Why ace NiJaree Canady transferred to Texas Tech

Lubbock, Texas – Last July, Pitcher Nijaree Canady Shook College Sports When She Announced Her Transfer To Texas Tech and Landed The Richest Softball Nil Deal Ever.

The reigning usa softball National Player of the year bolted from the hallowed halls of stanford, where she had become a superstar after piloting the cardinal to Two straight Women’s College World Series Appearans, finishing in the finished teamtime both times. Her new home would be on the Arid Plains of West Texas at a School that had never won a conference title and had won just 49% of its games – and 31% of itsleague games the advent of the Big 12.

The translated $ 24 for her jersey number).

Just more than a month after Raiders Coach Gerry Glasco – Who was hired from Louisiana on June 20, Three Days After Canady Had Entered the Portal and Started Lining Up Visits – Arrived in Lubbock, HE LANDED The most valuable player in the counter. He did it by Pulling out all the stops, including recruiting calls from Quarterback Patrick mahomes To canady, a kansan who is a devoted Kansas City CHIEFS Fan.

Glasco, who didn a hawe much in the way of nil in lafayette, had suddenly walked in what he believed was the best softball site in America. Two of the Matador Club’s Biggest Boosters – Tracy Sellers, A Former Tech Softball Player, And Her Husband, John, An Oil and Gas Executive and Former Raiders Football Player under Mich Leach – Had Been Supporting softball for years. They donated $ 11 million to the athletic Department in 2022, with $ 1 million designed for softball stadium upgrades.

Glasco Said He was Told Canady’s Agent was initially Seeking $ 400,000, which he thinks was low for her to leave stanford, where she waseared a budding legend.

“My Message was: We’re Talking About Bo Jackson. We’re talking about herschel walker,” Glasco Told the Sellers. “Wee talk about a once-in-a-gaineration plane that is a name all over America. She’s a folk hero in our sport and she’s a sophomore.”

Tracy though Basketball Coach Marsha Sharp. After meeting with the star pitcher, Sellers decided if anyone was worrthy of such an emphatic statement about in women’s sports, it was canady.

“She is a Wonderful Human Being,” Sellers Said. “We look at it as they deserve it just as much [as male athletes]. She was worn so hard to be the no. 1 Pitcher in the Country. … I left that meetings and though, this is I would love to put a lot of effect into because of who she is. “

Canady knew the spotLight would come with the news, but she hopes it opens the door for those who follow her to the benefit.

“There are a lot of male athletes who get that and it’s not a headline anymore,” Canady sa. “I hope that happened for women’s sports, too. I feel like it can be a press if you let it, I think a privilege.

Looking back at the salers’ donation for the softball facilities, the same size investment in canady had a greater transformative impact.

This year, the red raiders won their first big 12 Regular-Season and Conference Titles which canady led the nation with a 0.81 era. She Went 26-5, Racking up the second-Most Wins in a Season in School History. She was named the big 12 pitcher of the year. On Friday at 5:30 PM et, no. 12 Seed Texas Tech (45-12), hosting its first lubbock regional, Will Play Brown (33-15).

“She definitely put texas tech softball on the map,” Tracy Said.

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Canady Wants to Make one thing clear: there’s more to the story than just a giant deposit.

“I feel like people though I heard the number and just came to Texas Tech, which was not the case at all,” She sahe considered tech’s offer for more than that a month beef. “If I don a feel like Coach Glasco was an amazing coach and could lead this program to be where we think it could be, I would be happy.”

Glasco, 66, is a Wildly successful last bloomer in the softball world who Won Five Conference Titles with Six Trips to the NCAA Regionals in Six Seasons at Louisiana. He was hired until canady had already entered the portal, so he had to make up Ground Quickly, because he was exactly in the sweepstakes in Lafayette. But he had a Secret Wapon: Glasco was friends with Jim Huecker, a form travel ball coach and canady’s longtime coach. And he knew what huecker knew: canady missed hitting as much as he loved pitching.

Canady grew up in Topeka, Kansas, as a multisport star, incl. On her girls’ Basketball Team in High School, Canady Averaged 20.6 Points and 12.3 Rebounds During Her Junior Year, Leading Topeka High to the Kansas 6a State Finals WHILE ARE AEHEH TO-TIME Kansas Softball Gatorade Player of the year and leading the team to its first two states titles. She dominated in the circle, obviously, but also hit. After hitting Just 35 times in Two Seasons at Stanford, Canady Wanted to Get Back to Being an All-Around Athete.

