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OKLAHOMA CITY — After throwing her final collegiate pitch Thursday for Texas Tech in its second straight loss to Texas softball in the finals of the Women’s College World Series, groundbreaking pitcher NiJaree Canady drew praise from both squads as well as comparisons to some of the game’s greats.
Monica Abbott, Cat Osterman, Jennie Finch, Rachel Garcia.
But a more apt comparison may be Nolan Ryan, considering what the Hall of Fame pitcher meant to Major League Baseball, both on and off the field.
Like Ryan, Canady used devastating power to dominate batters. And like Ryan, Canady became the first player in her sport to sign a contract for at least $1 million, which Ryan did in 1979 with the Houston Astros for $1.125 million a year.
Salaries for collegiate athletics are not made public, but Front Office Sports — an outlet that covers the business of sports — reports that Canady drew a $1 million-per-year salary from Texas Tech boosters when she transferred from Stanford prior to the 2025 season. This year's Texas Tech squad earned approximately $3 million, per Front Office Sports.
Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady (24) throws a pitch during game one of the NCAA Women’s College World Series against Texas at Devon Park on Wednesday, June 3, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman)
Canady and her 2026 Red Raiders teammates, who made up the highest-paid collegiate softball roster in history, led a previously irrelevant Texas Tech program to its second consecutive WCWS championship series. They also proved that softball players can draw comparable salaries to other collegiate sports like basketball, baseball and even football, especially since ratings for the NCAA Tournament games continue to reach historic highs.
That’s a point of pride for Canady, who reached the WCWS in every one of her collegiate seasons, including the first two at Stanford.
“I think we just helped pave the pathway to hopefully more investments coming,” Canady said after Thursday’s loss. “I think a lot of people that watch Texas Tech especially because of that attention we brought, but it also set a new standard for just female athletics, too. We'll invest in female athletics. We'll draw crowds. I don't know how many viewership numbers have been up (but) fan numbers have been up.”
MORE: Texas, Texas Tech built their rosters 2 different ways, so which is better?
Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady (24) throws a pitch during game one of the NCAA Women’s College World Series against Texas at Devon Park on Wednesday, June 3, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman)
Canady’s assumption about TV viewers is correct. The final numbers for the WCWS finals between Texas and Texas Tech haven’t come in yet, but ESPN reported a 33% viewership increase from last year over the first five days of the WCWS. The network averaged 1.5 million viewers per day in the span, and the semifinal matchups of Texas vs. Tennessee and Texas Tech vs. Alabama averaged 2 million viewers, according to the network.
Canady has been at the forefront of that ratings surge over the past few seasons, Texas coach Mike White asserted.
“NiJaree Canady is a warrior,” White said. “What she's done for the sport and how she's promoted the game itself (with) two programs. Look what it's done to Texas Tech softball. It's put it on the map.”
MORE:With second WCWS title, has Texas supplanted Oklahoma atop college softball? | Golden
Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco thinks Canady’s impact goes far beyond Lubbock. A 67-year-old Illinois native who grew up a St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan, Glasco even compared Canady to Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood, who helped pioneer player empowerment in MLB by fighting for the right to be a free agent in the 1960s.
Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady celebrates after the game against the Baylor Bears at Tracy Sellers Field on May 2, 2026 in Lubbock, Texas. Canady pitched a perfect game, earning her third no-hitter. (John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Glasco also said Canady’s impact on young Black softball players will affect future generations of softball players. The sport’s popularity is growing in the Black community, based on participation rates in high school and college. But prominent Black pitchers remain rare, much like Black quarterbacks in the NFL a generation ago. Canady’s success will help break down certain stereotypes, Glasco said.
“For a female athlete, and for an African-American female athlete, I think her legacy is way beyond the softball field when people see what it does for the female athlete and African-American female athletes in the coming years,” he said. “I think NiJa has become the face of softball. Not just college softball, but softball. That's how big an impact.”
Texas ace Teagan Kavan, who won all four of her matchups with Canady when the two faced off as starters, said Canady’s impact on the game sets up softball for even more success.
“I have nothing but respect for her and how she's changed two programs and how she just changed the sport as a whole,” Kavan said. “There's so many girls that look up to her and that dream to be in her position because of her. nilJust the light that she exudes and the passion for the game she exudes. It’s really cool to get to share the field with her and to be on the field with someone who has had that much impact on the game. And it's not going to stop here. It's going to keep going.”
