Texas Tech Softball's NiJaree Canady Playing Through Torn Hamstring in 2025
NiJaree Canady has been dominant this season despite not being 100 percent healthy.
In an interview with Big 12 Radio on TuneIn, head coach Gerry Glasco revealed his two-way superstar has been playing with a torn hamstring for roughly nine weeks.
Ari Temkin also reported the news via social media on Monday after the interview aired.
"Texas Tech softball star -- NiJaree Canady -- played this season with a hamstring tear she had for 9 weeks, via Gerry Glasco on tunein.
"Nija has not had bullpen sessions for 12 weeks this season."
Texas Tech softball star -- NiJaree Canady -- played this season with a hamstring tear she had for 9 weeks, via @GerryGlasco on @tunein.
— Ari Temkin (@arisports) June 2, 2025
Nija has not had bullpen sessions for 12 weeks this season.
The Red Raiders started their Women's College World Series debut with a 1-0 win over the Ole Miss Rebels and followed it up with a 3-1 win over UCLA, setting up a semifinal date with the Oklahoma Sooners on Monday night at 6 p.m. CT.
Texas Tech is looking to win the fourth team national title in program history and Glasco is only the sixth first-year head coach to advance to the semifinals since the first WCWS in 1982
Canady has given up only one run off six combined hits over 14.0 innings, striking out 17 batters during that span.
"You got to start everything with NiJaree in the circle," Glasco said after the win against UCLA. "She's just so fantastic. I thought she pitched a gem of a game. She's able to attack the strike zone, and you get to the World Series and you play with the zone, the strike zone here is a very disciplined strike zone. So you have to be able to challenge that zone, especially early in the count. I think that's what separates her from most pitchers. She's good enough and she's talented enough to really pound the strike zone and still get the ball past hitters. So really hard to square up. I thought she did a tremendous job against a very good hitting team and in a World Series strike zone. I thought she was outstanding."
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-1d7db99dccc9abef7b9378f016b22b68.webp "Maren Angus-Coombs")
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 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.