Texas Tech Softball Leads All Programs in Softball America’s Preseason Top 100
The 2026 softball season is just weeks away, and the Texas Tech Red Raiders have eight of the country's Top 100 players, according to Softball America.
The publication released its Preseason Top 100 on Monday morning, and the Red Raiders have the most players on the list out of any school in the country.
Leading the way is right-handed pitcher and fan favorite NiJaree Canady, who Softball America considers to be the top player, coming in ahead of Nebraska superstar Jordy Frahm, formerly Bahl, and Tennessee flamethrower Karlyn Pickens.
All eight of Texas Tech's student-athletes are ranked inside the Top 85, with five of them transferring in over the offseason.
Pitching is at the center of the conversation heading into 2026 as 3 elite pitchers sit atop @SoftbalAmerica's Preseason Top 100 player rankings.https://t.co/PFhwrgdp9t
— Softball OnSI (@SoftballOnSI) January 12, 2026
NiJaree Canady, Sr., RHP/UTL
The No. 1-ranked player in the country heading into this season is none other than NiJaree Canady.
Canady finished the season with a 34-7 record and a 1.11 ERA and 319 strikeouts. She was a top-three finalist for the USA Softball Player of the Year, and was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and a First Team All-American.
Who do we believe to be the Top 100 players entering the 2026 college softball season?
— Softball America (@SoftbalAmerica) January 12, 2026
Find out here: https://t.co/wpMaxMXxZU pic.twitter.com/PhQWtRTHMp
Taylor Pannell, R-Jr., INF
Former Tennessee Lady Vol third baseman Taylor Pannell is ranked No. 12. She is a two-time All-SEC First Team honoree and earned NFCA Second Team All-American honors last season.
The infielder slashed .398/.493/.747 in 2025, leading the Lady Vols in all three categories. She drove in 65 RBIs, which is tied for 10th in program history for a single season, and her 16 home runs are tied for eighth on the single-season leaderboard.
Pannell finished the 2025 season ranked in the top-15 in the SEC in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs, hits, and RBIs.
Mia Williams, Jr., INF
Infielder Mia Williams, ranked No. 16, spent her first two seasons at Florida, earning All-SEC Second Team and NFCA Second Team All-American as a sophomore.
Williams started all 65 games for the Gators in 2025, hitting .335 with 52 runs scored, 44 RBI, and 10 doubles. She also slugged 19 home runs, ranking fifth in the SEC.
Mihyia Davis, Sr. OF
Coming at No. 24 is senior outfielder Mihyia Davis. Following a sophomore season that named her the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, Davis followed it up with All-Big 12 First Team, NFCA All-Central Region First Team, All-Big 12 Defensive, All-Big 12 Tournament, and the WCWS Tournament team honors as a junior.
Davis played and started in all 68 games last season for the Red Raiders, rewriting the program record books. She led the team with 93 hits, setting a new program record for hits in a single season, and her 239 at-bats also set a new single-season mark.
Kaitlyn Terry, R-Jr., LHP/UTL
Kaitlyn Terry spent her first three years in collegiate softball at UCLA, earning Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors in 2024. She is ranked No. 44.
Over two seasons, Terry has made 73 pitching appearances (50 starts) and owns a 41-8 career record and a 2.50 ERA. In addition to pitching, Terry has started 33 games in right field, two games as the designated player, and one game in left field.
Jazzy Burns, Jr., C
One of the most-feared hitters in the game, Jazzy Burns, is coming off a stellar sophomore season at Ohio State.
Burns slashed .455/1.006/.540 in 2025 with 25 home runs and 72 RBI on her way to being named an NFCA First Team All-American. Nationally, she ranked tied for fifth in home runs (25), and in slugging percentage (1.006), fifth in total bases (166), tied for eighth in batting average (.455), and tied for 14th in RBIs (72). Her 25 homers also set a new Big Ten single-season record.
Burns is ranked No. 46 in Softball America's Preseason Top 100.
Hailey Toney, So., INF
Hailey Toney proved that she belongs after being the only true freshman to start all of her team's games at shortstop last season, earning her the No. 79 preseason ranking.
Toney led the team with 14 doubles and hit .332 with 66 hits and 36 RBIs while slugging .508. She also finished Big 12 play with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
The shortstop was named to the All-Big 12 Freshmen Team and All-Big 12 Tournament Team. She is also responsible for the first Women's College World Series home run in program history.
Desirae Spearman, Jr., RHP/UTL
Desirae Spearman is the final Red Raider ranked in the Preseason Top 100 at No. 85. She made a name for herself during her two seasons at New Mexico State. She was named the Conference USA Player and Freshman of the Year in 2024, making the All-CUSA First Team as a pitcher and an outfielder.
Last season, Spearman set a new program record with a batting average of .430. She tied for the league lead with 20 home runs on 45 fewer at-bats than her counterpart. Her 55 walks also ranked fourth in the nation. She also led CUSA with a .606 on-base percentage and a .977 slugging percentage.
In the circle, Spearman appeared in 27 games, making 21 starts. She finished with a record of 11-8 with an ERA of 3.54.
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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.