Texas Tech softball claimed its second consecutive Big 12 regular season title after sweeping Arizona State, climbing the 2026 college softball rankings on a 19-2 conference and 47-4 overall record.
The back-to-back titles mark a historic run for coach Gerry Glasco's program. Before his arrival, Texas Tech had never won a Big 12 championship. The Red Raiders swept both conference titles last season before making their first Women's College World Series run and finishing as national runner-up.
Behind ace pitcher Nijaree Canady, Texas Tech softball leads the Big 12 power rankings heading into tournament play. The team ranks among the nation's college softball elite after generating one of the best records in DI this year.
Oklahoma State softball now sits second in the conference rankings after catching fire down the stretch. The Cowgirls enter the final regular-season week riding a five-game winning streak — including a shutout victory over defending champion Texas on the road.
The hot streak pushed Oklahoma State from outside the NCAA tournament hosting bubble to firmly in the mix to host a regional competition, as the Cowgirls prepare to close out the regular season at home against Kansas.
Arizona ranks third in the Big 12 standings on a 34-13 overall and 15-6 conference record, followed by UCF at 36-14-1. Kansas sits fifth at 32-16, needing a strong finish to secure a path to the 2026 WCWS.
Where to Watch Texas Tech Softball in Big 12 Tournament Action
The Red Raiders clinched the crown with one week remaining in the regular season, earning the No. 1 seed for the Big 12 Tournament.
Texas Tech softball next faces the No. 8 seed on May 7th at 2:30 PM ET, with the Big 12 Tournament championship game airing May 9th at 12 PM ET on ESPN.
Texas Tech softball ace NiJaree Canady refuses to let anyone rush her process — on the pitcher's mound or off the field.
The Red Raiders senior has seen great success since her high-profile 2024 transfer from Stanford, signing seven-figure NIL deals while impressing Athletes Unlimited Softball League's top scouts.
"Having confidence in the circle is one thing," Canady told JWS last month. "The pitcher? The ball starts with us. The game starts with us."
Canady's NCAA journey has become woven into college softball legend. In her breakout 2023 season, she registered just three losses for Stanford as a freshman — with two coming at the hands of eventual NCAA champion Oklahoma. That year she went on to lead the Cardinal to its first Women's College World Series (WCWS) appearance in nearly 20 years. The run solidified her as one of softball's most prominent faces as the sport continues to gain speed at both the college and professional levels.
When she transferred to Texas Tech in 2024, Canady shocked the softball world by signing the sport's first-ever $1 million NIL deal before taking the Red Raiders to their first WCWS finals in 2025.
Now well into her second — and final — college season, Texas Tech has established itself as a national championship contender on a 42-4 overall and 16-2 Big 12 record. On the offensive side, coach Gerry Glasco's lineup ranks second in the nation with a .395 team batting average while Canady anchors the pitching staff. The right-hander is riding a 17 - 3 record and 1.40 ERA, reaching 1,000 career strikeouts this month after becoming the first Texas Tech player to achieve three career no-hitters earlier this season.
With just nine games left and the Big 12 regular-season title nearly secured, Canady's perfect NCAA ending is coming into view. And there's only one way to get there: winning it all at college softball's biggest showcase.
"We belong on that stage," she said. "We've been there before, we made it to the championship series. We know we can get there."
NiJaree Canady Drives Texas Tech with Leadership and Experience
As a senior, NiJaree Canady has gotten her gameday routine down to a science. The two-time NFCA National Pitcher of the Year developed into a complete player over the course of her college career. And as graduation nears, she's focused on tweaking all tiny details that can improve her performance on the mound.
"It's definitely kind of reaching for straws," she admitted, saying her coaches also advised her to prioritize consistency and leadership in 2026. "But I feel like those couple things you can get better at, they can make a big difference."
The 22-year-old has also found a way to direct her expanding NIL footprint into partnerships that fit her goals and lifestyle. Canady recently signed an endorsement deal with energy drink Celsius, a product she and her teammates know very well. As she's gotten older, the Topeka, Kansas native noted that nutrition and supplement management have become increasingly key to her performance.
"I'm a very disciplined person," she explained. "On a daily basis, I try to eat a lot of protein, and I work with our nutritionist."
Canady's known as a calming locker room presence. However, she does like to get amped up via pregame playlists and an early-morning energy boost.
"[It's] Celsius first thing in the morning before I go to early weights," she said. "I just grab one of those and I'm just drinking on my drive over."
