OKLAHOMA CITY — Gerry Glasco knows it can be a difficult proposition to ask either of his All-American pitchers to come out of the game. Nobody wants the ball for Texas Tech softball more than NiJaree Canady or Kaitlyn Terry.
Glasco, though, has had to make those difficult decisions. The Red Raiders have employed the unique pitching setup — courtesy of the designated player spot — to rotate Canady and Terry into the game whenever he sees fit.
Sometimes those decisions don’t pan out. After Ramsey Suarez hit a solo home run off of Terry in the bottom of the seventh, Texas Tech still had a two-run lead. But Glasco made the choice to reinsert Canady. The move backfired, though, when Jordan Woolery hit her second two-run home run of the game (both off Canady) to send the game to extras.
Those conversations with his pitchers can be tough. But Glasco knows he has to have them. Just as he knew he didn’t need to say anything after Texas Tech’s nine-inning loss to Tennessee the day before. Glasco said he didn’t sleep much after that 2-1 loss, counting down the minutes until the game with UCLA began.
“I said nothing,” Glasco said, “because I know what I got. I got a locker room, dugout full of athletes that wanna win.”
The desire for victory is why Canady and Terry are able to swallow their pride and hand over the ball to one another when Glasco comes out to make the switch. Whatever it takes.
Canady and Terry both took their lumps in the circle against the historic power of UCLA’s lineup. Each also had signature moments in the 8-7 victory. Terry delivered the go-ahead RBI double in the bottom of the ninth, then gave way to Canady to close things out in the circle. Canady finally got the strike-three call she’d been searching for, which ended the game and sent the Red Raiders back to the Women’s College World Series semifinals.
Not knowing when or how long each will be in the circle can be a challenge for ball-dominant pitchers like Canady and Terry, but they’ve become so accustomed to swapping in and out that they have a system.
“It’s just kind of staying locked in, knowing that at any time either of us can go back in,” Terry said, “and just knowing that each other’s gonna have their back no matter who’s in, but just keeping your mind locked in, honestly.”
Canady was credited with the win, improving to 27-6 on the season in four innings of work. Terry went five innings and cruised much of the way. Each pitcher struck out seven batters to push the Red Raiders to the finish line.
After the game, Glasco had some lofty comparisons for his two pitchers. During last year’s WCWS, Glasco likened Canady to Michael Jordan for her ability to lock in on the scenario. This year he’s bringing along Bo Jackson and Herschel Walker for the level of star power Canady brings with her.
“It means everything,” Canady said of Glasco’s comparisons, “just to have a coach that has that kind of confidence in you and compared to those kind of athletes is great.”
For Terry, Glasco used former Duke basketball point guard Bobby Hurley to explain her competitiveness. That’s why he has to make the call on when to make the substitutions, calling it “kind of scary” to do so, and that pitching coach Tara Archibald doesn’t want to do it herself.
Canady and Terry’s willingness to share the load spreads to the Red Raiders, who can often be swapped in and out of the lineup at any moment to give Texas Tech the best chance to win. In addition to the nine starters for the game, Glasco also inserted five additional subs (including Canady, who came on in relief) to get the job done.
While Mia Williams and Jasmyn Burns hit home runs in the victory, Hailey Toney (who had been in and out of the batting order as she works through a hitting slump) had her first multi-hit game since May 2. Desirae Spearman got one at-bat and had her first hit since May 8.
Texas Tech was built to have options to chase down the national championship.
“I think it becomes apparent, too, the message that it has to be about the team,” Glasco said. “We got way too much talent for one person to feel like they have to carry us every second.”
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech softball’s team identity shines in WCWS win over UCLA
Reporting by Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
