 years old and I shouldn’t get shooed by another grown man. When I came out, I got told it was a warning issued for arguing balls and strikes, and I said it was because you missed three. At that point, ejected. If that warrants an ejection, I’m the first one to stand here like a man and apologize.”

That wasn’t going to happen.

“I’m not sorry for what happened,” he said. “I’m sorry for this being over. I’m sorry for how it ended.”

___

AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports

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Ranking the top eight Big Ten football NIL valuations for 2025

Being able to compensate college athletes over the last few years has changed the landscape of college sports, most notably the revenue behemoth that is college football. Name, Image and Likeness has helped usher in a new era of bidding wars and recruiting efforts that didn’t exist just less than a decade ago. And now, […]

Published

2 hours ago

June 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Especially at a place like Ohio State that has a huge athletic department and a massive budget.

But NIL is still in practice, and there are still athletes getting paid for the usage of their name, so it’s a big deal. We always hear about the astronomical figures the top-end stars are pulling in, but there are smaller ones as well. However, the multi-million dollar contracts aren’t as prevalent as one would think. In fact, we’re ranking the top Big Ten NIL valuations, and there are fewer than ten that make the list worth mentioning.

Here’s a list of the top eight NIL valuations according to On3 in the Big Ten, ranked from least to most expensive. You may be surprised by what and who is on this list., and of course, the bigger programs with the most money like Ohio State appear on this list more than some that do not at all.

No. 8 – Evan Stewart, Wide Receiver | Oregon Ducks

NIL Valuation – $1.7 Million

National Rank – No. 25

Stewart had a great year last season, but played second fiddle to Tez Johnson in star power. This year, it should be him as the No. 1 threat and player personality many will follow.

NIL Valuation | $1.8 Million

National Rank – No. 21

Singleton is entering his senior year and is part of a running back tandem that should be very dangerous this season. He’s a star running back for Penn State, and that alone garners attention and a pretty significant NIL package.

No. 6 – Nico Iamaleava, Quarterback | UCLA Bruins

NIL Valuation | $2 Million

National Rank – No. 19

Nico is well-known after having a fantastic season last year with Tennessee. He is one of the most recognizable quarterbacks with all the potential he possesses with his dual-threat ability, and now he’ll be doing his work out in Westwood for UCLA.

NIL Valuation | $2.3 Million

National Rank – No. 17

Raiola’s commitment was highly publicized. He first committed to Ohio State, then Georgia, before finally landing at Nebraska, where he had family ties. He had a very impressive, though a bit inconsistent freshman campaign and should be poised for a continuation and further breakout in 2025.

No. 4 – Caleb Downs, Safety | Ohio State Buckeyes

NIL Valuation | $2.4 Million

National Rank – No. 15

Downs came to Ohio State via the transfer portal after becoming a freshman All-American at Alabama. He had a stellar sophomore campaign in Columbus and is a fan favorite. He might be the best defender in all of college football, playing for arguably the most-followed college football program. That all translates to a massive NIL package.

No. 3 – Bryce Underwood, Quarterback | Michigan Wolverines

NIL Valuation | $3 Million

National Rank – No. 10

There is a ton of hype for the No. 1 quarterback coming out of high school, and Michigan is hoping he makes good on all of it. There was a lot of buzz surrounding his recruitment, and he has many folks following what he might do at the college level, even though he has yet to do anything in Ann Arbor.

No. 2 – Drew Allar, Quarterback | Penn State Nittany Lions

NIL Valuation | $3.1 Million

National Rank – No. 8

Allar was a five-star quarterback coming out of Ohio before committing to play for Penn State. Though he has yet to win the biggest of games, he has a big arm and is the face of the Nittany Lions’ chances at not only making the College Football Playoff, but going on a run to a national championship.

No. 1 – Jeremiah Smith, Wide Receiver | Ohio State Buckeyes

NIL Valuation | $4.2 Million

National Rank – No. 3

Everyone knows Smith. He was an absolute star who flashed on the scene for Ohio State as a freshman after being ranked as the top overall recruit in the 2024 class. He more than made good on all that buzz and is arguably the best player in college football returning for two more seasons, still in Columbus. He is adored in Central Ohio and feared across the rest of the country.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

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Notre Dame misses out on top women’s college basketball recruit

The Fighting Irish are on the lookout for fresh talent to help keep them on an upwards trajectory under Niele Ivey, but have suffered a blow after losing out on one top star 15:25 ET, 22 Jun 2025Updated 15:27 ET, 22 Jun 2025 Notre Dame women’s basketball head coach Niele Ivey has suffered a blow […]

Published

3 hours ago

June 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The Fighting Irish are on the lookout for fresh talent to help keep them on an upwards trajectory under Niele Ivey, but have suffered a blow after losing out on one top star

15:25 ET, 22 Jun 2025Updated 15:27 ET, 22 Jun 2025

Notre Dame women’s basketball head coach Niele Ivey has suffered a blow in recruitment for her 2026 class

Notre Dame women’s basketball has suffered a major setback in its recruitment for its 2026 class after missing out on elite prospect Savvy Swords.