Her drive is her strength, especially as she grows into her leadership role as team captain. She's built a mutual respect with the Texas Tech softball coaching staff, helping with clubhouse communication whenever big decisions arise. Through it all, she wants her work ethic to speak for itself.
"I'm definitely honing things, but also making sure I'm setting an example for everyone else too," she said. "The younger girls are going to look to me about things, like my discipline... Everyone's watching that."
Balancing Off-Field Opportunities with Texas Tech Production
While it's easy to let the day-to-day take over, Canady is keenly aware of her growing visibility.
In late March, AUSL commissioner Kim Ng presented the Red Raiders senior with the league's first Golden Ticket draft invitation. And with softball's professional viability skyrocketing in recent years, Canady can look forward to a long career post-college.
But after revolutionizing Texas Tech softball, her impact in Lubbock can't be overstated. She recalled seeing fans at sold-out Red Raiders college football games wearing her softball jerseys. People stop her to pose for selfies as she walks from class to class.
"Just to be able to see what we brought to Lubbock and that community, it's been amazing," she said.
With the pros on the horizon and business opportunities coming her way — not to mention schoolwork — Canady has to apply that athlete's discipline to her very busy life.
"It never really feels too big," she said of her crowded schedule. "And when it does, I just remember these are the moments I've prayed for. These are blessings."
Amid the chaos, the ace also wants to spend time with her teammates before they all go their separate ways. And she and a few friends even found time to take up fishing. "I haven't caught any yet," she laughed. "But I still go out there and try to enjoy it."
Making the most of her senior year belies Canady's confidence in her future — and not just on the pitcher's mound.
"These girls are going to be my best friends for life," she said of her teammates. "I feel like it's easy, especially in season, to have softball be your whole world. And it is a big part of who I am. But it's not the only thing about me."
As the 2026 WCWS approaches, Canady has one more shot to make history with her beloved Texas Tech softball team. And while she's laser-focused on winning, she also knows the squad won't just be remembered for its wins and losses.
"When we're out there, we're playing for each other," she said. "When we're at weights at 7 AM, we're there for each other. We're fighting for each other, and we want to succeed for each other."
Texas Tech softball ace NiJaree Canady received the first golden ticket for the 2026 AUSL Draft, with commissioner Kim Ng surprising the senior following the Red Raiders' Big 12 matchup against Iowa State.
The golden ticket guarantees Canady a spot in Athletes Unlimited Softball League's 2026 Draft, set for May 4th.
"As one of the most talented players in the game today, it is fitting that NiJaree is the first recipient of a golden ticket this year," Ng said.
"This is also the beginning of what will be a truly special draft class, with many outstanding players across the country."
Canady ranks among college softball's most decorated athletes. The pitcher earned multiple first-team All-American honors, won 2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, captured back-to-back National Fastpitch Coaches Association National Pitcher of the Year titles, and claimed the Honda Sport Awards for Softball in 2024 and 2025.
The Stanford transfer made headlines when she signed a record-breaking $1,050,024 one-year contract via The Matador Club, an NIL collective affiliated with Texas Tech softball. She signed another seven-figure deal last year, after leading the Red Raiders to its first WCWS championship appearance.
Canady recently launched her Adidas signature player-edition cleat, the ADIZERO Instinct 2.0 PT "NiJa," becoming the first NCAA softball player to release a signature Adidas shoe.
AUSL representatives and softball celebrities will visit college campuses throughout the next month to award additional golden tickets to this year's draft class.
How to Watch NiJaree Canady at the 2026 AUSL Draft
The 2026 AUSL Draft is set for May 4th, with live coverage starting at 7 PM ET on ESPN2.
The 2026 NCAA softball season is officially in full swing, as the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational brings 16 top programs — including 10 ranked teams — to Florida for four days of championship-level matchups this week.
A full seven of the nation's Top 10 teams will feature in this edition of the annual competition, with No. 6 Florida State, No. 8 Nebraska, No. 8 Texas A&M, and No. 10 LSU joining three of last season's Women's College World Series contenders — No. 7 UCLA, No. 3 Tennessee, and 2025 runners-up, No. 1 Texas Tech — in Clearwater.
With so many elite rosters, the invitational's 40-game slate includes 17 ranked matchups — and eight Top 10 showdowns.
Three of those eight games will feature Tennessee, who drew arguably the toughest Clearwater weekend with clashes against the No. 6 Seminoles, No. 7 Bruins, and No. 8 Cornhuskers — a team that stunned defending champion No. 2 Texas with an 8-5 opening-weekend upset loss on Saturday.
