STANFORD, Calif. - NiJaree Canady added to her list of first-year achievements on Tuesday, named to the inaugural D1Softball All-American Freshman Team.
Canady, a top-3 finalist for the TUCCI/NFCA Division I Freshman of the Year Award to be unveiled later this evening, has established herself as one of the nation's most elite pitchers while contributing to a staff boasting the country's best strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.33) and ranking fourth in ERA (1.55).
Canady (16-1, 29 appearances, 22 starts) is the nation's leader in ERA (0.48) and strikeouts per seven innings (11.6) while ranking third in hits allowed per seven innings (3.31).
Canady, who in 116.1 innings leads the Cardinal with 193 strikeouts while walking only 19, has also thrown two no-hitters while accounting for seven of Stanford's 19 shutouts, a total that ranks 10th in the country. Canady has tossed eight complete games and has limited opponents to a .138 batting average.
In four NCAA appearances, Canady has allowed one run on seven hits in 17.1 innings with 25 strikeouts.
An All-Pac-12 First Team honoree and Pac-12 All-Freshman Team selection, Canady's 18 strikeouts versus Villanova on March 3 were the most since Missy Penna's school record of 19 back on March 23, 2009 against Cal Poly.
A top-25 finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, Canady was a three-time D1Softball Freshman of the Week, three-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week and three-time Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week.
Stanford (45-13, 14-10 Pac-12) makes its third NCAA Women's College World Series appearance in school history later this weekend, also advancing to Oklahoma City in 2001 and 2004. Stanford will face No. 1 Oklahoma (56-1, 18-0 Big 12) on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. PT.
Stanford's 45 victories are its most since a 48-11 finish in 2009. The 40-win campaign is the first since 2012. Stanford compiled a 21-game winning streak from Feb. 12-March 17, representing the second-longest in school history, behind 28 in a row from Feb. 7-March 23 in 2009. A top-10 fixture in the polls, the Cardinal has been ranked as high as No. 5. Stanford has totaled 14 victories against top-25 opponents this season. The Cardinal is also 34-13 against teams ranked among the top-75 in RPI.