Texas softball one win from repeat title, NiJaree Canady stands in the way

OKLAHOMA CITY — Texas softball is waking up one game closer to another national championship. Between the Longhorns and glory is Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady. Tonight, she’ll be standing in the circle, trying to tamp down the Longhorns’ efforts in a familiar spot.

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Canady threw just 1.1 innings during game one of the Women’s College World Series championship series, allowing two hits and a run to the Longhorns. While her short time in the circle led to some fans questioning if Canady still has the dominating fire, TTU head coach Gerry Glasco explained that taking her back to the dugout was a strategic decision, not a punishment.

“We’ve got two games,” Glasco said. “I didn’t feel like I could leave (Canady) out there and let them look at her.”

Last year, when the two teams faced each other in the championship series, Glasco left Canady in the circle for six innings in the first game and then followed that up by marching her out to throw a complete game two in what was the Red Raiders’ only victory in the three-game set.

It seemed like the Longhorns figured out Canady’s tendencies by the time she was standing in the middle of the diamond for the third straight game. After just one inning, Texas had put up five earned runs on five hits on its way to a 10-4 victory and the program’s first national championship.

The Longhorns look to stand in the way of redemption for Canady and earn a second consecutive national title.

Texas’ offense was electric against TTU pitchers Canady and Kaitlyn Terry on Wednesday. Despite surrendering no walks, the two allowed Texas to score five of the Horns’ seven runs and harness early momentum.

To get on the board first, Texas infielder Katie Stewart launched a two-run bomb off Terry up and over the outfield bleachers. In 2025, Stewart managed only three hits against Texas Tech and none of them left the park.

The blast from Stewart was evidence of how different this Texas lineup looks from the one Canady previously faced. Last year, the first two games were low-scoring, and the teams were only separated by a single run. The 7-3 victory Texas pulled off last night was a statement.

“(We’re just going to) keep the foot on the gas,” Stewart said. “It’s not going to come easy, they’re going to come back fighting harder than ever, and so just making sure we’re on the attack first inning through seventh inning.”

Texas’ first victory last year was a 2-1 nail-biter, and game two didn’t give fans any reprieve from the stress with Tech evening the series in a 4-3 game. Last night’s game was much different.

The Longhorn batting order was hot, and while a few of the hits came from the usual suspects, Texas used freshmen and veterans alike to earn the W. The bottom of the order drove in three runs, with one RBI from left fielder Kaiah Altmeyer and a pair of RBI from right fielder Ashton Maloney.

With nearly every batter’s barrel finding a ball, Texas Tech needs to go back to the drawing board if it wants any chance at beating this Texas team and extending the championship series. Canady figures to be a big part of that resulting picture.

“You hope they’re resilient this time of year, and you know where you’re facing an offense like Texas, it’s going to be tough,” Glasco said. 

The balance between explosive offense and dependable pitching has become a formula behind Texas’ postseason success — and the Horns were dealing last night. The Longhorns had Tech right where they wanted them.

“The game plan was to make them switch a lot of pitchers, because if we’re doing that, it means we’re hitting them,” White said. “We can’t control what they’re going to do, we can just control how we respond.”

The Longhorns had to face three different pitchers: Terry, Canady, and Samantha Lincoln. While Lincoln was the less experienced player in the circle, only clocking 71.1 innings pitched this season, she kept the margin within reach for TTU and prevented White from being comfortable enough to sub in his No. 2 pitcher and rest Teagan Kavan’s arm. That said, the Longhorns still scored two earned runs against Lincoln, including an important sixth-inning insurance run driven in by Vivi Martinez.

The Red Raiders are going to rely on their ace to change the story, but the Longhorns aim to write a compelling sequel with a wider cast of characters and bring home the title.