NIL
Reese Atwood, ex-coach deny report connecting them to Texas Tech, NIL
Zoe Collins Rath, Austin American-Statesman | Hearst – Austin Transition Texas softball catcher Reese Atwood isn’t going anywhere. An article published Thursday afternoon by Softball on SI reported the rising senior was contacted by Texas Tech’s NIL collective the Matador Club or her former travel softball coach, Nathan Nelson, about transferring to Lubbock. “Reese never got […]

Texas softball catcher Reese Atwood isn’t going anywhere.
An article published Thursday afternoon by Softball on SI reported the rising senior was contacted by Texas Tech’s NIL collective the Matador Club or her former travel softball coach, Nathan Nelson, about transferring to Lubbock.
“Reese never got a phone call,” Nelson, coach of Texas-based Hotshots Fastpitch, told the Austin American-Statesman on Friday afternoon. Atwood, in a text message to the American-Statesman, denied that there was any tampering with her former coach.
Nelson in the article was accused of working with the Matador Club to bring players to Tech. He has alumnae that play for TTU but told the Statesman he denies the allegations raised in SI’s report, which cited an unnamed softball player’s parent who alleged he offered cash earlier this spring for a transfer to Tech.
“That did not occur,” Nelson said.
The report alleges that Nelson and the Matador Club have acted as a third parties to help Tech coach Gerry Glasco circumvent rules prohibiting contact with players at other schools. The article was based on conversations with six different softball programs and 10 sources, SI reports. But Nelson said most of the time he and his alumnae — including Atwood, who played four seasons for Nelson — would speak, they were discussing technique or tips, not transfers.
“How does my swing look? A certain pitch is being thrown at me, (how do I adjust)?” Nelson told the American-Statesman.
Tech has drawn attention of many in softball after reeling in almost a half-dozen talented transfers just days after the softball season ended. He denies any early or inappropriate contact.
“All I can speak for are my alumni,” Nelson said. “There were kids that were already in the portal… so I was involved in those conversations. I did contact them and told the third-party management (trying to recruit them) that I did not want to give out their numbers, that I would handle it myself. I called them (former players) and they have the right to say yes or no. Two of them said ‘no thank you, not interested,'” Nelson said.
Nelson said he does not know anyone at the Matador Club. A request for comment from the Matador Club about their recruiting practices and SI’s report did not draw a response Friday.
Reese Atwood shoots down report of possible transfer talk
The report listed Atwood among eight star players who had allegedly been reached out to on Tech’s behalf.
“I was never contacted by Nathan Nelson regarding anything related to playing softball at Texas Tech… I won’t be responding to any further comments about a false article,” Atwood said via text.
Atwood, a Sandia native, has become one of the top catchers in college softball. Her two-out, two-RBI single, in what was supposed to be an intentional walk, gave the Longhorns the lead, and the eventual win in Game 1 of the Women’s College World Series finals. Her work behind the dish also earned Atwood a first-team All-American nod.
She hit .393 this season with an .504 OBS and a team-high 21 home runs and 89 RBIs.
“They call travel ball coaches, us, people they trust… that’s my conversations and my communication lines with my girls,” Nelson said.
Third parties, have reached out to Nelson, he said. At least one group has asked for phone numbers for his former players, but he said he does not provide that information freely.
He said he would be a buffer between the players and those groups.
Nelson had 22 former players appear in the Women’s College World Series, including Atwood and members of Texas Tech’s team. According to unnamed sources in Softball on SI’s story, Atwood, Taylor Pannell (who committed Thursday to play for the Red Raiders), Isa Torres, Dakota Kennedy, Kasidi Pickering, Maci Bergeron, Dez Spearman, and Tori Edwards were names that Nelson or Matador, allegedly contacted.
However, Kennedy, Bergeron, Spearman and Edwards, are not Nelson’s former players. Nelson told the Statesman that any contact information for Pannell came from her parents.
“For Maci and Tori, there names shouldn’t have been in there (the story) at all. To have to explain to their coaches why their names are in there is completely unfair,” said Nelson.
Tech has been busy since losing to Texas
Since the championship game eight days ago, the Red Raiders signed five transfer portal prospects: Pannell (Tennessee), infielder Mia Williams (Florida), two-way player Kaitlyn Terry (UCLA), infielder Jackie Lis (Southern Illinois) and catcher/utility Jasmyn Burns (Ohio State). All but Burns, an All-American, made it to Oklahoma City with their respective teams
Glasco, known for an aggressive approach to taking in transfers since his days with Louisiana, could not contact players during the WCWS because NCAA rules prohibit coaches from contacting the player of a rostered opponent unless permission is granted or a player is already in the portal. But the Matador Club can.
Thursday’s addition of Pannell, a star third baseman who played at Tennessee, seemed to draw a rebuke from Lady Vols coach Karen Weekly.
“I think we can all agree on 2 things: 1) women making money in sports is awesome and long overdue; 2) contacting players (directly or indirectly) before their season ends and signing them to NIL deals before they enter the portal is wrong. Money isn’t the issue – tampering is!” the veteran coach posted Friday on social media.
It’s unclear if the NCAA will investigate any transfer activity.
A non-profit, Matador Collective helped bring pitcher NiJaree Canady from Stanford, where she led the Cardinal to back-to-back trips to OKC, to Lubbock with a $1 million NIL deal in 2024. She signed another seven-figure deal during the WCWS Finals. While Canady boasted the second-lowest ERA in college softball at 1.11 and hit 11 home runs and 34 RBIs, Tech’s lack of depth in the circle played a role in its demise in Game Three of the title series.
One thing seems clear: No matter who Tech adds, Atwood is staying put.
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