Topeka National Player of the Year NiJa Canady transfers into Big 12

TOPEKA (KSNT) – The best player in college softball in 2024, Topeka’s NiJa Canady, will play for a new school next season.

Canady plans to transfer to Texas Tech for her final two seasons of college, the former Stanford pitcher announced on social media Wednesday.

27 News was among the first to originally confirm Canady's decision to enter the portal in mid-June.

Canady was named the National Player of the Year in 2024 after leading her team to the national semifinals. She finished the season with a 0.73 ERA as the Cardinals’ starting pitcher, racking up 337 strikeouts in the process.

Recently, former four-time all-American pitcher Monica Abbott compared the former Topeka High Trojan to basketball’s Caitlin Clark.

Canady has two years of college eligibility remaining. She was the national Freshman of the Year in 2023.