ESPN.com has an amazing preview of the 2024 Women's College World Series (link). The article contains in-depth analyses of all eight teams, plus every kind of statistical graphic you can imagine. One set of statistics stood out to me: Oklahoma's offensive output this year is almost identical to what it was last year, but the Sooners' pitching has come down a notch since last year. For example, OU has allowed 1.8 runs per game this season compared to 1.0 a year ago, and has struck out 23.4% of opposing batters this year as opposed to 31.3% last year.
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.