OKLAHOMA CITY — There have been times this postseason where it appeared NiJaree Canady had lost her touch.
When the stakes mattered the most, though, Canady turned back to the proverbial clock, locking down a talented Alabama lineup for yet another trip to the Women’s College World Series championship.
But the elation of the thrilling 2-0 win in the second game on Monday night at Devon Park was first met with butting of the heads with Texas Tech softball head coach Gerry Glasco. In the first game of the twinbill, Tech needing a win to force a second game, Canady shook off a pitch call from pitching coach Tara Archibald. It didn’t pay off, and led to Canady surrendering a game-tying solo home run to Marlie Giles in the top of the fourth inning.
Glasco and his staff give Canady the right to make adjustments throughout the game. She can often be seen shaking her head at the pitch, instead making the call with her catcher, whoever that may be. Glasco, though, didn’t like Canady declining that call in that moment — a tight game in a must-win situation — and having it backfire.
“When you shake it off in that moment,” Glasco said, “you better be sure you got the right idea.”
Texas Tech got the win in Game 1 courtesy of a walk-off home run from Mia Williams. Canady then got the ball to start Game 2, a win-or-go-home game for both teams, and reminded everybody exactly who she is.
In perhaps her best pitching performance of the season (in which she’s pitched a no-hitter and a perfect game), Canady completed the first complete-game effort from Texas Tech’s pitchers in the postseason, striking out six batters, allowing just four base runners all game (two hits, one walk, one hit-by-pitch) and securing the Red Raiders’ return to the national championship series.
“Coach Tara just kept saying to go at hitters,” Canady said, “and, I don’t know, I just kept reminding myself timid has no power.”
During last year’s WCWS run, Canady needed to be nearly perfect to come as close to the title as Texas Tech got. For much of the 2026 campaign, that hasn’t been the case with a loaded offense able to pick up the slack when she’s off her game.
In the definition of a pitcher’s duel, squaring off with Alabama ace Jocelyn Briski, the only run on the board through six innings was a solo home run by Jasmyn Burns. Texas Tech needed Canady to be as good as ever to get the job done, and she didn’t disappoint.
“That was the 2025 version of NiJa Canady,” Glasco said.
Canady’s experiences with Texas Tech have been night and day. In her first go-around, she delivered every pitch in the Super Regionals and first five games of the WCWS (while dealing with a partially torn quad for much of the season) before the wheels fell off. To combat that, the Red Raiders brought in Kaitlyn Terry to take innings off her hands.
They also didn’t pitch Canady in the fall, when most pitchers get their form and rhythms down. Tech shut her down, in part to make sure she was healthy for the regular season, and to put her in position to be at her best when the moments are bigger, the lights brighter, the stakes higher.
All those elements came into play in the doubleheader. Canady pitched in both games, after pitching some in all three of the team’s previous WCWS games, but looked as locked in as she had all year. Commanding the strike zone, pounding the corners, changing speeds and ball placement.
She even had another decision to go against the coaches. Alabama made Canady work in the sixth, leadoff hitter Jena Young going 10 pitches deep before striking out. Brook Wells followed with an eight-pitch at-bat before getting plunked, the tying run aboard. Next up was Alexis Pupillo, who worked the count 2-2 when Archibald exited the dugout looking to have a circle visit.
Archibald never made it to the infield dirt before Canady shooed her away. She had this, Canady urged Archibald, and got the foul out to end the inning.
And when the Crimson Tide got a double to put the game-tying run to the plate with two outs in the seventh, Canady quickly got ahead in the count, 0-2, before inducing the flyout to Lauren Allred to end things. In her record 18th appearance in a WCWS game, Canady saved her best stuff for last.
“Honestly, this postseason hasn’t gone the way I wanted it to go,” Canady admitted afterward, “I feel like I haven’t been my best, so, like Coach Glasco said, it’s about when you peak, and I don’t know, if I’m gonna be good, at least it’s good towards the end of the year.”
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Vintage NiJaree Canady puts Texas Tech softball back in WCWS finals
Reporting by Nathan Giese, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