Friday's clash between the Huskers and Vols — a rematch of the pair's 2025 Super Regional — will also serve as an early-season litmus test of two of college softball's best pitchers, with a duel in the circle expected between Tennessee standout Karlyn Pickens and Nebraska ace Jordy Frahm (née Bahl).
But first, the top-ranked Red Raiders — led by two-time All-American pitcher and the sport's only multimillion-dollar NIL athlete NiJaree Canady — will headline Thursday's docket in their own Super Regional rematch against the No. 6 Seminoles.
How to watch NCAA softball at the 2026 Clearwater Invitational
The stacked Clearwater Invitational began on Thursday morning, with the day's spotlight clash between No. 1 Texas Tech and No. 6 Florida State taking the field at 1 PM ET, airing live on ESPN2.
All 40 games will air live across ESPN platforms.
Texas softball made program history on Friday, winning the 2025 Women’s College World Series (WCWS) to claim a first-ever national championship in their eighth trip to Oklahoma City.
The No. 6-seed Longhorns completed the best-of-three championship series with a dominant 10-4 victory over No. 12-seed Texas Tech, setting a program wins record with 56 on the season.
"This is why I came to Texas," said grad student first baseman Joely Mitchell following the championship win. "This is everything I dreamed of as a kid."
Anchored by star sophomore pitcher Teagan Kavan — who took home the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award after not allowing a single earned run in the nearly 32 WCWS innings she threw — Texas's title is the SEC's first in 10 years. The Longhorns now join only Florida and Alabama in the conference's elite NCAA softball champions club.
The Longhorn bats led the charge on Friday, plating five runs in the first inning — the most allowed in a single inning by Red Raiders superstar pitcher NiJaree Canady in her three-season NCAA career.
While that initial push ended up being enough to seal the win, senior third baseman Mia Scott put an exclamation mark on the victory by blasting a fourth-inning grand slam, notably doing so with a torn ACL.
2025 WCWS sets attendance, viewership records
The Longhorns' historic title run wasn't just a victory for Texas, however, as the 2025 WCWS claimed additional wins far beyond the Lone Star State.
With 119,778 fans packing into Oklahoma City's Devon Park across the nine-day competition, the 2025 tournament broke the WCWS attendance record.
The record-shattering didn't end there, as an average of 2.1 million viewers tuned into Thursday's championship series clash, making it the most-watched WCWS finals Game 2 in history — and the fifth most-watched NCAA softball game ever on ESPN platforms.
The rising value of college softball is also impacting players' bank accounts, with rising senior Canady reportedly inking a second seven-figure NIL deal to remain with Texas Tech prior to Friday's decisive Game 3.
"I've been around a lot of softball players, I've never been around a better teammate and a better person," Texas Tech head coach Gerry Glasco said about Canady following Friday's game. "She's an unbelievable talent. I believe she's the top player in college softball.... Her standards for everything is excellence."
The attendance, viewership, and NIL wins aren't just boosts for collegiate softball. The sport's rise is also fueling a new professional venture, with former NCAA stars launching pro league AUSL on Saturday — strategically timed to capitalize on the momentum of a historic 2025 WCWS.
The 2025 Women's College World Series (WCWS) are headed to a winner-take-all Game 3, as Texas Tech evened this week's best-of-three championship series with a 4-3 victory over Texas on Thursday.
Anchored by another gutsy performance from star pitcher NiJaree Canady, the Red Raiders capitalized on missteps by the Longhorns, plating their four runs thanks to a hit-by-pitch, a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly, and a fielding error.
Down but not out, Texas broke through with a sixth-inning home run from star senior Mia Scott before plating two more in the game's final frame.
With the tying run just 60 feet away, Canady locked in, ending the Longhorns' threat with a strike-out to claim Texas Tech's first season win over their state rivals at just the right time, keeping the Red Raiders' national title hopes alive.
"NiJa was huge," said Texas Tech head coach Gerry Glasco about his ace's Game 2 performance. "She went out there and pitched her tail off."
Canady likely to toss every Texas Tech pitch at WCWS
After Wednesday's botched intentional walk put Texas within one win of the NCAA trophy, Canady bounced back by again assuming control in the circle, tossing every Texas Tech pitch for the seventh postseason games in a row — a streak dating back to the Red Raiders' first Super Regional game.
