SHOCKER IN OKC: Newly Re‑Millioned NiJaree Canady Hurls Texas Tech Past Texas, 4‑3, Forcing a Winner‑Take‑All WCWS Game 3

Oklahoma City—For the second straight week, NiJaree Canady’s name and the phrase “one‑million‑dollar deal” appeared in the same sentence. Tonight, the payday came with interest. Less than 72 hours after finalizing her second seven‑figure NIL contract with the Matador Club, Texas Tech’s record‑setting right‑hander spun a gritty six‑hitter and struck out Texas star Viviana Henry on three sizzling pitches to seal a 4‑3 Red Raider comeback in Game 2 of the Women’s College World Series championship series. The victory levels the best‑of‑three at 1‑1 and sets up a Friday night rubber match for the national crown.

Canady—who stunned the sport last summer by becoming college softball’s first seven‑figure athlete—re‑upped last week for another “seven‑plus” NIL package that sources peg at $1.05 million, with an extra $50 K earmarked for housing and $24 in tribute to her jersey number. The unprecedented retention deal is part of Texas Tech’s wider $55 million revenue‑sharing push across all sports, a war chest that has already attracted five top‑25 portal prizes this offseason.

Asked whether the contract weighed on her mind, the junior shrugged. “Money doesn’t buy late‑inning velocity,” she quipped in the post‑game scrum, flashing the same easy grin that once lit up Stanford’s dugout. “But it does feed the bullpen rally monkey, and tonight he was hungry.”

Scoreless chess match (Innings 1‑4). Canady and Longhorn freshman Cambria Salmon traded zeroes for four tense frames, working out of early traffic thanks to rangy infield gloves on both sides.

Red Raider breakthrough (5th). A leadoff walk to Lauren Halleman proved costly when Morgan Davis shot a 1‑0 fastball into the right‑center gap, scoring Halleman and nudging Tech ahead 1‑0. Kaitlyn Terry—herself a million‑dollar transfer from UCLA—followed with a sacrifice fly for a 2‑0 cushion.

Texas gambles, Tech pounces (6th). Longhorn coach Mike White, preserving ace Teagan Kavan for an anticipated Game 3, stuck with Salmon into the sixth. The decision backfired when pinch‑hitter Jasmyn Burns lined a two‑run double down the left‑field line, ballooning the lead to 4‑0 and prompting groans from the burnt‑orange crowd.

Longhorn lightning (6th‑7th). Texas finally solved Canady in the bottom half, plating one on Reese Atwood’s RBI single. In the seventh, Mia Scott lifted a solo shot into the bleachers, and two batters later Henry’s two‑run single trimmed the margin to 4‑3. With two on and two out, White sent Henry back to the plate for the potential dagger. Canady escalated to 73 mph, rang up three straight strikes, and slammed the circle in celebration.

The final box score read: 7 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 9 K, 3 BB, 136 pitches. It marked her 44th complete game in 47 starts and her fifth appearance in eight WCWS days. Even Texas coach White admitted, “She’s carrying a workload that would break most arms.”

Tech’s high‑rolling collective has redrawn the sport’s competitive map. Canady’s deal is the latest in a spree that also secured two‑way phenom Kaitlyn Terry (UCLA), slick‑fielding third‑baseman Taylor Pannell (Tennessee), power‑hitting catcher Jasmyn Burns (Ohio State), and middle‑infield combo Mia Williams (Florida) and Jackie Lis (Southern Illinois). “They’re basically the softball Yankees now,” one anonymous Power Five assistant joked.

Patrick Mahomes—Tech alumnus, NFL MVP, and now de facto NIL ambassador—watched from a suite and pumped a fist when Canady froze Henry. “We’re witnessing history,” he tweeted moments later.

White’s decision to withhold Kavan drew immediate criticism on social media and from ESPN’s broadcast booth. The freshman phenom had spun 24 straight scoreless innings entering Thursday but threw only 12 pitches in relief. “If we don’t win tomorrow, that’ll be the second‑guess of the decade,” former Sooners great Jessica Shoppach said on air.

Atwood, mired in a 1‑for‑13 slump, vowed a turnaround. “They haven’t seen our best yet,” the All‑American catcher insisted. Texas will hand Game 3 to Kavan on full rest, while Tech could either roll the dice with a fatigued Canady or pair Terry and sophomore fireballer Brooklyn Moore in a bullpen carousel.

The Canady saga underscores how rapidly the NIL era has leveled the softball landscape. Oklahoma’s three‑peat dynasty of 2021‑23 felt iron‑clad; two years later, a Big 12 rival armed with deep collective pockets is one win from hoisting the torch. Attendance in Oklahoma City cracked 12,000 for the second consecutive night, and Google Trends reported a 318 percent spike in “Texas Tech softball” searches during the seventh inning alone.