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Gatorade 2020 - 2021: Player of the Year

Softball - Kansas

athletes playing Softball
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SOFTBALL

Nija Canady

Pitcher/infielder
TOPEKA HS
TOPEKA, KANSAS
JUNIOR
Height: 6-FOOT-0
Press Release

Peak Performance

0.26

ERA

232

Strike Outs

.515

Batting Average

16

Home Runs
“Nija is truly a special player. She is a product of hard work, dedication and a relentless pursuit of excellence.”
Jim Huecker
Head Coach - head coach of the Louisville Lady Sluggers ASA team
excellence star

Athletic Excellence

The 6-foot junior right-handed pitcher and infielder led the Trojans to a 25-0 record and the Class 6A state championship this past season. Canady compiled a 21-0 record in the circle with a 0.26 earned run average, allowing just 37 hits while striking out 232 batters in 109.1 innings pitched. Ranked as the nation’s No. 19 recruit in the Class of 2022 by Extra Inning Softball, she allowed just two unearned runs on seven hits in four postseason games, firing a 1-hitter with 16 strikeouts in Topeka’s 7-1 win over Olathe North High in the state final. At the plate, she batted .515 with 16 home runs, 59 runs batted in and a 1.364 slugging percentage.

a graduation cap

Academic Achievement

Canady has maintained a weighted 4.46 GPA in the classroom. She will begin her senior year of high school this fall.

first place ribbon

Exemplary Character

A member of the Topeka High student council, Canady is the Junior Class President. She has volunteered locally at homeless shelters and nursing homes, and she has donated her time as a youth basketball coach.