Texas Tech's Canady, Terry Named Player of the Year Top 10 Finalists
NiJaree Canady and Kaitlyn Terry were both named to the Top 10 for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year on Wednesday, making Texas Tech one of only two programs in the country with multiple players still on the watch list alongside UCLA Bruins softball.
It marks the first time in program history that two Red Raiders have reached the Top 10 in the same season and the third time in Canady’s career she has advanced this far in voting.
The duo has been at the center of the best regular season in school history. Texas Tech enters postseason play at 52-6 overall after winning its second straight Big 12 regular season title and securing another NCAA Regional hosted in Lubbock.
Few teams nationally can match what Canady and Terry have done together in the circle.
Canady owns a 1.25 ERA this season, ranking among the top pitchers in the country while continuing to cement her place as one of the most dominant arms in college softball. The All-American right-hander also ranks among the nation’s leaders in strikeouts with 209 while averaging 10.0 strikeouts per seven innings. Her .79 WHIP ranks among the best in Division I as well.
Terry has matched Canady nearly step for step. The UCLA transfer carries a 1.30 ERA with 22 wins of her own and ranks just behind Canady nationally with a .81 WHIP. Together, the pair form one of the deepest one-two pitching combinations in the sport with both sitting inside the national top 10 in ERA and wins.
But Terry’s season has extended far beyond the circle.
The junior has emerged as one of the premier two-way players in the country, hitting .471 this season while adding 10 home runs and 52 RBIs. Earlier this year, Terry set a Texas Tech program record with a 24-game hitting streak and continues to rank among the national leaders in batting average.
The Red Raiders will open postseason play Friday in the 2026 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament when they host Marist Red Foxes at 3:30 p.m. in the Lubbock Regional. Ole Miss Rebels and Boston University Terriers round out the regional field.
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