Latest news with #PitcheroftheYear
New York Post
12 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Texas' Reese Atwood makes Texas Tech superstar NiJaree Canady pay on failed intentional walk
Texas Tech softball superstar NiJaree Canady is so good at throwing strikes that it cost the Red Raiders their game Wednesday night. The Red Raiders were just four outs away from securing a victory in Game 1 of the Women's College World Series Final — and Canady was having no issues mowing down Texas' order as the Longhorns still had a doughnut on the scoreboard in the 1-0 game. Then came the chaos. 3 NiJaree Canady and Texas Tech will now have to win two straight against Texas to win the WCWS. BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images With two runners on, Canady elected to intentionally walk Texas catcher Reese Atwood. But on what was supposed to be ball four, Canady left her pitch out over the plate, and Atwood made her pay for it as she knocked in both baserunners and the Longhorns took the lead. Texas Tech couldn't strike back in the top of the final inning, and Texas took Game 1. 3 Reese Atwood's wild single in the bottom of the sixth inning wound up giving Texas the win in Game 1. Brett Rojo-Imagn Images The mistake was a rare one for Canady, as she's widely considered the best pitcher in college softball. The Kansas native played her first two collegiate seasons at Stanford, where she compiled a 41-10 pitching record and posted just a 0.67 ERA. She racked up 555 strikeouts to just 65 walks. She won the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award last season, PAC-12 Pitcher of the Year, was a First Team All-American, and a two-time PAC-12 First-Teamer. Canady then elected to give up the possible Stanford degree and received a whopping $1 million in NIL from Texas Tech to try and take the program out of the 29-21 gutter it was in a year ago. 3 NiJaree Canady has been a dominant force for Texas Tech this season. Brett Rojo-Imagn Images This season, she led the nation with the only ERA under 1.00 and has guided the Red Raiders to a 59-13 record as they chase their first-ever national title. She's certainly accustomed to throwing strikes, which is what may have been her downfall. Atwood said postgame to ESPN's Holly Rowe that she noticed Canady's first pitch of the at-bat was in the zone — from there, she was hunting another to take a crack at. 'I knew I was gonna have to take a risk to do something for my team,' Atwood said. Atwood was hitless throughout the WCWS prior to the game-winner, making the intentional walk decision and the miscue all the more brutal for Canady and Texas Tech. The teams return to action Thursday when the Longhorns will have a chance to take the best-of-three series for the championship.
Fox Sports
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Texas Tech's NiJaree Canady faces toughest challenge yet after Game 1 heartbreak
Associated Press OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — NiJaree Canady has achieved almost everything since transferring to Texas Tech from Stanford and signing an NIL deal worth just over $1 million. She led the Red Raiders to three firsts — the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles and a berth in the Women's College World Series. She was the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's Pitcher of the Year for the second straight year and leads the nation in wins (33) and ERA (0.94). The only thing missing is a national championship and that goal will be the toughest to reach after she gave up a late lead in Game 1 of the best-of-three championship series to Texas on Wednesday. After the 2-1 loss, the Red Raiders must beat the Longhorns in two straight to win the national title. Canady, who threw 88 pitches in Game 1, is battling a soft tissue injury on her left leg suffered in the preseason that has severely limited her practice time. She still expects to be ready for Game 2 on Thursday. 'I'm fine,' a dejected Canady said. 'I have all summer to rest. I'm ready to play softball.' Canady lost the lead when she threw what was supposed be ball four and an intentional walk close enough for Texas' Reese Atwood to make contact. Atwood knocked in what turned out to be the game winning runs in the sixth inning, putting the Longhorns one win from their first national title. Atwood knew she was fortunate to get that pitch from Canady. 'Props to NiJa, because she definitely kept us real tight throughout that game,' she said. 'She's a great pitcher. I saw my opportunity and I took it.' Canady has thrown every pitch for the Red Raiders during the World Series, but Tech coach Gerry Glasco did not guarantee his ace would start on Thursday, saying he needs to watch out for her long-term health. Glasco said Canady is such a competitor that she might not be fully honest about her condition. 'If you know NiJa, she's not going to complain, she's not going to tell you,' he said. 