NiJaree Canady pitch count: How Texas Tech ace can continue insane streak in WCWS finals

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Far from a traditional softball superpower, Texas Tech has quietly authored one of the most impressive turnarounds in recent history, tacking on more than 20 wins from their total last year.

Those efforts have paid off handsomely thus far, as the Red Raiders turned their first Super Regional appearance into a WCWS final berth. With cross-town rivals Texas on the horizon, all hands will have to be on deck for Texas Tech to hoist the national championship gemstone.

When assessing the Red Raiders' roster, there are a host of talented players that stick out, from gifted batters Lauren Allred and Alana Johnson to notable pitchers Chloe Riassetto and Samantha Lincoln.

None work quite like the team's most gifted pitcher and hitter, two-way talent NiJaree Canady, though.

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Canady picked up a raft of accolades during a wondrous junior campaign. Now, she readies to carry her glistening arm into this week's final - a process she's completed more times than most since the start of tournament play.

With that, here's what you need to know about Canady, her cannon of an arm, and the eye-watering pitch count that has taken the softball world by storm.

NiJaree Canady pitch count

Canady's rate stats are eye-catching, but it's her volume that makes her college softball's best pitcher. Canady is a workhorse, exceeding 230 innings of work in her sophomore and junior years. She's been especially prolific in the tournament, posting pitch count figures eerily reminiscent of dead-ball hurlers.

Canady had recorded five straight complete games heading into the WCWS championship, good for a total of 660 straight pitches . A whopping 504 of that total has come in the WCWS alone - all in eight days.

She pitched 25 pitches in Game 3 of the WCWS and allowed five runs, so was pulled. She didn't return to the game this brought her consecutive pitch total to 685 pitches.

Softball pitchers are known for being able to rack up a lot of innings. The mechanics of throwing a softball present different challenges to the pitchers compared to that of baseball twirlers, with softball being linked with shoulder ailments while baseball has long had an issue with elbow injuries.

It's unclear if one is "safer" than the other - research indicates that injuries might be more common in softball than baseball , both on the shoulder and on the elbow.

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Still, it's not uncommon to see a softball hurler pitch multiple games in a row. Texas star Teagan Kavan tallied back-to-back complete games to open up the WCWS before throwing 3.2 innings in relief to punch the Longhorns' ticket into the finals.

Canady's pitch totals are undoubtedly more eye-catching, however. Further, her production during that spell has the Red Raiders dreaming of a first national title.

Canady has surrendered 26 hits, five walks, and eight earned runs across 49 straight innings. She has 45 strikeouts during that span, good for a K/7 of 6.43. In her past five starts, that number sits at 7.60.

Simply, Canady is saving her best performances for the end of the season. That bears out in the film, too. In Texas Tech's win against Oklahoma, Canady whiffed Cydney Sanders with a delicate changeup to prevent a potential tying run from getting on base. She was understandably delighted at the sight of Sanders sulking back to the dugout.

Canady isn't without her bumps and bruises. Red Raiders manager Gerry Glasco told reporters that their ace has been playing with a left hamstring injury since late February.

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The team reportedly altered Canady's pregame program, nixing bullpen sessions and batting practices and even scratching her from a March 21 start.

"We were walking on pins needles for about a month," Glasco said, per ESPN .

But she returned to the mound with a vengeance. Now, two more starring showcases can launch her - and her program - into glory. For what it's worth, Canady didn't appear too concerned with the malady; she told reporters the initial medical diagnosis "said it was worse than it was."

Canady herself was candid yet straightforward with her comments about her pitch count . "I'm fine. I have all summer to rest. I'm ready to play softball."

NiJaree Canady stats

Year	School	W-L	ERA	SO	APP	CG (GS)	Saves	IP	H	R (ER)
2023	Stanford	17-3	0.58	214	32	10 (24)	3	135.0	64	13 (11)
2024	Stanford	24-7	0.73	337	37	24 (29)	5	230.2	116	37 (24)
2025	Texas Tech	33-7	0.97	317	44	22 (34)	2	239.0	128	45 (33)

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