When NiJaree Canady takes the circle for Texas Tech softball in Game 1 of the Women’s College World Series championship series, the Red Raiders’ $1 million arm will do so as the most dominant pitcher in the sport.
Canady’s dominance inside the circle is nothing new for the junior right-hander, as she was one of the top arms in the country the last two seasons at Stanford, as evident in her winning the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award as a sophomore last season.
But this year, she has also been the catalyst behind one of the greatest stories in college softball. She has nearly single-handedly pitched Texas Tech to their first WCWS berth in Year 1 of the Gerry Glasco era in Lubbock, and has thrown every pitch since the start of the Tallahassee Super Regional.
In three WCWS games this season (all wins), Canady has fooled hitters at the plate left and right, especially with her riseball. The Topeka, Kansas native has struck out 25 hitters at Devon Park, part of a season in which she has recorded more than 300 strikeouts for the second consecutive season.
But as Canady performs in the circle, a continuous inquiry by those watching the WCWS (perhaps for the first time) has been her height — which, of course, plays a factor in her pitching strategy with her delivery and execution.
With Texas Tech opening up the best-of-three WCWS championship series against No. 6 Texas at 7 p.m. CT on June 4 at Devon Park, here’s what you need to know on Canady’s height and stats ahead of Game 1 of the WCWS championship series:
NiJaree Canady height
Canady is listed at 6 feet tall on Texas Tech’s official roster, the same height as Texas ace Teagan Kavan. Both Canady and Kavan have been dominant in the circle at the WCWS, as they’ve given up a combined five runs in six games while striking out 37 batters.
NiJaree Canady stats at Texas Tech
Canady enters the WCWS championship series with a 33-5 overall record on the season and a nation-best 0.90 ERA in 226 innings of work. She has struck out 304 hitters, which is 33 short of her career-high 337 punch-outs from last season.
Wednesday’s start against Texas will mark Canady’s sixth consecutive start since the start of the super regional round of the NCAA softball tournament.
Here’s a game-by-game breakdown of Canady’s pitching lines at the WCWS:
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: How tall is NiJaree Canady? Height for Texas Tech softball ace ahead of WCWS finals
Reporting by John Leuzzi, USA TODAY NETWORK / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
