Transfer Postings and Speculations--2024

[OUBeliever56A]

Bottom post of the previous page:

The Japan All-Star Series is July 4 - 8 in Japan.

Games are played on the 4th, 6th and 8th of July.

[inconnu]

Interesting that no txwhorn current nor former players are on this team, and only one from UCLA.

Would it be asking too much for Erickson to rejoin the Sooners?!

[OUBeliever56A]

Interesting that no txwhorn current nor former players are on this team, and only one from UCLA.

Would it be asking too much for Erickson to rejoin the Sooners?!

I would not bet any money that you need in the next 10 years on that happening.

[inconnu]

I'm sure glad we overcame FU in the semis!

Our softball opponents will all come unglued if we land Canady!

[TropicalSooner]

I am probably going to be the lone stranger standing out in the field on this one....but........
I actually hope somebody else signs Canady.
Two reasons:
1. There will be torrential backlash from the street that will be an unnecessary distraction to the coaches and the team. Just go look at twitter now and we haven't even put in our bid yet.
2. More importantly, I fear the potential locker room backlash that already happens in other sports. If you get an overpaid athlete on your team, there can't help but be unspoken (and outspoken) resentment between players. I think we may have had some of that this last year mid-season--something happened that required outside help. But this would be on an entirely different level.

Do I want to win games? Of course I do. Would adding her to the lineup help that? Yep. She singlehandedly carried Stanford to the Semi's two years in row. But she couldn't get past Texas this year nor us last year.

And I'm not convinced that the unspoken, and outspoken, cost would be worth it.

A fan from another team was lamenting about the girls on his basketball team that were making 7 figures while the rest of the team ate bologna and cheese sandwiches. That was not a happy locker room.

Maybe this doesn't happen. I don't know. But I would just as soon some other team deal with all the bull that will certainly be flying through the air.

[OUBeliever56A]

A thought that I have about Canady becoming a Sooners is about the other players, especially the freshman players.

Just because they are Sooner players and are returning to Norman after the 4-peat, there has to be some unusual pressure to just be good again, let alone win a 5th Natty. (That thought does not enter my mind at this time.) Plus they have to feel some pressure to perform and fight back the thoughts that it was all the seniors that did that! Sanders, Coor, Deal Monticelli, Parker, Pickering, Bland and to some extent, McEnroe-Marinas even thought she never swung a bat, she was here. The incoming freshman simply have pressure to perform as Sooners to stake their flag at a position and play well. Lowry, Hicks, R. Zache, Garcia, Barker, Milloy, McKay and Helton all have challenges just to feel like they are full, worthy Sooners.

Right now for the sixteen players above, even if they pick up a couple of pitchers, a catcher and infielder and an outfielder for 21 players, should not be mentioned in the Natty conversation. Not now, not in the fall and not until they roll through the SEC with success. It is just premature to do so. IMO.

If Canady becomes a Sooner, then there is a whole other set of new pressures and expectations. Instantly, the Sooners become hands-on predicted champs, for the 5th time in a row. That is unimaginable to imagine if your are stepping on campus as a freshman in August/September as a 18-year old.

I know the goal is to be as good as you can. PERIOD. Do everything you can to be as good as you can. I get that. But at some point, the expectations grow to be a Redwood instead of a chip on your shoulder, right?

It will be an interesting week.

[inconnu]

What the 2 posters above me here said were of course, very valid points, and I'm not sure ANYONE has ever experienced anything quite like what they said, certainly not in softball...

but do you want to see Canady at FU, Ut or LosuR? I would rather see her stay at Stanford than go to one of those programs, and maybe another ten or 15 schools.

[cclift38]

Either OU gets her or one of the major competitors gets her. I"d just assume get her and put up with the internet trolls.

[TropicalSooner]

What the 2 posters above me here said were of course, very valid points, and I'm not sure ANYONE has ever experienced anything quite like what they said, certainly not in softball...

but do you want to see Canady at FU, Ut or LosuR? I would rather see her stay at Stanford than go to one of those programs, and maybe another ten or 15 schools.

Yeah I would.
Staying at Stanford would to me be the best possible outcome. And maybe all this is a ploy to get more NIL out of Stanford. (or does Stanford even have NIL???)
But if she goes to FU, UT, Okie Lite or even LSU, fine. I would much rather pick up a Rothrock, Kavan, Meylan, or Berzon that would surely be the ensuing fallout.

[inconnu]

Either OU gets her or one of the major competitors gets her. I"d just assume get her and put up with the internet trolls.

I don't worry about internet trolls, nor even jerk coaches like White, Gajewski and Murphy. What concerns me more would be disgruntled OU players(the $$$$$MONEY involved)

[JSULL60]

Either OU gets her or one of the major competitors gets her. I"d just assume get her and put up with the internet trolls.
I totally agree. Winning keeps momentum going in recruiting and getting top portal transfers which keeps Championships coming which keeps top recruits and portal transfers. If Canady lands on one of our competitors who already has a good pitcher and some dangerous hitters than their chances for a title goes up about 10 times. You take one these teams like a Florida or Tennessee as well a handful of other teams and they win back to back titles with Canada then all of sudden they grab recruiting momentum and start getting the players you recruit and transfers you want.
I say no thank you to that. I understand the concerns above and they are very valid points. Yes, the OU will increase exponentially. There maybe some lockeroom issues which the coaches and captains will have to keep a handle on all this. The pressure and expectations to win another championship will be back on. All these Freshmen came here to win championships and putting Canady on the team will make that quest much easier. I say take her and handle the issues that come up.