'We'll have to really dig, and hopefully the trainer can get her to communicate enough that he'll get a good assessment. I want to win, but also I want to be sure we leave this season healthy for the future.' That being said, Glasco expects Canady to be ready. Her competitive drive is one of the reasons recruiting her was a priority when he became Tech's coach before this season. Canady has been on the hot seat before. She led Stanford to the national semifinals the previous two seasons and was the winning pitcher on Monday when Tech knocked out four-time defending national champion Oklahoma. 'As far as NiJa tomorrow, if you've got to pick a pitcher in America to come back and win two games in a row with — I'll take NiJa,' he said. 'If anybody can do what we need to do to come back, I'm thrilled to have NiJa do it.' ___ AP sports: recommended in this topic
San Francisco Chronicle
21 hours ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Texas Tech's NiJaree Canady faces toughest challenge yet after Game 1 heartbreak
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — NiJaree Canady has achieved almost everything since transferring to Texas Tech from Stanford and signing an NIL deal worth just over $1 million. She led the Red Raiders to three firsts — the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles and a berth in the Women's College World Series. She was the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's Pitcher of the Year for the second straight year and leads the nation in wins (33) and ERA (0.94). The only thing missing is a national championship and that goal will be the toughest to reach after she gave up a late lead in Game 1 of the best-of-three championship series to Texas on Wednesday. After the 2-1 loss, the Red Raiders must beat the Longhorns in two straight to win the national title. Canady, who threw 88 pitches in Game 1, is battling a soft tissue injury on her left leg suffered in the preseason that has severely limited her practice time. She still expects to be ready for Game 2 on Thursday. 'I'm fine,' a dejected Canady said. 'I have all summer to rest. I'm ready to play softball.' Canady lost the lead when she threw what was supposed be ball four and an intentional walk close enough for Texas' Reese Atwood to make contact. Atwood knocked in what turned out to be the game winning runs in the sixth inning, putting the Longhorns one win from their first national title. Atwood knew she was fortunate to get that pitch from Canady. 'Props to NiJa, because she definitely kept us real tight throughout that game,' she said. 'She's a great pitcher. I saw my opportunity and I took it.' Canady has thrown every pitch for the Red Raiders during the World Series, but Tech coach Gerry Glasco did not guarantee his ace would start on Thursday, saying he needs to watch out for her long-term health. Glasco said Canady is such a competitor that she might not be fully honest about her condition. 'If you know NiJa, she's not going to complain, she's not going to tell you,' he said. 'We'll have to really dig, and hopefully the trainer can get her to communicate enough that he'll get a good assessment. I want to win, but also I want to be sure we leave this season healthy for the future.' That being said, Glasco expects Canady to be ready. Her competitive drive is one of the reasons recruiting her was a priority when he became Tech's coach before this season. Canady has been on the hot seat before. She led Stanford to the national semifinals the previous two seasons and was the winning pitcher on Monday when Tech knocked out four-time defending national champion Oklahoma. 'As far as NiJa tomorrow, if you've got to pick a pitcher in America to come back and win two games in a row with — I'll take NiJa,' he said. 'If anybody can do what we need to do to come back, I'm thrilled to have NiJa do it.' ___
Winnipeg Free Press
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Texas Tech's NiJaree Canady faces toughest challenge yet after Game 1 heartbreak
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — NiJaree Canady has achieved almost everything since transferring to Texas Tech from Stanford and signing an NIL deal worth just over $1 million. She led the Red Raiders to three firsts — the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles and a berth in the Women's College World Series. She was the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's Pitcher of the Year for the second straight year and leads the nation in wins (33) and ERA (0.94). The only thing missing is a national championship and that goal will be the toughest to reach after she gave up a late lead in Game 1 of the best-of-three championship series to Texas on Wednesday. After the 2-1 loss, the Red Raiders must beat the Longhorns in two straight to win the national title. Canady, who threw 88 pitches in Game 1, is battling a soft tissue injury on her left leg suffered in the preseason that has severely limited her practice time. She still expects to be ready for Game 2 on Thursday. 'I'm fine,' a dejected Canady said. 