Three Red Raiders Selected for 2026 Academic All-America Softball Team

How many times are we going to talk about the Texas Tech softball team? Until they stop making headlines and until we get sick of hearing about them (which is never).

Well, they're back in the thick of it again after three remarkable players were just selected for 2026 Academic All-America softball teams from College Sports Communicators. The three being Jackie Lis, Mia Williams, and the star herself, NiJaree Canady.

In fact, Canady has earned the title of Division I Team Member of the Year for the second straight season, with this also being the third consecutive year that she's made the first team!

Texas Tech Players Selected for All-America Team

Senior pitcher Canady is joined in the first team by two of her fellow teammates, junior infielder Mia Williams and senior infielder Jackie Lis.

Because they wanted to add even more stress, the College Sports Communicators included each player's GPA in their announcement. But don't worry, Texas Tech was well represented as Canady boasted a 3.68 in Applied Personal Finance. Jackie Lis held a 3.7 in Accounting, and Mia Williams comes in with an impressive 3.86 GPA in her path to earning a Human Sciences degree.

Winning Stats for All Three

Lis put up 21 home runs in the 2026 season alone while entering the top 10 for runs scored in Texas Tech and recording the most runs by a Red Raider in a postseason win with four.

Williams dominated the field this past season both offensively and defensively at second base. She also set the program record with 27 home runs in 2026 while being the first player in program history to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases within the same season.

Finally, star pitcher NiJaree Canady has stolen the spotlight countless times this past season with her cannon of an arm. She helped bring Texas Tech to its first NCAA Women's College World Series final before doing it again the very next year!

Canady ended the 2026 season with 1,000 career strikeouts, joined by just one other Division I pitcher who has done the same. Her talent was immediately recognized, and she was drafted to the Texas Volts in May to bolster their incredible lineup moving forward.

Check out the Volts' season schedule here, and make sure to keep up with how Canady will do on the team. I imagine her star power is far from fading as she takes the mound in the pro league!