Texas Tech's NiJaree Canady is the best softball player in America, and she proved it again on Thursday evening by dominating No. 5 overall seed Florida State in the circle and on the mound as the Red Raiders took a 1-0 lead over the Seminoles in the Tallahassee Super Regional.
In the 3-0 win, Tech's first-ever win in a Super Regional, Canady struck out four hitters and walked only one. She didn't allow a runner to reach base until the fifth inning, and she only let one Seminole get into scoring position. That performance came despite the fact that she was dealing with the effects of a blister on the index finger on her pitching hand, an injury that cropped up during last weekend's Lubbock Regional.
Even more encouraging was the fact that Canady needed only 79 pitches to complete the shutout. That means she should be more than capable of making another start or two this weekend if needed, as the Red Raiders look to advance to the College Softball World Series.
At the plate, she showed that she is more than a one-dimensional player. In the top of the seventh, she belted an opposite-field homer to right to push her team's lead to 3-0 and give herself an insurance run heading into the final half inning of the night. It was Canady's third homer in four NCAA Tournament games in 2025.
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However, after the game, she was quick to give credit to her teammates.
"Honestly, when my team scored in the first inning, that felt really good," she said. "Whenever we can get ahead, I feel really good in the circle."
That first-inning run came via junior Mihyia Davis who singled to start the game and and scored on a double steal attempt in the first inning to get her team on the board first. That had to help settle the Red Raiders' nerves and set the tone for the evening.
In the fourth inning, Alana Johnson muscled a solo homer over the center-field wall to push the lead to 2-0. That came off of FSU ace Ashtyn Danley, who was 14-1 heading into the evening. Suffering only her second loss of the season, she tossed just 3.1 innings in defeat.
Texas Tech now heads into Friday looking for one more win to reach the World Series in Oklahoma City. They can earn that victory at 2 p.m. Central in a game that can be seen on ESPN2. If Canady is her usual dominant self, you have to like their chances.