{"id":420842,"date":"2025-12-03T02:36:16","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T02:36:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/420842\/"},"modified":"2025-12-03T02:36:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T02:36:16","slug":"college-softball-trailblazer-named-to-forbes-30-under-30-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/420842\/","title":{"rendered":"College Softball Trailblazer Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 List"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the age of 22, Nijaree Canady has accomplished more than her peers can say.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, the hard-throwing right-hander was named to Forbes 30 Under 30.<\/p>\n

After two outstanding seasons at Stanford, where she was named the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year, and NFCA First-Team All-American, and led the nation with 337 strikeouts and a 0.73 ERA en route to the Women\u2019s College World Series (WCWS), she stunned the women\u2019s sports world when she transferred to Texas Tech.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the transfer, she received more than $1 million from the university\u2019s Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) collective, the Matador Club. She became the first college softball player to receive that amount of money and set a standard for not just softball players but female athletes across the country to be valued for what they\u2019re worth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As a junior in 2025, Canady made instant history for the Red Raiders, taking the team to the WCWS finals for the first time in program history, and won the Honda Sport Award as the nation\u2019s top softball player on the way.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Her 34-7 record and 1.11 ERA with 319 strikeouts awarded her Big 12 Pitcher of the Year honors, while she offensively led the team with 11 home runs and a slugging percentage of .639. She finished the season tied for the most wins, second-best ERA, and second-most strikeouts in program history.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady (24) throws a pitch during Game 1 of the Women’s College World Series championship series between the Texas Longhorns at Texas Tech Red Raiders at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, June 4, 2025. Texas won 2-1. | BRYAN TERRY\/THE OKLAHOMAN \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

All these incredible accolades and ability to completely transform a program in just one year granted her another seven-figure NIL contract to return for the 2026 season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With that amount of money hitting her pocket and her ability to positively change the game of softball, she\u2019s landed on the Forbes 2026 Sports 30 under 30 list<\/a>, which was announced Tuesday morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Next to other incredible athletes like tennis player Coco Gauff, NFL player Josh Allen, and WNBA star Paige Bueckers, Forbes has recognized Canady for her achievements and contributions to business, culture, and society. She stands out as one of the youngest athletes on the list.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Forbes 30 under 30 list highlighted some stars \ud83d\udc47<\/p>\n

\u2b50\ufe0f Paige Bueckers
\u2b50\ufe0f Trinity Rodman
\u2b50\ufe0f Coco Gauff
\u2b50\ufe0f NiJaree Canady
\u2b50\ufe0f Aliyah Boston pic.twitter.com\/miRMJNPnWz<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Just Women\u2019s Sports (@justwsports) December 2, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Canady\u2019s presence among these other powerful athletes speaks volumes to her impact on young athletes, especially young Black athletes, who are often overlooked in collegiate sports.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Canady\u2019s NIL portfolio expands further than the Matador Club as well. In July, she signed with Venmo to become an ambassador throughout the 2025-26 season <\/a>to showcase ways to spend money and earn rewards with the branded Venmo debit cards.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She also promotes softball equipment from Easton and Rawlings, and Patrick Mahomes’ NIL group through Adidas. In addition, she\u2019s pushed for advancement of the game as an ambassador for the Empowering Girls For Life conference, which she spoke at for the second year in a row in August.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Canady is certainly changing the game for the better and inspiring the next decade of players and fans. Her trailblazing legacy will be remembered for years to come, no matter where she takes her talents after graduating.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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