Texas Tech University Athletics
Canady, Terry tabbed to USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 25 Watchlist
April 29, 2026 | Softball
Canady named to the top 25 for fourth consecutive season
LUBBOCK, Texas – USA Softball announced its 25 finalists for the 2026 Collegiate Player of the Year. This honor is given to the best player during the 2026 season and is announced prior to the Women's College World Series which will begin on May 28th this year.
Texas Tech is represented by two athletes for the first time in program history in senior pitcher NiJaree Canady and junior two-way Kaitlyn Terry. This is the fourth consecutive year that Canady has been named to the top 25 and the first season for Terry.
Canady's longevity and dominance in the circle speaks for itself. She is one of just two active players with 1,000 career strikeouts and the only active player to have at least 95 wins and 1,000 strikeouts. So far this year, Canady is 20-3 in the circle with a 1.38 ERA and 179 strikeouts over 127.0 innings pitches. She has thrown 11 complete games and has two saves to her credit while batters are hitting just .139 against the two-time NFCA Pitcher of the Year.
Terry has taken a massive leap in her junior season. The Glendale, Arizona native has put the nation on notice, not just with her pitching but with her hitting this year. Terry is 20-1 in the circle, the third straight season with 20+ wins, and leads the Red Raiders with a .489 batting average. The lefty boasts a 1.48 ERA with 125 strikeouts to just 39 walks in 104.0 innings pitched and has recorded more extra-base hits (24) than she's given up (21). Terry has 10 home runs and 50 RBI to go along with a 1.405 OPS and 10 stolen bases.
The full list of players can be found here.
UP NEXT: No. 2/4 Red Raiders will host Baylor this weekend starting on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Tracy Sellers Field.
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Texas Tech is represented by two athletes for the first time in program history in senior pitcher NiJaree Canady and junior two-way Kaitlyn Terry. This is the fourth consecutive year that Canady has been named to the top 25 and the first season for Terry.
Canady's longevity and dominance in the circle speaks for itself. She is one of just two active players with 1,000 career strikeouts and the only active player to have at least 95 wins and 1,000 strikeouts. So far this year, Canady is 20-3 in the circle with a 1.38 ERA and 179 strikeouts over 127.0 innings pitches. She has thrown 11 complete games and has two saves to her credit while batters are hitting just .139 against the two-time NFCA Pitcher of the Year.
Terry has taken a massive leap in her junior season. The Glendale, Arizona native has put the nation on notice, not just with her pitching but with her hitting this year. Terry is 20-1 in the circle, the third straight season with 20+ wins, and leads the Red Raiders with a .489 batting average. The lefty boasts a 1.48 ERA with 125 strikeouts to just 39 walks in 104.0 innings pitched and has recorded more extra-base hits (24) than she's given up (21). Terry has 10 home runs and 50 RBI to go along with a 1.405 OPS and 10 stolen bases.
The full list of players can be found here.
UP NEXT: No. 2/4 Red Raiders will host Baylor this weekend starting on Thursday at 6 p.m. at Tracy Sellers Field.
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Players Mentioned
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