[TropicalSooner]

Either OU gets her or one of the major competitors gets her. I"d just assume get her and put up with the internet trolls.

yeah, I don't think the internet trolls bother any of us fans. It's the call for investigations by Allister to the NCAA or worse, the Feds, that would require the coaching staff to waste valuable time replying and denying and meeting with lawyers rather than focusing on recruiting, other transfer options, and getting the Freshman class acclimated to college level softball.

The trolls can go kiss my........
but those young 18 yr old girls read that drivel too.

[BudaSooner]

Canady is a generational-type talent, ranking, (IMO) with Bahl, Ricketts and (maybe) a little better than Paige Parker. That's some pretty potent talent. If Patty contacts Canady (and, since Patty is charged with obtaining the best available talent - and OU has a gaping hole in the pitching staff - why wouldn't she?) I think that Patty would be duty-bound to try to add her to the OU softball team. DISCLAIMER: I don't think that Gasso would go after Canady if she felt that Canady would not, for some reason, be a good fit. But Canady certainly has a great work ethic, as we all witnessed during the WCWS.

*******************************

BTW, I had not seen anywhere on the board confirmation that Canady is entering the Portal, so here it is:

KNST.com
6/15

TOPEKA (KSNT) – The best player in college softball in 2024, Topeka's NiJa Canady, will explore options for a new team next season.

A source tells 27 News that the Stanford Cardinal and Topeka High grad will enter the transfer portal.

Canady was named the National Player of the Year in 2024 after leading her team to the national semifinals. She finished the season with a 0.73 ERA as the Cardinals' starting pitcher, racking up 337 strikeouts in the process.

Recently, former four-time all-American pitcher Monica Abbott compared the former Topeka High Trojan to basketball's Caitlin Clark.

Canady has two years of college eligibility remaining. She was the national Freshman of the Year in 2023.

TOPEKA (KSNT) – The best player in college softball in 2024, Topeka's NiJa Canady, will explore options for a new team next season.

A source tells 27 News that the Stanford Cardinal and Topeka High grad will enter the transfer portal.

Canady was named the National Player of the Year in 2024 after leading her team to the national semifinals. She finished the season with a 0.73 ERA as the Cardinals' starting pitcher, racking up 337 strikeouts in the process.

Recently, former four-time all-American pitcher Monica Abbott compared the former Topeka High Trojan to basketball's Caitlin Clark.

Canady has two years of college eligibility remaining. She was the national Freshman of the Year in 2023.

Admittedly, the above says that she "WILL" enter the Portal, not that she has entered the portal, so I guess that until she DOES, she hasn't done anything yet...

[TropicalSooner]

Canady is a generational-type talent, ranking, (IMO) with Bahl, Ricketts and (maybe) a little better than Paige Parker. That's some pretty potent talent. If Patty contacts Canady (and, since Patty is charged with obtaining the best available talent - and OU has a gaping hole in the pitching staff - why wouldn't she?) I think that Patty would be duty-bound to try to add her to the OU softball team. DISCLAIMER: I don't think that Gasso would go after Canady if she felt that Canady would not, for some reason, be a good fit. But Canady certainly has a great work ethic, as we all witnessed during the WCWS.

you're right about that.
I guess we'll all see in couple of weeks where all this sifts out.

[inconnu]

I think I've decided to land on the side of buy her. Crap will happen one way or another if we get her, but if a competitor does...the heck with that! Our recruits and current players gotta realize the most important part of Patty's job is to win. And, amateur sports are no more.

[BudaSooner]

NiJaree Canady to hit transfer portal, OU making the move?

by: Bob Przybylo
•about 12 hours



When you're OU softball, you don't ever have to hit panic for the transfer portal. The good ones? They want to come your way just as much as you want them.

The softball transfer portal window closes Monday, and OU has plenty of open spots. And now we have a real idea of who a legitimate target could be.

A game-changer of a target that would send shockwaves through the college softball world.

Multiple reports Saturday said Stanford star pitcher NiJaree Canady is expected to hit the transfer portal, as early as Monday. She is not in the portal as of Saturday night, but it does feel like the paperwork will be official by Monday.

OU fans simply wonder – is Canady a Sooner? And you know what? It sounds incredibly possible. It would be the second consecutive season where head coach Patty Gasso shakes up the softball community.

The same thing happened last summer when OU added former Oklahoma State star Kelly Maxwell. We all know how that turned out. Maxwell helped OU earn its fourth consecutive national championship last week. And earned Most Outstanding Player honors.

But OU's pitching staff has been depleted. Maxwell, Nicole May and Karlie Keeney are all out of eligibility. Redshirt freshman SJ Geurin entered the portal earlier this week.

That leaves just Kierston Deal and Paytn Monticelli as pitchers who have thrown in a college game. You know the Sooners are looking to add arms. Canady, obviously, would check a lot of boxes.

After being named National Freshman of the Year in 2023, Canady didn't slow down as a sophomore. In fact, she got even better.

Canady was 24-7 this season with a 0.73 ERA and five saves. She threw a whopping 230.2 innings, allowing 116 hits, 24 earned runs with a ridiculous 337 strikeouts. Included in that were 24 complete games and nine shutouts.

A native of Topeka, Kan., Canady would have two seasons of eligibility remaining. Canady has been the catalyst toward Stanford reaching the Women's College World Series semifinals in back-to-back seasons.

OU has at least 4-5 spots to fill through the portal. Geurin, Quincee Lilio and Avery Hodge all hit the portal earlier this week.

The Sooners, right now, have eight returning players and eight freshmen. This next week, though, is expected to be a big one by Gasso and OU to start piecing together the 2025 puzzle.