Reaching the Women's College World Series is one of the most difficult achievements in college softball, with only eight teams from a 64-team NCAA tournament advancing to Oklahoma City each season.
NiJaree Canady has made it look routine.
She has reached Devon Park in each of her four college seasons, leading Stanford and Texas Tech to two WCWS appearances each.
Her dominance in the circle has not only translated into wins and strikeouts but has also reshaped the sport's economics.
Canady became college softball's first million-dollar arm in the NIL era when she transferred to Texas Tech last season.
Canady admitted it took time to accept that role.
"It took a little bit to get there too, but now that it's my senior year, I think that's kind of a role I've started to accept," she told USA TODAY Sports last month.
"It's definitely been a whirlwind — I feel like that's the best way to describe it."
Career Journey
Canady began her career at Stanford and quickly emerged as one of the nation's top pitchers.
In her freshman season, she posted a 0.57 ERA with 218 strikeouts and only 21 walks in 135 innings, throwing two no-hitters.
She maintained an ERA below 1.00 in her sophomore year with a heavier workload, finishing with a 0.73 ERA and a 24-7 record in nearly 231 innings.
That performance earned her USA Softball Player of the Year honors.
After leading Stanford to back-to-back WCWS appearances, Canady entered the transfer portal.
The move sent shockwaves through the sport, driven largely by NIL considerations as Stanford appeared to lag behind in retaining top talent.
At Texas Tech, Canady helped coach Gerry Glasco put the Red Raiders on the map.
She single-handedly pitched Texas Tech to its first-ever WCWS and WCWS finals appearances last season while finishing as a finalist for Player of the Year.
This season, her workload decreased slightly with Kaitlyn Terry joining the rotation, but her efficiency remained high.
Canady enters the WCWS finals against No. 2 Texas after a complete-game shutout of No. 1 Alabama with six strikeouts.
Her career resume includes 104 wins, over 1,100 strikeouts, and a record as the first pitcher in WCWS history to throw multiple shutouts with multiple teams.
NIL Impact and Hitting Opportunity
Canady received a lucrative one-year, $1.05 million NIL contract to transfer from Stanford to Texas Tech.
But the decision was not solely financial; Texas Tech offered her the chance to hit, something she rarely did at Stanford.
Last season, she recorded a career-high 108 at-bats with the Red Raiders, batting . 278 with 11 home runs and 34 RBIs.
Her at-bats have decreased this season, with only 40 entering the WCWS finals.
Canady has signed two seven-figure NIL deals with Texas Tech.
Before Game 3 of the WCWS finals last season, she re-signed on another contract worth over $1 million for her senior year.
She recently became the third college player to sign an NIL deal with the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL).
Canady received one of the AUSL's "Golden Tickets" for its college draft and was selected by the Texas Volts with the No. 2 pick.
As her collegiate career concludes, Canady hopes to add "Women's College World Series national champion" to her list of accolades.
