NiJaree Canady changed more than just Texas Tech softball | Giese
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OKLAHOMA CITY — It won't be long before NiJaree Canady is back in OKC, if she leaves town at all.
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The Texas Volts, who selected Canady with the No. 2 pick in this year's AUSL draft, open their season here a few days from now at Tom Heath Field, a short eight-mile drive from Devon Park. And she'll be back at the site of the Women's College World Series in short order, the Summer Olympics being held here in two year's time.
This is not the end of Canady's story, and it was never intended to be that way. Long before she arrived at Texas Tech, Canady envisioned herself with a gold medal around her neck, representing the United States in the sport of softball, a game she didn't even dedicate herself to until big colleges came calling for her services.
Since then, Canady has put together one of the greatest lists of achievements possible. Conference and national player of the year awards. All-American team after All-American team. Considered the best pitcher the country has had to offer for three consecutive years (at least). Blazing a trail for little girls who want to be the next NiJa.
All that Canady has achieved in her four years of college will be commemorated with hall of fame inductions in short order. Maybe even a statue outside of Tracy Sellers Field. The one thing that won't be included in those accolades, though, is a national championship.
Sometimes the best players, or the best teams, don't get to hoist the trophy or find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Sports are a cruel mistress that can deliver the most beautiful moments and crushing devastation in such quick succession that it necessitates a visit to a chiropractor to diagnose whiplash.
What Canady has done is something few people could dream of, little of it having to do with what she did on the softball field.
For as much attention the NIL deal that got Canady to Texas Tech has gotten over the past 24 months, most can see what it truly represented: hope. Women can make the same sort of money as men do, even in sports that are still fighting for their spot in line. Players of all ages have gravitated toward Canady the person, the businesswoman, as much as they have the player.
Canady would like nothing more than to say she went out on top, that everything she dreamed of with the Red Raiders had gotten done. That includes claiming just the fourth national title in Texas Tech school history. It wasn't meant to be, a reality she and everyone else, unfortunately, has to accept.
There's a long line of amazing players to never win a title. Charles Barkley is often the first name that comes up. So do Dan Marino, Randy Moss and Allen Iverson. All four broke new ground in their respective fields, are considered the cream of the crop at what they did and remembered as the legends they were. Canady joins that list, one nobody ever wants to be on.
Truth is, Canady's lack of a national championship is a footnote, or at least it should be. She didn't just change the way people think about Texas Tech softball, or the sport in general. Canady changed lives, including mine.
If you had told me in June 2024 that I would be dedicating much of my life to college softball, I would have scoffed. But here we are, now in my fourth full week in Oklahoma City in the last 13 months to cover the Red Raiders' pursuit of a national championship. Softball wasn't a sport that registered with me much before, outside of the high school games I'd cover. Now it's one of my favorites to cover, even to watch without the Red Raiders being involved.
In the time since Canady joined the Red Raiders, I've written some of my favorite stories (some of which have earned modest recognition) about her and the world she encompasses; about her teammates and coaches; about the sport at large.
My entire career has changed because Canady came to Lubbock. A sport that was a distant thought came front of mind in the instant she signed with the Red Raiders. The spring is no longer just what comes after basketball ends. It's now the start of what has become an annual retreat to OKC.
Just before making the trek to the WCWS, I'd gotten into the hobby of collecting trading cards. I focus on very specific people, though: athletes who I know personally, went to school with or have covered professionally in a direct capacity. The 10-plus day stay in OKC has allowed ample time to hit different card shops throughout the city to extend my collection.
I've been able to secure prime cards of guys like Darrion Williams (who, despite transferring to NC State last year, made the trip to the WCWS to support the Red Raiders), Plainview legend Michael Egnew and plenty of others. The biggest find, out in a little shop in Edmond that sells mostly Pokemon, was a numbered autographed memorabilia rookie card of Nate Wolters, the South Dakota State basketball legend I had the honor of spending hours rebounding for (even crashing on his couch during Christmas break my freshman year) and watching up close during my time as a student manager.
Finding that card in the wild meant little to the shop owner who pulled it out of the case. To me, it was everything. Few have meant more to my love of basketball than Wolters, who is one of the reasons I stuck around as a manager beyond his time at SDSU. I got weirdly emotional seeing it, and gladly paid the reasonable $15 for something that, for me, is worth millions.
I don't know if the AUSL has a trading card deal. If they do, I'd gladly fork over a nice chunk of change for a similar card of Canady. She occupies a rare space in my life, someone who has shaped what it is today by simply being herself. The same can be said of what Canady has done for the sport, for the people (children and adults alike) who bought her jersey, made signs and cheered her on in her pursuit of greatness.
There will be plenty of others who share this sentiment, but allow me to throw my hat in the ring: thank you, NiJaree Canady. For everything.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Why NiJaree Canady's impact on Texas Tech softball goes beyond titles