"Obviously [Wednesday] night wasn't my best game. I feel like this game wasn't my best game, either," said Canady, despite stifling Texas's late surge. "I was just leaving it out on the field."
Glasco will undoubtedly tap Canady to throw Friday's decisive clash as well, with Texas Tech's championship hopes resting on their $1 million player.
Should she complete Game 3 and secure a program-first national championship in the process, Canady will become the first pitcher since 2012 Alabama ace Jackie Traina to toss every WCWS pitch for a title-winning team.
On the other hand, Texas's four-pitcher bullpen game means sophomore ace Teagan Kavan — who threw just two outs on Thursday night — should be fresh and ready to test the Red Raiders in the final game of the 2025 NCAA softball season.
How to watch the 2025 WCWS championship game
The decisive Game 3 of the 2025 WCWS championship series will take the field in Oklahoma City at 8 PM ET on Friday, with live coverage on ESPN.
Texas softball took Game 1 of the 2025 Women's College World Series (WCWS) championship series by topping in-state rivals Texas Tech 2-1 on Wednesday night, putting the Longhorns just one win away from clinching a program-first national championship.
"It's tight, especially when you're facing a good pitcher," said Texas catcher Reese Atwood, who delivered the game-winning hit. "Any momentum, any energy, we'll take it."
After a controversial obstruction call gifted Texas Tech a 1-0 lead in the top of the fifth, a rare misstep from Red Raiders ace NiJaree Canady gave Texas the daylight they needed to pull ahead.
With two Longhorns in scoring position and Atwood — the nation's RBI leader — stepping to the plate, Texas Tech head coach Gerry Glasco decided to take advantage of the vacant first base by instructing Canady to intentionally walk Atwood.
Noticing that Canady's intentional balls were dangerously close to the strike zone, Atwood capitalized, launching a game-winning two-run single on a 3-0 count — her first hit of the WCWS.
"Maybe it was the wrong decision. Maybe we should've went at her," said Glasco following the loss.
With up to two games left to play, the 2025 WCWS has already been a huge hit, averaging 1.1 million viewers on ESPN before the championship series even began — the network's highest pre-finals viewership on record.
While this year's NCAA tournament chases even more viewership history, Texas Tech will be hunting a Game 2 win to keep their championship dreams alive.
How to watch Game 2 of the 2025 WCWS championship series
The Red Raiders and Longhorns will square off again at 8 PM ET in Thursday's Game 2 of the best-of-three series, airing live on ESPN.
The Lone Star State is now ruling the 2025 Women's College World Series (WCWS), with the Texas Longhorns and Texas Tech Red Raiders taking the NCAA softball field for the national tournament's best-of-three championship series for the first time on Wednesday night.
No. 6-seed Texas reached the final round with a 2-0 semifinal win over SEC foe No. 7 Tennessee on Monday, while No. 12 Texas Tech denied defending champion Oklahoma a chance to extend their historic record, ending the No. 2 seed's hunt for a fifth straight NCAA title with a dramatic 3-2 semifinal ousting.
Pitching will take center stage throughout the championship series, as the regional rivals each boast a stellar ace in the circle in Texas Tech transfer junior and this season's National Pitcher of the Year NiJaree Canady and Texas star sophomore Teagan Kavan.
Texas packs experience against Cinderella Texas Tech
While both programs are searching for their first-ever national championship, the more experienced Longhorns have the edge entering this week's competition.
This year marks Texas's eighth overall trip to the WCWS and the Longhorns' third championship series appearance in the last four years, having fallen to Oklahoma in both 2022 and 2024.
Meanwhile, Texas Tech is still blazing trails through brand-new territory, adding a WCWS finals debut to an already-historic 2025 run that included the Red Raiders' first Super Regional appearance and win, and first-ever WCWS berth.
The Longhorns also own this season's head-to-head record over the Red Raiders, snagging two wins over Texas Tech in February.
However, while Kavan threw both those games, including an 11-0 run-rule victory, Canady only featured in one — a narrow 2-1 extra-inning Texas Tech loss in which the deciding run crossed on a throwing error.
Though the Red Raiders are technically the underdogs of this week's championship series, the likely pitchers' duel between Canady and Kavan means that the 2025 WCWS title is anyone's for the taking.
How to watch the 2025 WCWS championship series
The best-of-three 2025 WCWS championship series between Texas and Texas Tech starts on Wednesday, with Game 2 set for Thursday and, if necessary, a winner-take-all final tilt on deck for Friday.
