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Oklahoma Strikes Out in NiJaree Canady Sweepstakes

The former Stanford star is on the move, but she won't be joining the Sooners in the SEC.

Ryan Chapman

Jun 2, 2024; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Stanford Cardinals starting pitcher NiJaree Canady (24) points to her catcher after striking out a UCLA Bruins batter in the fourth inning during a Women's College World Series softball losers bracket elimination game at Devon Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 2, 2024; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Stanford Cardinals starting pitcher NiJaree Canady (24) points to her catcher after striking out a UCLA Bruins batter in the fourth inning during a Women's College World Series softball losers bracket elimination game at Devon Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports

The biggest prize in the transfer portal is off the board, and things didn’t go Patty Gasso’s way. 

Stanford transfer and 2024 USA Softball Player of the Year NiJaree Canady committed to Texas Tech, she announced in a post on X on Wednesday. 

Oklahoma, like virtually every other program in the country, was vying for her services from the moment the overpowering pitcher hit the portal. 

Instead, the Sooners took a pair of arms from smaller conferences to round out the pitching staff. 

Perhaps the best indication that Canady was headed somewhere other than Norman was when Louisiana transfer Sam Landry announced her commitment to the Sooners on July 13. 

Landry pitched 194 innings last year, logging 165 strikeouts and allowing just 65 walks while finished the season with a 2.08 ERA. 

At the end of June, Gasso also landed former Campbell pitcher Isabella Smith.

Campbell posted a 2.01 ERA in 2024, pitching 206 innings where she struck out 238 batters and issued 69 walks. 

Both Landry and Campbell will have one year of eligibility remaining. 

They’ll join Kierston Deal, who took on an even larger role for the Sooners as a sophomore in 2024, as well as reliever Paytn Monticelli and true freshman Audrey Lowry to complete Jennifer Rocha’s OU pitching staff. 

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Ryan Chapman

RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is deputy editor at AllSooners and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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