Jordyn Bahl, NiJaree Canady among players to watch in NCAA softball tournament

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Here are five players to watch in the NCAA softball tournament, in alphabetical order:

Jordyn Bahl, Nebraska

Bahl was the Most Outstanding Player of the Women’s College World Series in 2023 and led Oklahoma to a national title. She transferred to Nebraska before last season but was injured and missed most of 2024. This season, she has a 23-6 record with a 1.57 ERA and 254 strikeouts in 174 1/3 innings. She didn’t bat at Oklahoma, but she leads the Huskers with a .458 batting average, 19 homers and 59 RBIs.

Nebraska plays UConn on Friday in the Baton Rouge regional.

NiJaree Canady, Texas Tech

Canady, last year’s USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year at Stanford, has continued to dominate at Texas Tech. She led the Red Raiders to the Big 12 regular-season and conference tournament championships.

Canady has a 26-5 record with a nation-leading 0.81 ERA. She has 263 strikeouts in 181 innings. Like Bahl, she wasn’t in the batting lineup at her last stop but is adjusting well to dual roles. Canady has a .309 average with eight homers and 30 RBIs.

Texas Tech is the No. 12 overall seed and plays Brown on Friday in the Lubbock Regional.

Bri Ellis, Arkansas

Ellis is batting .475 with 26 homers and 72 RBIs. She leads the country in on-base percentage (.649) and slugging (1.189). She is second nationally in home runs and walks, fourth in batting average and seventh in RBIs.

She has led Arkansas to the No. 4 seed in one of its best seasons ever. She has 58 walks and has only struck out 13 times.

Ellis was the No. 2 overall pick in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) draft.

The Razorbacks play Saint Louis on Friday in the Fayetteville Regional.

Cori McMillan, Virginia Tech

McMillan has a nation-leading 30 homers to go with 61 RBIs for a Virginia Tech team that is a threat to pull an upset in the Tuscaloosa Regional. She has a .452 batting average, has been walked 41 times and leads the team with 14 stolen bases.

McMillan was the No. 4 pick in the AUSL draft.

The Hokies play Belmont on Friday.

Karlyn Pickens, Tennessee

Pickens got the softball world’s attention when one of her pitches was clocked in March at 78.2 mph — the fastest ever recorded for a college pitcher.

She’s accurate, too — she has a 20-8 record and a 0.92 ERA with 231 strikeouts in 174 1/3 innings. Her ERA ranks third nationally.

The seventh-seeded Volunteers open with Miami (Ohio) on Friday in the Knoxville Regional.