Jun 5, 2025; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders pitcher NiJaree Canady (24) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Texas Longhorns during game two of the NCAA Softball Women's College World Series finals at Devon Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

Texas Tech superstar pitcher NiJaree Canady has the Red Raiders one game away from a national championship, and it appears she'll be running it back for the 2026 season.

Canady, who already became the first $1 million softball player last offseason when she signed a lucrative NIL deal to transfer from Stanford to Texas Tech, will be returning to Lubbock after reportedly signing a new contract with the school. While the exact compensation of that deal is not currently known, it is also worth seven figures per ESPN.

The 2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year led the Cardinal to back-to-back Women's College World Series appearances before joining Texas Tech, which is playing in the championship series in its first WCWS appearance. Canady earned First Team All-American honors yet again this season while turning in a 34-6 record and unreal 0.97 ERA, which leads Division I.

She struck out 317 batters across 239 innings, and she even made an impact at the plate, batting .280 with 11 home runs and 34 RBI.

Canady is the most valuable player in college softball right now, and the numbers back it up. Now, with a new deal in tow, she and the Red Raiders will look to capture their first national title in Friday night's decisive Game 3 against the rival Texas Longhorns.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Texas Tech's NiJaree Canady inks another 7-figure to return to Red Raiders

Reporting by Tyler Nettuno, For The Win / For The Win

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