Texas Tech Softball Announces Inaugural First Pitch Dinner for January 30
Texas Tech softball fans will get a sneak peek at what is ahead this spring, as The Red Raider Club is set to host the inaugural First Pitch Dinner on Jan. 30 at Cagle Steaks & BBQ in Lubbock.
Head coach Gerry Glasco is expected to speak to fans at the event which starts at 6 p.m.
The Red Raiders are coming off their best season in program history, and excitement is building around the team that finished 2025 as the national runner-up.
Complimentary admission to the event includes dinner, and there will be a cash bar serving beer and wine to those in attendance. This event is expected to sellout so be sure to RSVP quickly using the link here.
Our inaugural First Pitch Dinner is set for Jan. 30!
— Texas Tech Softball (@TexasTechSB) January 16, 2026
RSVP Here: https://t.co/PAJqrZkwC1 pic.twitter.com/gdyRZ2sc8C
Expectations are higher than ever after such a dominant first season under Glasco's leadership. Texas Tech has earned the program's first preseason No. 1 ranking in two major polls (Softball America and ESPN/USA Softball) and earned a No. 2 spot from D1 Softball.
The nation's best pitcher, NiJaree Canady, returns for her second season in Lubbock and her final season of college softball. She will be joined by fellow returners and All-Big 12 First Team honorees Mihyia Davis and Alana Johnson.
The biggest addition to the 2026 roster has been through the transfer portal.
Glasco has landed the top transfer class in the country, according to Softball America. Suiting up for the Red Raiders in 2026 will be three All-Americans in Mia Williams (Florida), Taylor Pannell (Tennessee), and Jasmyn Burns (Ohio State). All-Conference performers joining them are Jackie Lis (Southern Illinois), Kaitlyn Terry (UCLA), Desirae Spearman (New Mexico State), and Lagi Quiroga (Cal).
This Red Raider roster is arguably the deepest in the country and is poised to make another postseason run.
Preseason No. 1 (tied) pic.twitter.com/1YzfizMeAT
— Texas Tech Softball (@TexasTechSB) January 20, 2026
Texas Tech had six players ranked on D1Softball's top 100 players list, including Canady (No. 1), Davis (No. 21), Pannell (32), Terry (41), Williams (65), and Lauren Allred (76).
Those names and rankings vary slightly from Softball America's, which had eight Red Raiders in the Top 100, including Canady (No. 1), Pannell (No. 12), Williams (No. 16), Davis (No. 24), Terry (No. 44), Burns (No. 46), Hailey Toney (No. 79), and Spearman (No. 85).
Softball America also named four Red Raiders to its Preseason All-American Teams. Canady, Pannell, and Williams were all named to the First Team while Davis was named to the Second Team.
Texas Tech will open its season on Feb. 5 against McNeese in Lake Charles for the McNeese Tournament at 6 p.m., followed by two games on Feb. 6 against Jacksonville State (10 a.m.) and North Texas (12:30 p.m.).
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Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 and spent the 2023 season covering Husker Softball for Hail Varsity. In addition to All Huskers, she is a staff writer for the Los Angeles Sports Report.