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Monica Abbott, Cat Osterman, Jennie Finch, Rachel Garcia.
But a more apt comparison may be Nolan Ryan, considering what the Hall of Fame pitcher meant to Major League Baseball, both on and off the field.
Like Ryan, Canady used devastating power to dominate batters. And like Ryan, Canady became the first player in her sport to sign a contract for at least $1 million, which Ryan did in 1979 with the Houston Astros for $1.125 million a year.
Salaries for collegiate athletics are not made public, but Front Office Sports — an outlet that covers the business of sports — reports that Canady drew a $1 million-per-year salary from Texas Tech boosters when she transferred from Stanford prior to the 2025 season. This year's Texas Tech squad earned approximately $3 million, per Front Office Sports.
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Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady (24) throws a pitch during game one of the NCAA Women’s College World Series against Texas at Devon Park on Wednesday, June 3, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman)
Canady and her 2026 Red Raiders teammates, who made up the highest-paid collegiate softball roster in history, led a previously irrelevant Texas Tech program to its second consecutive WCWS championship series. They also proved that softball players can draw comparable salaries to other collegiate sports like basketball, baseball and even football, especially since ratings for the NCAA Tournament games continue to reach historic highs.
That’s a point of pride for Canady, who reached the WCWS in every one of her collegiate seasons, including the first two at Stanford.
“I think we just helped pave the pathway to hopefully more investments coming,” Canady said after Thursday’s loss. “I think a lot of people that watch Texas Tech especially because of that attention we brought, but it also set a new standard for just female athletics, too. We'll invest in female athletics. We'll draw crowds. I don't know how many viewership numbers have been up (but) fan numbers have been up.”
MORE: Texas, Texas Tech built their rosters 2 different ways, so which is better?
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Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady (24) throws a pitch during game one of the NCAA Women’s College World Series against Texas at Devon Park on Wednesday, June 3, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman)
WCWS: Viewership, attention keeps soaring
Canady’s assumption about TV viewers is correct. The final numbers for the WCWS finals between Texas and Texas Tech haven’t come in yet, but ESPN reported a 33% viewership increase from last year over the first five days of the WCWS. The network averaged 1.5 million viewers per day in the span, and the semifinal matchups of Texas vs. Tennessee and Texas Tech vs. Alabama averaged 2 million viewers, according to the network.
Canady has been at the forefront of that ratings surge over the past few seasons, Texas coach Mike White asserted.
“NiJaree Canady is a warrior,” White said. “What she's done for the sport and how she's promoted the game itself (with) two programs. Look what it's done to Texas Tech softball. It's put it on the map.”
MORE:With second WCWS title, has Texas supplanted Oklahoma atop college softball? | Golden
Gerry Glasco: NiJaree Canady legacy 'beyond' softball
Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco thinks Canady’s impact goes far beyond Lubbock. A 67-year-old Illinois native who grew up a St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan, Glasco even compared Canady to Cardinals outfielder Curt Flood, who helped pioneer player empowerment in MLB by fighting for the right to be a free agent in the 1960s.
You must be registered for see images attach
Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady celebrates after the game against the Baylor Bears at Tracy Sellers Field on May 2, 2026 in Lubbock, Texas. Canady pitched a perfect game, earning her third no-hitter. (John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Glasco also said Canady’s impact on young Black softball players will affect future generations of softball players. The sport’s popularity is growing in the Black community, based on participation rates in high school and college. But prominent Black pitchers remain rare, much like Black quarterbacks in the NFL a generation ago. Canady’s success will help break down certain stereotypes, Glasco said.
“For a female athlete, and for an African-American female athlete, I think her legacy is way beyond the softball field when people see what it does for the female athlete and African-American female athletes in the coming years,” he said. “I think NiJa has become the face of softball. Not just college softball, but softball. That's how big an impact.”
Texas ace Teagan Kavan, who won all four of her matchups with Canady when the two faced off as starters, said Canady’s impact on the game sets up softball for even more success.
“I have nothing but respect for her and how she's changed two programs and how she just changed the sport as a whole,” Kavan said. “There's so many girls that look up to her and that dream to be in her position because of her. nilJust the light that she exudes and the passion for the game she exudes. It’s really cool to get to share the field with her and to be on the field with someone who has had that much impact on the game. And it's not going to stop here. It's going to keep going.”
Continue reading...
