Texas Tech's ace NiJaree Canady faces off against Texas in WCWS final, seeking to claim first-ever championship series win.

Texas Tech ace NiJaree Canady, who has a 0.90 ERA and is 33-5, will face Texas in the Women's College World Series championship series. Canady has thrown every pitch for the Red Raiders in the WCWS and is a key factor in their bid for their first national championship. She pitched part of the season with a torn hamstring, but says the team has grown and is peaking at the right time.

Texas Tech ace NiJaree Canady, who has a 0.90 ERA and is 33-5, will face Texas in the Women's College World Series championship series. Canady has thrown every pitch for the Red Raiders in the WCWS and is a key factor in their bid for their first national championship. She pitched part of the season with a torn hamstring, but says the team has grown and is peaking at the right time.

The Red Raiders, backed by another dominant pitching performance from Canady and a Lauren Allred walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh, topped Oklahoma, 3-2, Monday evening to advance to the Women's College World Series championship series where Texas Tech will face longtime rival Texas in a best-of-three series beginning Wednesday night at Devon Park.

The championship series will mark the first time in program history the Longhorns have played for a national championship in back-to-back seasons. The Red Raiders are riding a 12-game winning streak that dates back to their regular-season finale at BYU. This winning streak includes a 6-0 record at Devon Park, which was also the site for the Big 12 Tournament in early May. The Red Raiders are outscoring their opponents, 33-3, in those six wins with the Sooners (52-9) being the only team to score multiple runs on Canady and Texas Tech's pitching staff.

Canady's pitching performance matched expectations coming into the WCWS semifinals, pitting two of the nation's best in Canady and Landry against each other. Landry (25-6) took a rare loss in a battle of two of softball's top pitches as she gave up all three runs off six hits and six strikeouts in a complete-game performance of her own.

The championship series between the Red Raiders and Texas begins with a 7 p.m. first pitch Wednesday night on ESPN. Game times will stay the same for Thursday's second game as well as Friday's "if necessary" game.

References:
[1] https://texastech.com/news/2025/6/2/softball-red-raiders-heading-to-wcws-championship-series
[2] https://texaslonghorns.com/news/2025/6/2/no-3-4-softball-reaches-wcws-championship-series-for-second-straight-season.aspx
[3] https://sports.yahoo.com/article/womens-college-world-series-texas-tech-walks-off-vs-oklahoma-texas-blanks-tennessee-to-advance-to-finals-181525196.html