'I have all summer to rest. I'm ready to play softball.' Canady lost the lead when she threw what was supposed be ball four and an intentional walk close enough for Texas' Reese Atwood to make contact. Atwood knocked in what turned out to be the game winning runs in the sixth inning, putting the Longhorns one win from their first national title. Atwood knew she was fortunate to get that pitch from Canady. 'Props to NiJa, because she definitely kept us real tight throughout that game,' she said. 'She's a great pitcher. I saw my opportunity and I took it.' Canady has thrown every pitch for the Red Raiders during the World Series, but Tech coach Gerry Glasco did not guarantee his ace would start on Thursday, saying he needs to watch out for her long-term health. Glasco said Canady is such a competitor that she might not be fully honest about her condition. 'If you know NiJa, she's not going to complain, she's not going to tell you,' he said. 'We'll have to really dig, and hopefully the trainer can get her to communicate enough that he'll get a good assessment. I want to win, but also I want to be sure we leave this season healthy for the future.' That being said, Glasco expects Canady to be ready. Her competitive drive is one of the reasons recruiting her was a priority when he became Tech's coach before this season. Canady has been on the hot seat before. She led Stanford to the national semifinals the previous two seasons and was the winning pitcher on Monday when Tech knocked out four-time defending national champion Oklahoma. 'As far as NiJa tomorrow, if you've got to pick a pitcher in America to come back and win two games in a row with — I'll take NiJa,' he said. 'If anybody can do what we need to do to come back, I'm thrilled to have NiJa do it.' ___ AP sports:
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dodgers Trade Idea Involves Acquiring Red Sox's Jarren Duran for Top Prospects
Dodgers Trade Idea Involves Acquiring Red Sox's Jarren Duran for Top Prospects originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Boston Red Sox are in a tailspin, dropping eight of their last 10 games. They look more like sellers than ever two months before the MLB trade deadline. With that in mind, Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer compiled the 10 best trade packages involving outfielder Jarren Duran. While the Seattle Mariners claimed the number one spot, the Los Angeles Dodgers finished in second place. Advertisement Rymer's trade package sees the Red Sox sending Duran to Los Angeles in exchange for catcher/outfielder Dalton Rushing (Dodgers No. 1 prospect), left-handed pitcher Jackson Ferris (Dodgers No. 5), and shortstop Emil Morales (Dodgers No. 6). Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran (16) slides into third base for a triple against the Seattle Mariners in the first inning at Fenway Butler II-Imagn Images Rymer points to the Dodgers' lackluster production in left field, an accumulative minus-0.5 rWAR, and a .672 OPS at the position as a reason to acquire Duran. The former All-Star outfielder would also slide in at the top of the Los Angeles lineup, provide power, and be an elite table-setter for reigning MVP Shohei Ohtani. Duran is also under team control until 2028, giving the Dodgers a core of Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, and Teoscar Hernandez through the 2027 season. Advertisement Sean McAdam of reported on Tuesday that Boston, although willing to field calls for Duran, is asking for close-to-MLB-ready pitching. Rymer's trade package meets their asking price. Headlined by Dalton Rushing, the key to the deal is left-hander Jackson Ferris. Although only at Double-A, Ferris is just 21 years old and the Dodgers' number one pitching prospect after earning the organization's Pitcher of the Year award in 2024, after placing third in the Minors among pitchers age 20 or younger with 145 strikeouts in 126 2/3 innings and finishing the season with a 2.54 ERA in seven Double-A starts. With a fastball sitting comfortably in the mid-90s and a four-pitch repertoire, it should take little time for Ferris to make his Major League debut. Advertisement Rounding out the return is 18-year-old shortstop Emil Morales, who possesses plus power but is not expected to reach the majors until 2029. On the downside, Rymer believes the Dodgers' desire for another outfielder is not a need but more of a want. Los Angeles is likely looking to improve their starting pitching with Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, and Roki Sasaki all on the injured list, and if a similar package can land a top-tier arm, they will jump at the chance. Boston also may not want to add Rushing, another left-handed hitter, to their lineup. The Red Sox would also need to find a position for him, and right now, Carlos Narvaez is cemented at catcher, and top prospect Roman Anthony would assume the absence left by Duran. Related: Dodgers Land Bo Bichette in Trade Idea After Dave Roberts Comments on Mookie Betts This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 4, 2025, where it first appeared.
