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Why did NiJaree Canady enter transfer portal? Postseason aspirations among reasons for Stanford star’s departure
Author Photo
David Suggs
06-17-2024
•
6 min read
NiJaree Canady
(Getty Images)
College softball’s transfer portal absorbed a celestial object on Monday as news broke that Stanford pitcher NiJaree Canady was officially departing the Cardinal for pastures anew. Topeka television station KSNT had previously reported Canady’s plans to enter the portal.

Canady, the reigning USA Softball Player of the Year, just put the finishing touches on a fruitful campaign that saw her take the mantle as college softball’s most fearsome flamethrower. With two years left of eligibility, she figures to be the most sought-after player in an already stacked class of transfers.

So, just what compelled Canady to take her talents elsewhere? The Sporting News details the factors that could have played a role in Canady’s impending Stanford exit.

MORE: How NiJaree Canady’s pitch speed compares to Monica Abbott’s NCAA softball record

Who is NiJaree Canady?
A Topeka, Kan. native, Canady is the best pitcher in college softball. A 2022 graduate of Topeka High School, she earned two Kansas Softball Gatorade Player of the Year awards during her prep years. She also led her beloved Trojans to back-to-back state titles in softball in 2021 and 2022, the former of which was the first ever for the program.

According to her Stanford bio, Canady had an astounding 0.26 ERA as a high school junior, adding 232 strikeouts across 107.2 innings pitched. She also excelled at the plate, batting .478 on the season with 13 home runs. As a senior, she enjoyed a 0.82 ERA with 163 strikeouts over 74.2 innings pitched and hit .530 with 42 RBIs.

She was not only ranked the No. 11 recruit according to Extra Innings Softball, but she was also a four-star forward in basketball, per ESPN.

Her impressive play continued at the collegiate level with the Cardinal. In her maiden year in college, Canady captured Freshman of the Year honors and was named to the All-Pac-12 first team. As a sophomore, she did one better, taking home first-team All-American honors after striking out 337 in 230.1 innings.

Why did NiJaree Canady enter the transfer portal?
Arguably college softball’s greatest talent, Canady has the softball world in the palm of her hand. Although the Cardinal offered her a taste of the high life in the sport — Stanford nabbed back-to-back Women’s College World Series appearances during her time with the program — they couldn’t quite break that glass ceiling to become true national contenders, a la fellow powerhouses Oklahoma, Texas, and Florida.

Canady certainly wasn’t to blame. Last year she pitched 26 innings across four WCWS games. In that span, she surrendered just five earned runs. However, she wasn’t given a whole lot of run support. The Cardinal were shut out in two of their four WCWS matchups.

Compare that to the likes of OU and UF, and it’s easy to see why Canady might think the grass would be greener elsewhere. She’s as quality of an arm as there is in the college game, approaching Monica Abbott’s record with a rise ball that touches 75 mph consistently.

“I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever seen (a rise ball) like hers in my whole life,” said Stanford pitching coach Tori Nyberg, per The Athletic. “Monica Abbott is in a class of her own, but in terms of the velocity, [Canady] is the only person I can think to compare to hers.”

That rise ball was formative to Canady’s pitching excellence in 2024. Armed with an arm touched by the heavens, she’ll have plenty of suitors, many of whom have a more tangible history of WCWS success.

There’s no doubt that Canady’s transfer will have major ramifications on an already retooling Stanford side. That’s not the only change the Cardinal are undergoing, either. They’ll also have to get ready for a gaudy ACC slate in 2025.

Nevertheless, Canady gave them two memorable campaigns, one of which could be considered among the greatest sophomore seasons in college softball history.

NiJaree Canady landing spots
Canady will have the pick of the litter when it comes to determining her future home. However, a few potential suitors stick out more than most:

Oklahoma Sooners
The Sooners have to be considered Canady’s top option, mostly because of what they can offer her. No team is more adept at winning games than OU. Patty Gasso’s side has hoisted four-straight national titles, doing so even as the roster has become a collage of new and old faces.

If it’s winning Canady wants, no one is better than OU. With Kelly Maxwell graduating, the Sooners also need a top-notch arm to fill her void in the rotation. Canady certainly has the pedigree to take center stage, even in one of the nation’s best rotations.

Texas Longhorns
Much like Oklahoma, Texas fancies itself a perennial title contender.

Can you blame it? It was the Longhorns, not the Sooners, that entered the tournament as the top-ranked program in the nation.

Texas wasn’t lacking in pitching dynamism in 2024. It recorded the 12th-best team ERA in the nation (2.06). Still, reinforcements will be needed, especially if the ‘Horns want to surpass their Big 12 rivals. Perhaps Canady could help them reach that next level.

Florida Gators
Fresh off the back of an appearance in the WCWS final, it’s a time for optimism in Florida softball’s camp. Reagan Rothrock is a star in the making, Mia Williams figures to carry a more substantive role in the lineup going forward, and Jocelyn Erickson still has two years of eligibility.

What better way to crystallize this potential than securing the services of the best pitcher in softball?

The prospect of possessing Rothrock and Canady as a 1-2 is more than enticing. These two are artisans capable of logging big innings and coaxing bigger whiffs. The world of college softball would certainly be appreciative if Canady were to join forces with another one of softball’s best young talents.

NiJaree Canady stats
Year W-L ERA SO APP CG (GS) Saves IP H R (ER)
2023 17-3 0.58 214 32 10 (24) 3 135.0 64 13 (11)
2024 24-7 0.73 337 37 24 (29) 5 230.2 116 37 (24)
Author(s)
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David Suggs
David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News.

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Stanford’s NiJaree Canady intends to enter the transfer portal per reports

John Williams follow
June 15, 2024 8:45 pm CT
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One of the biggest names in the sport of softball is on the move. According to multiple reports, Stanford’s NiJaree Canady is expected to be in the transfer portal.

According to Landon Reinhardt of NBC News outlet KSNT in Topeka, Kan., Canady will enter the transfer portal.

A source in the Canady family tells 27 News that the Stanford Cardinal and Topeka High grad will enter the transfer portal. – Reinhardt, KSNT

WIBW’s Vince Lovergine is also reporting that Canady is in the transfer portal.

This is arguably the most notable player to hit the portal in the modern transfer era. She’s been the best pitcher in the sport the last two years, carrying Stanford to the Women’s College World Series in both seasons.

Both in 2023 and 2024, the Cardinal’s two losses came to the No. 1 team in the tournament. In 2023, it was the Oklahoma Sooners who knocked off Canady and the Cardinal in the WCWS. In 2024 it was Texas who handed Stanford both losses in Oklahoma City. This year, the lack of run support from the Cardinal lineup was glaring. Texas held Stanford scoreless in both games.

Canady was special in elimination games for Stanford this postseason. After dropping the opener to LSU in the super regionals, she shutout the Tigers shut out Oklahoma State and beat UCLA in elimination games.

In 2024, Canady was named USA Softball’s National Player of the Year. She led the nation with 337 strikeouts and a 0.73 ERA and was 24-7 for Stanford. She allowed just 44 walks. She held opponents to a .147 opponent’s batting average and a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 0.69.

This is a landscape-changing transfer portal entry. Canady is arguably the best player in softball and with two years left of eligibility, the program that earns her commitment will become a shoe-in for the Women’s College World Series and potentially the team to beat in 2025.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

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