NiJaree Canady shares her thoughts after Stanford advances to Super Regionals

The Stanford Cardinal have had their backs against the wall time and time again in the 2024 NCAA Softball Tournament. And they answered the bell once more on Sunday night, when they needed to the most. This time they were led by yet another masterful performance by pitcher NiJaree Canady, who fired 13 strikeouts in their 4-2 win over Cal-State Fullerton. In a win or-go home scenario, Canady did not disappoint, showing why she’s one of the very best in college softball. Following the win, she spoke with the ESPNU broadcast crew.

Sunday night’s game was a winner-take-all Game 7. What was her mentality as she stepped up to the mound for the Cardinal?

“Just get my team back into the dugout. I knew we were gonna score. So, my whole mentality was just to get us back in and we’ll score. And that’s what happened,” the 2024 Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year noted.

Is there something that clicked for her? Because Cal-State Fullerton took the lead, scoring two runs in the second inning. And then Canady came out and struck out the side in the inning that followed that. What switched for her?

“And then, yeah, just getting my team back in the dugout. And doing whatever it takes to lead us back,” she explained.

Canady has been remarkably dominant this year, earning 2024 Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year honors. And she’s played like it lately–firing three complete games in her last four outings on the mound, including one on Sunday.

She’s been one of the most dominant forces in college softball–firing over 460 strikeouts in the past two seasons. Canady has fired over 200 strikeouts in back-to-back seasons for the Cardinal, cementing her status as one of the best pitchers in the history of the sport.

In the middle of her interview, her teammates dressed her up in a skirt made of Powerade cups. What was she wearing? “Umm it’s a skirt, dress. We have a whole outfit. [Laughs]. It was a fun morning for us. So, we just made some stuff,” Canady laughed.

Before the last batter, catcher Allie Clements came out to the mound to have some words with Canady. What did Clements have to say? “Yeah, she was saying go right at her and that’s about it. Just go right at her,” Canady explained.

With the win, Stanford advances to the Super Regionals, where they’ll clash with the LSU Tigers. It marks the third straight Super Regional appearance for the Stanford program. How does it feel? “It’s amazing. To get the win in front of our home crowd is everything,” the Kansas native explained.

No. 8 Stanford and No. 9 LSU will face off in the Super Regionals on May 24th-May 26th in Stanford, California.