Sooners lose out in bidding for college softball's top pitcher, 2024 transfer
By Chip Rouse
Hopes of Oklahoma softball landing college softball's best pitcher and top 2024 transfer will remain just that...wishful thinking.
Former Stanford star NiJaree Canady has committed to play for the Red Raiders of Texas Tech. She announced her decision in an X post (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday.
Fans of the four-time defending national champion Sooners were licking their chops at the prospects of landing the reigning National Player of the Year for the two years of eligibility she has remaining. As much as Oklahoma was projected by many in the know as an ideal new home for the Topeka, Kansas, native, it was a seller's market as far as Canady was considered. The Sooners were just one of numerous major Division I programs that were vying for the top prize in this year's softball transfer portal.
Canady acknowledged that she made visits to Alabama, Tennessee, UCLA and Kansas over the last month. By this week, she had narrowed her decision down to two schools: Returning to Stanford or transferring to Texas Tech. Although Stanford had also offered her a record NIL deal, the star pitcher ended up choosing Lubbock, Texas, as her new collegiate home.
t appears that the commitment a little over a week ago by former Louisiana starting pitcher Sam Landry with the remaining scholarship available for the 2025 Sooner roster was a telling indication that Canady was not going to select OU. Landry finished the 2024 season with an ERA of 2.08 along with 165 strikeouts and 65 walks in 194 innings.
Oklahoma was in need of pitching for next season to replace the loss of No. 1 starter Kelly Maxwell and four-year starter Nicole May. At the end of June, head coach Patty Gasso also earned the commitment of Campbell transfer Isabella Smith.
Canady will go to Texas Tech on a record-breaking NIL (name, image likeness) deal reported by ESPN to be in the range of seven figures. She will benefit from a recently announced deal between the school Adidas and the Kansas City Chiefs and former Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes.