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“I thought that was pretty cool,� said Quinn, who played for the Wildcats, works in the athletic department and serves as a softball analyst for ESPN. “Like, 'OK, we're talking softball.' And it's because a player is making that kind of impact.�

That player is NiJaree Canady. She is the most impactful player in the college game.

Arizona knows all too well what Canady is capable of delivering from the circle. She faced the Wildcats twice last season and shut them out both times.

Canady did that as a member of the Stanford Cardinal. She helped Stanford advance to the Women’s College World Series in each of her first two seasons, 2023 and '24, ending a . As a sophomore, she was named the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.

When Canady entered the transfer portal last June — and committed to Texas Tech about a month later — it sent shockwaves through the softball community. Not necessarily because Canady transferred but because she received a one-year NIL deal worth $1,050,024 — .

“You see Texas Tech pop up, and that just was a rumble throughout the community,� Quinn said. “And then you see the NIL deal, and it was like, 'OK, this is different.'�

It would be understandable if Caitlin Lowe and the Wildcats greeted Canady’s move from the Pac-12 to the Big 12 with a grumble. Really? Couldn't she have gone somewhere else?

Instead, Lowe views the titanic transaction as a positive for the sport — and even for Arizona.

“Actually, I love it,� said Lowe, whose team hosts the Bear Down Fiesta Thursday-Sunday. “Because here's the thing: You want to play the best pre-conference, and you want to play the best in conference. Then when you get to the postseason, you feel like you're prepared for anything.

“So the fact that we did get to face her in conference for those couple years, and we're going to continue to, it's nice. And then if we end up playing them at the World Series, we've hopefully been a little bit more prepped for her.�

That wasn’t what I was expecting to hear when I sat down with Lowe in her office at McKale Center before the season. But she has a point: If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. And Canady is unquestionably the most dominant pitcher in college softball right now.

Last year, Canady led the nation with 337 strikeouts (in 230⅔ innings) and a 0.73 ERA — which was actually higher than her 0.57 mark as a freshman. She's already 3-1 for Texas Tech with a 0.68 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 20⅔ innings

Any program would pay a steep price to add Canady to its roster — and Texas Tech was the unlikely winner in that derby.

, TTU boosters John and Tracy Sellers, on behalf of The Matador Club NIL collective, wooed Canady and convinced her to take her talents to Lubbock. It was an improbable outcome as Texas Tech hardly has been a powerhouse in softball. The Red Raiders last made the NCAA Tournament in 2019. They’ve never gone to the WCWS.

“It speaks to what we’re willing to do here to create a good culture and win a lot of games,� John Sellers told The Athletic, “no matter what sport it is.�

Texas Tech has a robust NIL program; the football team has the in the nation, and it isn’t because Lubbock is a desirable destination. But never before have the school and its supporters invested so much in softball.

TTU already is realizing a return on its investment in Canady.

The school sold softball season tickets for the first time and sold them out, . The paper also reported that the athletic department is adding bleachers to expand the capacity at Rocky Johnson Field from 1,100 to 1,600.

MLB Network aired three softball games Saturday, including Nebraska vs. Texas Tech. The network interviewed Canady and first-year Red Raiders coach Gerry Glasco in the run-up to the tripleheader.

“She’s captured the imagination of America,� Glasco told MLBN. “She’s just starting her junior year, and yet she’s a household name.�

Six regular-season Big 12 games will air on linear TV this spring. Three of them feature Texas Tech, including games April 18 and 19 against Arizona.

Big 12 coaches picked Texas Tech to finish — the first time the Red Raiders have made the top three in the annual preseason poll. They’re also a consensus top-15 team in the preseason rankings.

Canady’s arrival has been a boon for Texas Tech. It’s been a boon for the Big 12, which added Arizona, ASU and Utah to its softball portfolio but lost eight-time national champion Oklahoma and two-time runner-up Texas. It’s been a boon for the sport — and might benefit the next generation of softball players.

Canady’s move brought mainstream attention to softball — and reset the NIL market for top-of-the-line pitchers, whose impact might be even greater than that of quarterbacks in football. (Lowe and Quinn both echoed a line from Mike Candrea: There’s a reason they draw a circle around the pitcher.) According to various reports, no softball player previously had received a deal worth as much as $200,000, let alone $1 million-plus.

“This has been the first opportunity — really large opportunity — for a softball player to make significant money,� Lowe said. “I don't think it's a one-off. I think she set (the) bar very high for everyone.�

Despite its popularity at the youth, college and Olympic levels, softball hasn’t taken off as a pro sport. , but it isn’t there yet.

Canady could have a Caitlin Clark-like crossover impact. Canady’s manager, Derrick Shelby, told the Avalanche-Journal that “we believe NiJa Canady is the Shohei Ohtani of women’s softball.� Canady rarely batted for Stanford; she’s been a lineup fixture for Texas Tech and leads the Red Raiders in home runs (two) and RBIs (six).

Whatever she’s up to, the fact that Canady has people talking about softball — whether in a diner in Lubbock or on a national cable channel — is a good thing for the game.

“Anytime softball can break through, that's exciting for our sport,� said Quinn, who considers Canady a “generational talent.�

“Tech is putting money behind women's softball, and, honestly, it might be worth it with the attention that she's going to bring to your program. You want to snap your fingers and make yourself a World Series team? She's the arm to do it.