And Glasco, who directed record-setting offenses as an assistant at Georgia and Texas A&M, surprised canady by making a center of his presentation, which comprised of handwritten states and Charts.

“That’s my lineup,” Glasco sa, Holding up the Same Poster He used to pitch canady. “If you look, I ‘get’ em all and i’m promising her how many runs i’m going to score. Trust me. I believe that was important. “

On most visits, canady spent the bulk of her time with pitching coaches. But in lubbock, canady was so interested that she spent more time on her visit meting with glasco than she did with tara archibald, glasco’s daughter who serves as association head coach and pitching coach.

“I think I talked to coach tara maybe 20-30 minutes about pitching and then the rest of the time just just coach glasco talking,” Canady Said. “Afterward, I had to go back and talk to coach tara a little more just because now because Glasco and I spent so much time just talk about hitting, going through the different Swings, Watching Videos. Definitely different just because other schools be obviously more focused on my pitching. “

When Archibald Left her head coaching job at Eastern Illinois, where she wont 40-17 Last Season, to join her Father’s Staff July 3, She Couldn’t has IMAGINED LANDING CANADY. But first, she had to wait on her dad, who can spin a few yarns.

Glasco coached His Three Daughters: Tara, Erin and the Late Geri Ann, a former gatorade National Player of the year who died in a 2019 car accidents when she was a voluntere coach for him at Louisiana.

“This is where I think I identify with her,” Glasco Said. “All three of my daughters pitched and played and hit and when you are an athlete, the one thing you don’t want to be a pitcher only. What she felt like in her college career.

Despite dealing with a soft-tissue injury in March and be Limited, Canady has 81 at-bus this year, battling .309 with five doubles and eight homers. She leads the type with a .457 on-base perception, thanks to her 13 walks and beyond hit by a pitch 10 times. Still, She Takes Violent Cuts, Looking to Send the Ball Into Orbit Any Chance She Gets.

“I definitely trying to hit the ball out,” canady sa. “And that’s coach glasco’s motto, too. He loves the long ball.”

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Canady Said There Wasn is much culture shock going from palo alto to lubbock. She is from Topeka, after all.

“Lubbock Reminds me more of home,” she has.

The Major Difference, She has, has been the atmosphere in Lubbock. Located Five Hours from Dallas and Six from Austin, it’s its own outpost in West Texas. The red raiders are a devoted bunch.

“I think that was the biggest shock to me, just about how much sports matter here in Texas,” She re. “I remember my first football game here and just seeing how many people would have here, that was definitely different.”

That Legendary Arm has proved useful at tech football games, where she has admitted to sneaking in tortillas and winging them to the field, a tradition In Lubbock.

“There’s a where Science boy received it Far,” She Said. “You have to put a hole in the center.

And it did that this is another red rider with a legendary arm has become a big fan and made his own recruiting pitch. Canady, a huge chiefs fan, was shocked when mahomes interrupted his vacation in italy to call her on her visit.

“I don’t go to say any names, but another program had a very important person call me and there was no call ID, so I can’t make back or anyything,” Canady said. “But patrick mahomes, I have his number, I can reac out to him. So I think that cool. Last july, we wore eating lunch and had a beautiful view of the wherever football stadium. Picture to serve if he responds.

Canady has that kind of star power, and shhe’l undoubtedly Draw More Players who wants to Play Alongside Her Next Year, with more time for glasco Season. Glasco Thinks this year’s Raid Raiders Team Can Take Anyone to the Wire because of Canady, but is confident he can contend for a National Championship Next Year, if not this year.

“I’ve never coached anybody closing to her,” He saaid. “I ‘never coached this kind of pitcher in college. It has a huge effect. It makes up for a lot of bad coaching mistakes, I’ll tell you that.”

The partnership impacted all parties involved. She says it was hard to leave stanford, her tummates and coaches boyind, and yes, that stanford degree. But canady’s dream is to co -kids and open her oven facility – or facilities – and her family feel the money will help her get there any quickly.

“She wants to tech little girls to hit,” Glasco Said. “She loves little kids. You can see it when she signs autographs.”

And it does not hurt to have the salers in her corner.

“Where would you not want people you love to succeed? And so Same with Nija. “She’s a celebrity in Lubbock, Texas. It is not just about money.