In her collegiate career, Danielle Lawrie amassed impressive stats, notably recording 521 strikeouts in 2009 as she led the Huskies to their first national championship. Lawrie has also represented Canada twice in the Olympics and clinched a National Pro Fastpitch title. Widely regarded as one of the sport’s greatest players, she considers NiJaree Canady, the Stanford softball transfer, among the top pitchers she’s ever witnessed.
“In my honest opinion, she’s probably one of the top five pitchers I’ve seen in person, and I’ve been around the game for a long time,” said Lawrie, now an ESPN analyst, to On3. “I haven’t seen that kind of power and spin combination often. When you think of pitchers like Monica Abbott and Cat Osterman, NiJaree possesses similar power, but her spin at that velocity is exceptionally rare.”
“Monica Abbott obviously threw much faster than her, she’s 73-74, so she doesn’t have as much time to generate as much movement on the ball, given the 43 feet distance. Watching NiJaree at this year’s World Series, sitting behind home plate and seeing the movement on her pitches — it’s truly remarkable. You rarely see that combination of spin rate, velocity, poise, and competitiveness.”
NIL, portal show softball’s shifting landscape
In 2024, NiJaree Canady, honored as the USA Softball Player of the Year, guided Stanford to the Women’s College World Series this year. Renowned as one of the premier pitchers in softball, Canady concluded the season with a remarkable 0.73 ERA and 337 strikeouts across 230.2 innings of play.
She joined the transfer portal on its last day this month, following Oklahoma pitcher Jordy Bahl’s move to Nebraska a year prior. While top players entering free agency is common in football and basketball, it remains relatively uncommon in softball. According to Lawrie, this trend reflects significant changes in the softball landscape.
Different perennial World Series teams often have the financial resources to provide these NIL opportunities. Regardless of financial considerations, it’s unlikely she would have won a championship at Stanford.
“In reality, you only have four years to achieve it. I can’t fault these athletes for making decisions like this. It’s how the system is set up. We have to blame the NCAA for putting athletes in this position. No one else. Criticizing them for their choices isn’t fair.”
Is Oklahoma leader to land NiJaree Canady?
A native of Topeka, Kansas, NiJaree Canady was a two-time Kansas Softball Gatorade Player of the Year. Her career collegiate line is 41-10 with a 0.66 ERA with 555 strikeouts and 65 walks. She threw 135 innings in 2023, earning Freshman of the Year honors by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
Oklahoma has been seen as a frontrunner in the race to recruit Canady, especially given their impressive four consecutive national championships. Although OU already boasts pitchers Kierston Deal and Paytn Monticelli, head coach Patty Gasso is still looking to bolster their pitching staff for the upcoming title defense.
The 2024 USA Softball Player of the Year led Stanford to the Women’s College World Series this season. Viewed as one of the top pitchers in the sport, NiJaree Canady finished the season with a 0.73 ERA and 337 strikeouts over 230.2 total innings.
She entered the transfer portal on the final day it was open this month. The decision came a year after Oklahoma pitcher Jordy Bahl entered, leaving Norman for Nebraska. In football and basketball, top players entering free agency have become common – but it’s still somewhat a rarity in softball.
For Lawrie, seeing top talent enter the softball portal is just evidence of how the softball landscape has shifted.
“Anytime you get people of that name going in the transfer portal, it’s an automatic like, ‘OK, what’s going on with the program? What’s wrong? Why doesn’t she want to say?’” she said. “But in all reality, I can say that I saw it coming, and I hate that I even am saying that. But the game is just different than it was back when we played. These athletes have the ability to transfer. Different teams that tend to be in the World Series almost every year, that have the financial means to give them those NIL opportunities. And quite frankly, whether it’s about money or not, she probably wasn’t going to win a championship at Stanford.
“Listen, when I think about her maybe going to Oklahoma, the only thing that would steer me away from that, if I was in her position, which I’m not going to speak saying that I’m NiJa, but let’s say that was me,” the ESPN analyst said. “I don’t really want to go to a program that lost 10 seniors. I want to go to a program that could maybe win its first national championship, that could be a part of winning its first.
