Texas Tech’s NiJaree Canady tops the AP’s list of college softball players to watch

By Canadian Press on February 10, 2026.

Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady highlights The Associated Press’ list of 10 college softball players to watch this season.

Now a senior, Canady was the main reason the Red Raiders reached the Women’s College World Series last season for the first time and fell just one win short of a national title. She had a 34-7 record with a 1.11 ERA and struck out 319 in 240 innings.

Canady was the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year in 2024 at Stanford, then transferred to Texas Tech and was a top 3 finalist in 2025. She has been the National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s Pitcher of the Year the past two seasons. She has twice signed NIL deals worth more than $1 million with Tech.

Here are the other players to watch, in alphabetical order.

Reese Atwood, Texas

The senior was a first-team NFCA All-American in 2025 and the NFCA Catcher of the Year last season. She was on the Women’s College World Series All-Tournament team last season and helped the Longhorns win the national title. She was the Softball America National Player of the Year in 2024. She has a .371 batting average, 55 home runs and 222 RBIs in her three seasons at Texas.

Jordy Frahm, Nebraska

The former Jordy Bahl got married in the offseason. She was the NFCA Division I Player of the Year last season, when the Huskers fell one win short of a World Series trip. She hit .462 with 23 home runs and 66 RBIs and went 26-8 in the circle with a 1.56 ERA. She led Oklahoma to the 2023 national title and was Most Outstanding Player of the World Series before transferring to Nebraska.

Lyndsey Grein, Oregon

Grein was a Softball America and D1 Softball first-team All-American last season. She finished last season with a 30-3 record and a 2.21 ERA. The victory total was second nationally. She was a top 10 finalist for USA Softball’s Player of the Year after striking out 236 in 190 1/3 innings. She was named Softball America’s Most Improved Player of the Year.

Teagan Kavan, Texas

Kavan led the Longhorns to the national title last season. She went 4-0 with a save at the World Series and was named Most Outstanding Player after throwing 31 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run. She was an NFCA second-team All-American last season after finishing with a 28-5 record and a 2.16 ERA. She has a 48-8 career record heading into her junior season.

Ella Parker, Oklahoma

Parker was a first-team NFCA All-American last season as a sophomore. She was on the World Series All-Tournament team, just like she was in 2024 as a freshman when she helped the Sooners win a national title. She had a walk-off home run in the World Series last season against Tennessee. In two seasons, she has 28 home runs and 115 RBIs. She has a career .419 batting average and a .519 on-base percentage.

Karlyn Pickens, Tennessee

Pickens got the softball world’s attention when she fired a pitch 79.4 mph during super regionals, the fastest recorded pitch in softball history. She struck out 306 in 226 2/3 innings. She is not just a hard thrower — she got the Lady Vols to the World Series semifinals and went 25-11 with a 1.17 ERA. She was a first-team NFCA All-American after pitching 25 complete games with seven shutouts.

Taylor Shumaker, Florida

Shumaker was one of the nation’s most productive players as a freshman last season. She was a first-team NFCA All-American and was national Freshman of the Year for both the NFCA and Softball America. The right fielder ranked second nationally in RBIs (86), fifth in runs scored (72) and 11th in home runs (22). Her home run and RBI totals matched school records.

Isa Torres, Florida State

Torres was a first-team All-American for the NFCA and Softball America and a top 10 finalist for USA Softball National Player of the Year. The shortstop set the school record with a .436 batting average and finished third in school history with 95 hits and fifth with 70 runs scored last season as a sophomore. She had a .472 OBP and 11 stolen bases.

Jordan Woolery, UCLA

Woolery was a USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year top 10 finalist and a first-team NFCA All-American last season. The infielder hit .424 last season with 23 home runs, 86 RBIs and a .510 OBP while helping the Bruins reach the World Series. In three seasons, she has 43 home runs and 168 RBIs. She has started all 180 games she has played in.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Cliff Brunt, The Associated Press