Three out of the four major polls have the Red Raiders ranked as the best team in the country.
LUBBOCK - The Texas Longhorns lost two out of three to No. 5 Alabama last week, paving the way for the consensus No. 2 Texas Tech Red Raiders to rise to the top of the rankings in ... almost every national poll.
As announced this week, Texas Tech is now No. 1 across three out of the four major top-25 rankings. Only Softball America has kept the Red Raiders No. 2 with the Crimson Tide leapfrogging to the top spot following their wins over previous No. 1 Texas.
Tech's current 13-game win streak is the second-longest in the nation. It was extended with a sweep of BYU at Tracy Sellers Field behind more dominant pitching and a duo of streaking hitters.
NiJaree Canady and Kaitlyn Terry have been the most prolific one-two punch in the circle. They account for 30 of the team's 38 victories on the season, but Terry has also been getting it done at the plate.
The transfer utility player set a new program record hit streak during the series with the Cougars, and despite it coming to an end to close out last weekend, she remains one of the Big 12's most dangerous batters.
As does Jackie Lis, who had five hits and two home runs against BYU. She entered that series as the conference's hitter of the week after producing eight hits and eight RBI across four games against Iowa State and Abilene Christian the week prior.
USA Softball Announces Women's National Team Pool
Canady is one of college softball's brightest stars, and while she hasn't needed to be in the offensive lineup as much this season, she remains one of the most dominant players of this generation.
The senior pitcher holds a 1.29 ERA and a 0.70 WHIP across 22 appearances. She has struck out 133 batters in 92.1 innings.
Canady aims to take her talents to the professional level in the AUSL - which she received a Golden Ticket to for league's upcoming draft. She also aims to represent the United States with softball a part of the lineup at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
As that selection process begins shortly, USA Softball announced its Women's National Team Athlete Pool last week, and Canady made the cut. The Topeka, Kansas native was the only athlete from a Big 12 school represented, and one of only seven current collegiate student-athletes.
There are 35 other athletes who are now under consideration for the team that will compete in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) World Cup Group Stage as well as the 2026 USA Softball International Cup, which serve as international tune-ups before Olympic competition in the coming years.
Texas Tech assistant coach Kayla Kowalik is also on the list. Kowalik was an All-American at Kentucky as a collegian and won the 2025 AUSL All-Star Cup championship.
"This is an incredibly elite group, and we’re ready to get to work," said women's national team and Oklahoma Sooners head coach, Patty Gasso.
"All 36 athletes bring something different, and I’m excited to keep pushing forward together as we uphold the USA Softball gold standard."
According to Tech Athletics, "the 2026 WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Group Stage event is slated for September 12-16 at Devon Park in Oklahoma City, as The Softball Capital of the World® hosts one of three group stages. The upcoming WBSC Women's Softball World Cup will mark the second edition under the new two-stage format, with the Group Stage and Finals held in consecutive years. The Finals are set for April 5-11, 2027, in Brisbane, Australia.
"As a host of the Group Stage, the world-ranked No. 2 Team USA has earned an automatic berth in its respective group event and will be joined by five additional qualified teams."
