Little things go a long way in Texas Tech softball winning Lubbock Regional title

Before stepping down from the dais for the final time of the weekend, NiJaree Canady asked for a moment to speak of another Texas Tech softball pitcher.

As much as it may seem like Canady is a one-woman wrecking crew, eating up the majority of available innings for the Red Raiders, Chloe Riassetto has been quietly waiting in the wings. Head coach Gerry Glasco has limited his junior lefty's innings throughout the latter half of the season, often pulling her quickly to insert Canady at the first sign of trouble.

In the back of Glasco's mind, though, he always knew he could count of Riassetto. He's seen her perform in the biggest moments. Last year while the pair were both at Louisiana, it was Riassetto who pitched the Ragin' Cajuns to a win over then-undefeated Oklahoma, ending the Sooners' record-setting winning streak.

That's why he didn't hesitate to put Riassetto in Sunday in the championship game of the Lubbock Regional. Canady didn't have her usual stuff — a blister limited the Big 12 pitcher of the year to just two pitch options against Mississippi State — and the Red Raiders had plenty of cushion to bring it home.

After Canady issued a lead-off walk in the bottom of the sixth, Riassetto took her place in the circle and did what she's done all year: worked quickly and effectively. She needed just two pitches to get Sierra Sacco — who entered the weekend with the eighth-highest batting average in the country — into a 4-3 double play, pulled off by fellow Louisiana transfers Alexa Langeliers and Lauren Allred.

Riassetto faced five batters and retired them all, clinching Texas Tech's 9-6 win to send the Red Raiders to the Super Regionals for the first time in program history. Canady took the questions, as she's done for every national outlet in the country at some point this season, but she wanted to turn the attention to Riassetto.

"I know Chloe's not here," Canady said during the postgame press conference, "but she pitched an amazing game."

Texas Tech's regional-clinching win featured a number of players stepping into the spotlight when the moment called for it.

Glasco opted to insert Logan Halleman as a pinch hitter in the second inning and it paid off. Her infield single helped Tech load the bases and it resulted in a three-run inning to create early separation. Glasco called it "the most important play of the whole game."

"At this point of the season," Glasco said, "everybody has a role. So the key to winning and the key to getting to the World Series is everybody accept the role and then embrace the role when it comes time. And that's a kid doing a great job of that."

With wind gusts around 40 miles per hour — typical for Lubbock — playing defense was tricky. The usual sure hands of the Texas Tech infield had difficulty handling some bloopers and grounders. That was how Mississippi State got a pair of three-run innings to keep the Bulldogs in the game.

Immediately after each of those three-run frames from Mississippi State, freshman Hailey Toney answered the call. Entering the weekend with just four homer runs this season, she hit two on Sunday, each crucial to helping the Red Raiders finish the job.

In the fifth inning, Alana Johnson went to work against Mississippi State ace Raelin Chaffin. Johnson fouled off seven straight throws from Chaffin and went 17 pitches before drawing a leadoff walk. She later came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Demi Elder.

Texas Tech's NiJaree Canady reacts to a strikeout against Mississippi State in the Lubbock Regional championship game of the 2025 NCAA softball tournament, Sunday, May 18, 2025, at Rocky Johnson Field.

"I feel like having an at-bat like that, honestly, it doesn't matter the outcome," Canady said of Johnson. "I feel like that's a win for the hitter. So even if she didn't end up walking. ... I feel like just being able to have that kind of an eye for that long is really good."

Texas Tech officially listed the attendance for both games against Mississippi State as 2,178, setting new Rocky Johnson Field attendance marks that were already broken six times this season. That is added to the laundry list of other achievements for the Red Raiders, who are now on their way to the Super Regionals against 5-seed Florida State next week.

Glasco praised the crowd support after each game of the Lubbock Regional, and said he was ready to turn his attention to the Seminoles shortly after securing the trip to Tallahassee. It's been a long season full of firsts for Texas Tech and it's not over just yet.

"It means everything," Canady said of securing a spot in the Super Regionals, "and just to be able to do this year at Rocky Johnson and in Lubbock, Texas, this means a lot. We really just felt the support today, so we're hoping that carries on to next season."

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Little things go a long way in Texas Tech softball winning Lubbock Regional title