Danielle Lawrie talks schools to watch, latest on Stanford softball transfer NiJaree Canady

Danielle Lawrie recorded a 64.1 consecutive scoreless innings streak as a junior at Washington. A two-time USA Softball Player of the Year, the softball pitcher struck out 1,860 batters in her collegiate career, including 521 in 2009 on her way to leading the Huskies to their first-ever national title.

She’s represented Canada twice in the Olympics. Lawrie went on to win a National Pro Fastpitch championship. Considered one of the sport’s all-time greats, she considers Stanford softball transfer NiJaree Canady one of the top pitchers she’s ever seen.

“I mean, in my honest opinion, she’s probably one of the top five best pitchers that I’ve ever seen in person, and I’ve played the game a long time,” Lawrie, now an ESPN anaylst, told On3. “I can’t say that I’ve seen kind of that type of power. And just the spin, it’s funny, right? Because you think about those types of pictures, like Monica Abbott and Cat Osterman, right? I put NiJaree up as one of those power pitchers like Monica, but her spin on her ball at that velocity is so rare.

“And obviously Monica threw quite a bit harder than her, she’s 73-74, so she doesn’t have as much time to get that much break on the ball, just based on the velocity of 43 feet. Like watching NiJa at the World Series this year, getting to sit behind home plate and see her balls move — it truly is crazy to me. You just don’t see that caliber of spin rate and velocity and poise and competitiveness that she has.”

NIL, portal show softball’s shifting landscape

The 2024 USA Softball Player of the Year led Stanford to the Women’s College World Series this season. Viewed as one of the top pitchers in the sport, NiJaree Canady finished the season with a 0.73 ERA and 337 strikeouts over 230.2 total innings.

She entered the transfer portal on the final day it was open this month. The decision came a year after Oklahoma pitcher Jordy Bahl entered, leaving Norman for Nebraska. In football and basketball, top players entering free agency have become common – but it’s still somewhat a rarity in softball.

For Lawrie, seeing top talent enter the softball portal is just evidence of how the softball landscape has shifted.

“Anytime you get people of that name going in the transfer portal, it’s an automatic like, ‘OK, what’s going on with the program? What’s wrong? Why doesn’t she want to say?'” she said. “But in all reality, I can say that I saw it coming, and I hate that I even am saying that. But the game is just different than it was back when we played. These athletes have the ability to transfer. Different teams that tend to be in the World Series almost every year, that have the financial means to give them those NIL opportunities. And quite frankly, whether it’s about money or not, she probably wasn’t going to win a championship at Stanford.

“Listen, you only have four years to do it. I can’t sit here and point fingers at these athletes can say, ‘Why are you doing this?’ Like it’s the way the game is. You got ot blame the NCAA, man. The NCAA put these athletes in this position to do this. Nobody else. You can’t dog on them because of their decision, unfortunately.”

Is Oklahoma leader to land NiJaree Canady?

A native of Topeka, Kansas, NiJaree Canady was a two-time Kansas Softball Gatorade Player of the Year. Her career collegiate line is 41-10 with a 0.66 ERA with 555 strikeouts and 65 walks. She threw 135 innings in 2023, earning Freshman of the Year honors by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

Some have viewed Oklahoma as the school to watch to land Canady, in part to the Sooners winning four consecutive national championships. OU returns Kierston Deal and Paytn Monticelli, but head coach Patty Gasso could still use another arm for Oklahoma’s title defense.

Lawrie believes the Sooners in the mix, but her softball background leads her to believe there are other options on the table.

“Listen, when I think about her maybe going to Oklahoma, the only thing that would steer me away from that, if I was in her position, which I’m not going to speak saying that I’m NiJa, but let’s say that was me,” the ESPN analyst said. “I don’t really want to go to a program that lost 10 seniors. I want to go to a program that could maybe win its first national championship, that could be a part of winning its first.

“Mind you Florida State has already won one, but from someone that has gotten the opportunity to have Lonni Alameda coach me in two Olympic Games, my opinion is there is no one better pitching coach-wise than Lonnie, man. She is so good at what she does. I think Florida State is definitely an option. I think Texas A&M and their success, and Trisha Ford — she’s phenomenal in that pitching coach role. She instills this different type of confidence that anytime I was on a coach’s calls with her this year, her and I would just like banter back and forth talking pitching. And I was like, ‘Dang, I would really love the opportunity to play for you.’ She’s just a competitor, and it shines through.”

Lawrie said she’s also heard Texas thrown around as an option. Four of the five pitchers from the Longhorns staff with a collective 2.06 ERA are eligible to return. Would NiJaree Canady want to step into a program with a deep pitching staff?

“Texas is definitely an option when you think about the success,” Lawrie said. “Mind you, they have a lot of pitching, right? They got a lot of pitching. So you don’t know if she could go in there and be part of four pitchers. Like does she want to go to a school where there’s a solid No. 1 and No. 2. And then I know people were saying Alabama, but it’s tough to tell.

“Do I believe that, most likely, based on what everyone says, that she would go to Oklahoma? Yeah. But how can you deny that when that seems to be the trend of those big time transfer pitchers, right? They’re obviously getting something on that end that is tempting by the coaching of Patty Gasso and that organization and winners win, baby. When you have those types of programs that do that, like that’s like giving a baby candy. Come on, right? It’s the cream of the crop. They got that brand new facility. I would just not want to go to a program and be one of those first transfer pitchers that doesn’t win.”