Softball

10/21/2024 |  Columbus, Ohio, to Host Gay Softball World Series in 2026 (SportsTravel) Columbus, Ohio, will host International Pride Softball’s Gay Softball World Series, the largest annual LGBTQ+ single-sport athletic competition in the world, from August 30 to September 5, 2026.
More than 230 teams and 5,000 athletes are expected to attend the event. This is the fourth time Columbus will host the GSWS and first time since 2021, which resulted in $7.4 million in direct visitor spending.

8/23/2024 |  College softball’s popularity proves integral to pro league’s success (Gist Sports, The) The fifth season of AU Pro Softball will reach its electrifying end on Sunday, when one of the country’s 60 best players will top the leaderboard to become the 2024 champion. From expansion to big-time investors, the league’s success reflects softball’s growth into mainstream sports culture — and much of that stems from the college game’s skyrocketing popularity.

7/25/2024 |  Texas Tech Poaches Softball Star With $1 Million NIL Deal (Front Office Sports) A college softball pitcher signed an NIL collective deal several times the size of many top men’s basketball superstars.
NiJaree Canady is leaving Stanford for Texas Tech after signing a one-year deal worth $1,050,024 with the school’s Matador Club collective, according to The Athletic. The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year leaves the Cardinal after two back-to-back trips to the Women’s College World Series.

7/24/2024 |  USA Softball Player of the Year NiJaree Canady reportedly gets a $1 million NIL deal to transfer to Texas Tech (Yahoo Sports) Former Stanford softball pitcher NiJaree Canady is heading to the Big 12.
The USA Softball Player of the Year announced Wednesday that she would be transferring to Texas Tech. According to The Athletic, Canady is receiving a deal of just over $1 million from the school’s name, image and likeness collective to come to Lubbock.

6/10/2024 |  Madison to Host Inaugural Rocket City Softball Showcase (SportsTravel) Madison, Alabama, and its Minor League Baseball stadium will host the Rocket City Softball Showcase over a week in February 2025.
The event at Toyota Field, home of the Southern League’s Rocket City Trash Pandas — the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels — will begin February 19 and feature four softball programs from the Southeastern Conference.