The Fighting Irish are keen to continue adding to their squad in years to come as part of efforts to land them a first national championship since 2018, yet head coach Niele Ivey and co. will have to do so without the 5-star wing after she committed to Kentucky on Saturday.

It comes as Notre Dame added a fifth player to combat the departure of Olivia Miles after Kelly Ratigan decided to join via the transfer portal last month. The Fighting Irish had already acquired the services of Gisela Sanchez, Malaya Cowles, and Vanessa de Jesus, and more could still follow.

READ MORE: Jordan Spieth snubbed PGA Tour duo with blunt verdict on LIV Golf’s Bryson DeChambeauREAD MORE: WNBA urged to change rules after Caitlin Clark incident in Indiana Fever game

With regards to next year’s roster, however, Notre Dame will have to keep searching for the next best thing after losing out on the services of Swords, who also had offers from South Carolina, UCLA and Michigan, according to On3.

The 6-foot-1 star from Brookville (NY) Long Island Luthera is currently ranked No. 9 in On3’s top 2026 recruits in the nation, perhaps most notably averaging 16.3 points and six rebounds per game for Canada at last year’s U17 FIBA World Cup.

Swords achieved those stats while shooting 50 per cent from deep and 88 per cent from the free throw line, highlighting her versatility and strong ability to shoot from deep and rebound the ball at a high level.

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The teenager is the younger sister of current Michigan women’s basketball player Syla Swords, who earned freshman All-American and All-Big Ten honors in 2025. The 19-year-old is also a member of the Canadian national team and was an Olympian in 2024.

Swords took to Instagram on Saturday to announce her commitment to Kentucky, uploading a series of images from her signing shoot alongside the caption: “Big blue business. Let’s workk #committed.”

Her older sister, Syla, commented “so proud” followed by four love heart emojis, while premier point guard Maddyn Greenway, who was Kentucky’s first commitment in the 2026 class, wrote: “TEAMMIEEE.”

Notre Dame has already obtained the commitment of four-star college basketball prospect Bella Ragone to its 2026 class, who announced her decision with a TikTok video last month.

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In Ragone, the Fighting Irish have landed themselves a top-25 2026 wing, beating over 35 schools including Iowa, UCLA, and UNC to her signature. The 6-foot-2 wing from Georgia became the first commit in Notre Dame’s 2026 class.

Ranked No. 25 overall in the ESPNW 2026 rankings, Ragone used her brand of humor to announce her commitment, posting a short skit joking about telling a boy she’d be playing in Indiana. When he guessed Purdue, the clip cut to Ragone in a Notre Dame No. 5 jersey, flashing the camera with a smile and the caption, “Holy Airball.”

On Instagram, she reposted the announcement with a simple “Go Irish,” followed by clovers and her social media exploded with congratulatory messages from coaches, teammates, national recruits, and some of the most influential names in the game on her level.

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Colorado’s NIL Director Explains Why Mothers Can’t Be Agents, Despite Exceptions Like Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels

In today’s NFL, family often plays a big role in a player’s inner circle, especially mom. Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels have both shown this by employing their mothers as their agents, proving that, despite what some may say, moms can negotiate contract deals and become certified agents. For Jackson, his mother, Felicia Jones, acts […]

Published

3 hours ago

June 23, 2025

Your Sports Nation

For Jackson, his mother, Felicia Jones, acts as his manager without NFLPA agent certification. Meanwhile, Jayden’s mother, Regina Jackson, holds her NFLPA certification and also has a dual master’s degree in hospital administration and entrepreneurial business.

That’s why, when the University of Colorado’s NIL director, Reggie Calhoun Jr., made this comment about mothers acting as agents, it caught us a bit off guard.

“Mom’s job is not to negotiate your deal. She doesn’t have that skill set. Mom has never negotiated a deal in her life. Her job is bookkeeping. Mom has always been good at keeping books. Let that be Mom’s job. Your agent is doing sales,” Calhoun shared via The Business of Athletes.

They’re puzzling remarks coming from Calhoun. A bit of basic research shows he never made it past the college level, so should he really be advising players on something he has little experience with?

As mentioned, Lamar has no agent. His mother, Felicia, serves as his business manager. And just to rub it in the face of Calhoun, she even negotiated her QB son’s massive 5-year, $260 million extension in 2023. So, what is the Colorado director even talking about?

Furthermore, Jayden’s mom, Regina, is a certified NFLPA agent. It’s something she worked hard toward becoming, going back to when he was at LSU. Now, she’s been spotted on several occasions by Jayden’s side as his mentor, seemingly keeping the star QB out of trouble.

All in all, Calhoun’s opinions on mothers being agents fall apart when you examine the landscape of today’s NFL. Lamar and Jayden are not the only ones to ever have their mothers represent them as agents. Odell Beckham, Jaylon Jones, and Preston Brown are all current and former players who opted to do the same.

Additionally, studies show that players in the 18-21 range are using their parents more than ever for representation. The trend may even continue to grow, as NIL rules become more stringent.

But through very different models, both Lamar and Jayden have shown us that it’s possible to be an elite NFL quarterback while having a mother as an agent. Certified or not, it can work both ways.

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