NiJaree Canady Signs With Athletes Unlimited Softball League After Brief Holdout

NiJaree Canady signed a contract with the Athletes Unlimited Softball League on Friday after a holdout that lasted less than a week, the league announced. Canady was drafted second overall by the Texas Volts in the 2026 AUSL Draft. The Texas Volts visit Durham, North Carolina, this weekend for a series against the Carolina Blaze.

A right-handed ace pitcher from Topeka, Kansas, Canady completed her collegiate career at Texas Tech last week. Texas Tech reached the Women’s College World Series final last week and lost to Texas. Canady was twice named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and was named the D1Softball National Pitcher of the Year last season.

90. She was the only active pitcher this past season with more than 1,000 strikeouts and 90 career wins. No player in history has made more pitching appearances in the Women’s College World Series than Canady.

Canady was the only softball player on Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in Sports list released on Tuesday. She has more than 270,000 combined followers on Instagram, TikTok and X, and had NIL partnerships with Venmo and Adidas. Last year, the AUSL said its average annual salary was $35,000 and its highest salary was $80,000.

Three people familiar with the league and Canady’s situation told USA TODAY Sports that the AUSL has non-negotiable salary tiers and Canady was initially offered a rate on the lower end. On Thursday, Canady’s agent Lindsay Colas stated: "Women athletes have continued to prove that seeking their value is not about self-interest, it’s about what you owe the sport and everyone coming after you.

" Canady’s representatives at THE·TEAM worked all week with the AUSL to reach the agreement, Usa Today reported.