All of the 2025 WCWS championship series clashes will begin at 8 PM ET, airing live on ESPN.
The Sooners' hunt for a fifth straight NCAA softball title is officially over, as No. 12-seed Texas Tech ousted No. 2-seed Oklahoma 3-2 in Monday's 2025 semifinals to book a trip to their first-ever Women's College World Series (WCWS) finals.
With a total of eight national championships under their belt, this year's WCWS marks Oklahoma's earliest exit since 2018.
Calling it "a great privilege" to play the modern dynasty that is Oklahoma softball, Red Raiders head coach Gerry Glasco said "This was our chance at forever — to leave a legacy at Texas Tech that will be remembered forever. Our team has done that. They've left a legacy."
Seventh-inning heroics end in dramatic Texas Tech victory
Prior to this season, the Red Raiders had never advanced out of the Regional round in their six previous appearances in the NCAA tournament.
With the addition of Stanford transfer and 2025 National Pitcher of the Year NiJaree Canady — college softball's first $1 million player — Texas Tech has put together a magical run all the way to this week's best-of-three championship series.
Canady's seven-inning showing on Monday nearly clinched the Red Raiders win, as the ace protected Texas Tech's second-inning 2-0 lead until the game's final frame.
Down to their last strike, junior outfielder Abigale Dayton played hero for the Sooners, blasting a two-run homer to tie the score and keep Oklahoma's hopes alive in the top of the seventh.
The bottom of the inning, however, was all Texas Tech, as Raiders first baseman Lauren Allred popped up a deep-enough sacrifice fly to score junior centerfielder Mihyia Davis from third, walking off the 3-2 win.
"Honestly, it was a very cinematic way to go out," Oklahoma first baseman Cydney Sanders — one of just three seniors on the young 2025 Sooners' squad — said of Monday night's late-inning WCWS dramatics.
2025 WCWS will crown a first-ever national champion
This week's championship series, which kicks off on Wednesday night, will now be an all-Texas affair, after the No. 6-seed Texas Longhorns also advanced with a 2-0 Monday win over No. 7-seed Tennessee.
Not only will the 2025 NCAA trophy be heading to the Lone Star State, this year's tournament will also crown a first-time victor: Despite their seven previous WCWS appearances and a now-third trip to the championship series in the last four years, the Longhorns — like the Red Raiders — have yet to hoist softball's national hardware.
The 2025 Women's College World Series begins today, with the sport's most prestigious organizations taking advantage of this week's NCAA softball spotlight to bestow awards on the season's top athletes.
Arkansas first baseman Bri Ellis earned USA Softball's 2025 Collegiate Player of the Year title on Tuesday, with the senior beating out a shortlist that included Nebraska pitcher Jordy Bahl and Texas Tech ace NiJaree Canady — who won the award in her 2024 sophomore season.
A menace at the plate, Ellis led the NCAA in on-base (.639) and slugging percentages (1.090). She finished the year with 26 home runs — the third-most in the nation — while racking up 72 RBIs, both setting single-season records for the Razorbacks.
Wednesday saw both Bahl and Canady take home hardware of their own, with the National Fastpitch Coaches Association naming the Nebraska redshirt junior their 2025 National Player of the Year while the Texas Tech transfer snagged Pitcher of the Year for the second straight season.
A two-time national champion with Oklahoma before transferring to the Cornhuskers, Bahl is the only player to rank in the Top 10 for both batting average and ERA, claiming multiple program records at the plate while tossing 26 wins from the circle. This season, she became just the fifth Division I athlete to ever record 20+ wins and 20+ home runs in a single campaign.
Another two-way titan, Canady leads the nation with a lights-out 0.89 ERA on the season, allowing a Division I-low of 3.65 hits per seven innings while leading the Red Raiders in long-ball production with 11 home runs.
How to watch the winners of the 2025 college softball awards
Despite their individual achievements, only Canady's Texas Tech survived last weekend's Super Regionals, meaning fans must wait until the 2026 NCAA season to catch rising Nebraska senior Bahl back in action.
It's a shorter wait to watch Ellis, however, as the Arkansas grad will begin her pro career with the Talons in the brand-new Athletes Unlimited Softball League, which starts its inaugural season on June 7th.
As for Canady, she'll look to take the Red Raiders on a deep run in Oklahoma City. No. 12-seed Texas Tech will face unseeded Ole Miss in both teams' first-ever WCWS game at 7 PM ET on Thursday, airing live on ESPN2.