Softball

7/25/2024 |  Texas Tech Poaches Softball Star With $1 Million NIL Deal (Front Office Sports) A college softball pitcher signed an NIL collective deal several times the size of many top men’s basketball superstars.
NiJaree Canady is leaving Stanford for Texas Tech after signing a one-year deal worth $1,050,024 with the school’s Matador Club collective, according to The Athletic. The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year leaves the Cardinal after two back-to-back trips to the Women’s College World Series.

7/24/2024 |  USA Softball Player of the Year NiJaree Canady reportedly gets a $1 million NIL deal to transfer to Texas Tech (Yahoo Sports) Former Stanford softball pitcher NiJaree Canady is heading to the Big 12.
The USA Softball Player of the Year announced Wednesday that she would be transferring to Texas Tech. According to The Athletic, Canady is receiving a deal of just over $1 million from the school’s name, image and likeness collective to come to Lubbock.

6/10/2024 |  Madison to Host Inaugural Rocket City Softball Showcase (SportsTravel) Madison, Alabama, and its Minor League Baseball stadium will host the Rocket City Softball Showcase over a week in February 2025.
The event at Toyota Field, home of the Southern League’s Rocket City Trash Pandas — the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels — will begin February 19 and feature four softball programs from the Southeastern Conference.

6/4/2024 |  Athletes Unlimited to add traditional team-based softball league in 2025 (Associated Press (AP)) OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Athletes Unlimited softball announced Tuesday that it will add a traditional team-based model to its individual championship in 2025.
The Athletes Unlimited Softball League plans to have four teams play 30-game seasons — 60 total games — with ESPN on board as a founding broadcast partner. 

6/4/2024 |  Athletes Unlimited Softball League to Launch in 2025 (SportsTravel) Athletes Unlimited will start up the Athletes Unlimited Softball League with a scheduled launch in 2025 featuring four teams playing a 30-game season.
The new league will complement the existing AU Pro Softball Championship season. The announcement was made on Tuesday ahead of the day’s action at the NCAA Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.
“With our established infrastructure as well as strong existing sponsorship and broadcast partners and the support of USA Softball, we believe the AUSL is set up for success,” Athletes Unlimited Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Jon Patricof said. “As the sport prepares to return to the Olympics in 2028 amid increasing fan interest at the college and professional levels, now is the time to seize on this positive momentum and expand the sport even further.”