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NiJaree Canady may be “a pioneer in the sport” of college softball, as her business rep puts it, but there’s one frontier the Texas Tech ace has yet to settle.
The famed 1,000-strikeout club.
There are only about 100 players in major-college history to hit that mark, but Canady is closing the gap.
After a nine-strikeout performance Tuesday night in a 12-0 run-rule win over Tarleton State, Canady is just 18 strikeouts away from the 1K club.
Canady improved to 12-2 on the season with 108 strikeouts and a 1.35 earned-run average in 78 innings this season.
“I think each week we’ve seen her continue to get stronger and better,” Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco said on March 11. “Velocity is back.”
Also back, our Big 12 softball power rankings:
(Records entering play March 25.)
More: OU softball's Isabela Emerling's offensive renaissance part of Sooners' power surge
Record: 31-2 overall, 8-1 Big 12
Here’s a wild stat from the fine folks at Texas Tech: Glasco is 62-0 in conference series dating back to his time as Louisiana coach.
Record: 24-8, 6-3
Why is Arizona second? The Wildcats are the only team to beat Texas Tech, and they’re coming off a series win over rival Arizona State last weekend.
Record: 23-9, 3-6
Getting swept by Utah will likely come back to haunt the Sun Devils when it comes to seeding for the Big 12 Tournament. Arizona State still has a series against Texas Tech.
Record: 21-10, 4-5
Who are these Cowgirls? Maybe Kenny Gajewski and Co. will have an answer. One minute they’re knocking off top-25 teams and the next they’re taking a bad loss to BYU.
More: SEC softball power rankings: Texas takes over No. 1 spot behind win streak
Record: 21-9, 5-1
The Bears took a pair of blowout losses to reigning NCAA champion Texas in a home-and-home series over the weekend. Another big weekend awaits with a trip to Arizona.
Record: 23-9, 4-2
The Jayhawks haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2015, but they’re trending in the right direction under Jennifer McFalls after a series win over Utah.
Record: 25-8, 4-2
It’s time to see how much the Utes have grown. Five of their final six series will be against teams likely bound for the NCAAs (OSU, at UCF, Texas Tech, at Baylor, Arizona).
Record: 24-10, 3-6
The Knights’ pitching depth took a hit with Hildie Dempsey’s season-ending injury, but ace Isabella Vega (8-4, 1.94 ERA) and Ava Stuewe (5-4, 2.76 ERA) keep rolling.
Record: 19-10, 3-3
Good stat: Reagan Bartholomew is fifth in the league with a .444 batting average. Bad stat: Half of the Cyclones’ games have come against Quad 4 opponents.
Record: 17-18, 1-8
The Cougars are on an eight-game losing streak since winning their series opener against Kansas on March 13.
Record: 9-20, 1-5
The Cougars stunned the Cowgirls in Stillwater on Saturday for their first league win, but BYU remains last in the league in hitting (.254 batting average) and pitching (7.38 ERA).
Jeff Patterson is the sports editor for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jeff? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @jeffpattOKC. Support Jeff's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Big 12 softball power rankings: NiJaree Canady closing in on rare club
Continue reading...
The famed 1,000-strikeout club.
There are only about 100 players in major-college history to hit that mark, but Canady is closing the gap.
After a nine-strikeout performance Tuesday night in a 12-0 run-rule win over Tarleton State, Canady is just 18 strikeouts away from the 1K club.
Canady improved to 12-2 on the season with 108 strikeouts and a 1.35 earned-run average in 78 innings this season.
“I think each week we’ve seen her continue to get stronger and better,” Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco said on March 11. “Velocity is back.”
Also back, our Big 12 softball power rankings:
(Records entering play March 25.)
More: OU softball's Isabela Emerling's offensive renaissance part of Sooners' power surge
1. Texas Tech
Record: 31-2 overall, 8-1 Big 12
Here’s a wild stat from the fine folks at Texas Tech: Glasco is 62-0 in conference series dating back to his time as Louisiana coach.
2. Arizona
Record: 24-8, 6-3
Why is Arizona second? The Wildcats are the only team to beat Texas Tech, and they’re coming off a series win over rival Arizona State last weekend.
3. Arizona State
Record: 23-9, 3-6
Getting swept by Utah will likely come back to haunt the Sun Devils when it comes to seeding for the Big 12 Tournament. Arizona State still has a series against Texas Tech.
4. Oklahoma State
Record: 21-10, 4-5
Who are these Cowgirls? Maybe Kenny Gajewski and Co. will have an answer. One minute they’re knocking off top-25 teams and the next they’re taking a bad loss to BYU.
More: SEC softball power rankings: Texas takes over No. 1 spot behind win streak
5. Baylor
Record: 21-9, 5-1
The Bears took a pair of blowout losses to reigning NCAA champion Texas in a home-and-home series over the weekend. Another big weekend awaits with a trip to Arizona.
6. Kansas
Record: 23-9, 4-2
The Jayhawks haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2015, but they’re trending in the right direction under Jennifer McFalls after a series win over Utah.
7. Utah
Record: 25-8, 4-2
It’s time to see how much the Utes have grown. Five of their final six series will be against teams likely bound for the NCAAs (OSU, at UCF, Texas Tech, at Baylor, Arizona).
8. UCF
Record: 24-10, 3-6
The Knights’ pitching depth took a hit with Hildie Dempsey’s season-ending injury, but ace Isabella Vega (8-4, 1.94 ERA) and Ava Stuewe (5-4, 2.76 ERA) keep rolling.
9. Iowa State
Record: 19-10, 3-3
Good stat: Reagan Bartholomew is fifth in the league with a .444 batting average. Bad stat: Half of the Cyclones’ games have come against Quad 4 opponents.
10. Houston
Record: 17-18, 1-8
The Cougars are on an eight-game losing streak since winning their series opener against Kansas on March 13.
11. BYU
Record: 9-20, 1-5
The Cougars stunned the Cowgirls in Stillwater on Saturday for their first league win, but BYU remains last in the league in hitting (.254 batting average) and pitching (7.38 ERA).
Jeff Patterson is the sports editor for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Jeff? He can be reached at [email protected] or on X/Twitter at @jeffpattOKC. Support Jeff's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Big 12 softball power rankings: NiJaree Canady closing in on rare club
Continue reading...
