Northwestern brought a 9-16 nonconference record into today's B1G opener at No. 2 Michigan (who entered 22-2). Things seemed to be going according to form, as the Wolverines held leads of 6-0 after three innings and 7-2 after four (box score, game article). The Wildcats exploded for 7 in the fifth and 4 in the sixth, to take a 13-7 lead. UM then rallied for 5 in the bottom of the seventh, but it wasn't enough, as Northwestern prevailed 13-12. The same teams play again Saturday and Sunday.
NiJaree Canady, whose sub-1.00 ERA helped lead Stanford to the Women's College World Series in both her years with the Cardinal, announced on July 24 that she is transferring to Texas Tech. I've lived in Lubbock for 27 years and can say that the town has been improving with a greater selection of restaurants and shops, and a new downtown performing arts center. Likewise, nice new facilities have been dotting the Texas Tech campus . Still, it seems unlikely that Canady would have become a Red Raider without the $1 million annual Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deal for her, made possible by the donation of a Texas Tech alumni couple. So stunning an event is this, even in the ever-changing world of collegiate athletics, that the New York Times even ran a behind-the-scenes story on Canady's path to Texas Tech. I look forward to being in the stands to watch Canady pitch next spring, an opportunity I never expected to have.