2025 WOMEN'S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

June 4, 2025

Gerry Glasco

NiJaree Canady

Mihyia Davis

Texas Tech Red Raiders

Postgame Press Conference

Texas - 2, Texas Tech - 1

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Texas Tech head coach Gerry Glasco and players Mihyia Davis and NiJaree Canady.

We'll start with on opening statement from Coach Glasco.

GERRY GLASCO: I thought it was a tremendous night. The weather was gorgeous. The crowd was fantastic. It was just a great setting to play a National Championship Game in. It has been all week. I think the stadium and the way it's grown, the way it's exploded, and the way Oklahoma City has put it on, first class. It's really been fantastic, and I thought it was again tonight.

As far as the game, I thought it was two teams with great pitching and battled it out. I thought we missed a couple opportunities to get a run. It could have been a really, really big to put another run or two on.

I thought NiJa pitched a tremendous ballgame -- seven strikeouts, no walks. I thought she was really, really good. To me, the difference in the game was we didn't put the game away. We had the Game 1-0, but a team like Texas with that great an offense and that much speed and ways they can put the ball in play, it will eventually catch you if you just let them hang around. We didn't feel urgency to put the game away.

I think we missed an opportunity or two, not on purpose, but we missed an opportunity or two that proved pivotal in the end. Then we get two out in the sixth, I believe. I thought the first line drive, I thought we could have been aggressive and made that catch pretty easy. It's something we've talked about all year, how important it is to be able to dive for balls and attack balls. I thought that was a play that should have been made, a routine play.

The next ball was a ball in front of the second baseman. I had to look, and we were out of position. I was surprised when it fell. I felt that ball was a little pop-up. I'm assuming we were deep, but I'd have to look at that. Then you've got two runners on, and we made the decision to walk Atwood, and I guess we had a ball that was close enough she could get her bat on it, and I guess she hit it.

With all that said, they got two runs, and we lost 2-1. You've got to give credit to Atwood there. She wanted to play ball. She wanted to make a play. She made a difference in the game at a time we were trying to take her out of the game. I think that's really a huge thing when you look at the game. You could see when people wanted to really make plays, and you could see when people, when athletes were more tentative.

I think you've got to tip your hat to Texas. They were really aggressive at the end, and they got the win 2-1.

Q. NiJa, I believe that was your first intentional walk attempt all season. Can you take us through the challenge of trying to execute that play in this type of setting?

NIJAREE CANADY: There's no challenge. I made that mistake. I think that loss is on me, and I apologize to my team.

Q. NiJa, I understand you're fighting through a leg injury. From a physical standpoint, how are you feeling? Then from a mental standpoint, having to bounce back and likely throw tomorrow, where are you physically? Where are you mentally?

NIJAREE CANADY: I'm fine. I have all summer to rest. I'm ready to play softball.

Q. NiJa or Mihyia, if you all can answer. Coaches always talk about let's flush this game, let's get to the next one. Is that harder to do in this setting knowing what's at stake tomorrow?

NIJAREE CANADY: Honestly, no. It's been our motto all year, to be the best come from behind team in America. So we're just doing that again.

MIHYIA DAVIS: Yeah, I think this is good for us to know, feel how bad this hurts and don't let it happen again.

Q. This is for both players. What are some of the mental conditioning tools and things you've been working on all season to reset quickly after a disappointment that you apologize to your team? How do you reset quickly, and how have you been trained to do that all season?

NIJAREE CANADY: I think just knowing this is Game 1. We still have two more games to play. They won one game, they didn't win the whole battle.

MIHYIA DAVIS: Just have a short memory. Sleep on it, let it go, come back tomorrow.

Q. Mihyia, as frustrating as the loss is, you had a great night at the plate. Can you discuss what went well for you?

MIHYIA DAVIS: It feels good to come out of the little slump that I had and to finally do my job for the team because I haven't been doing that. So it feels good.

Q. NiJa, can you take us through the at-bats with Henry and Scott? If you made a mistake or they just got lucky hits or how would you determine it?

NIJAREE CANADY: Those are good hitters, and I feel like they just put the ball in play. They're a really good hitting team.

Q. NiJa, can you confirm that was your first intentional walk called throughout your college career? If not, do you remember a time before that that was called as a play for you?

NIJAREE CANADY: No, it wasn't, but also I'm a college pitcher, I'm a junior now, so I should be able to do that. That's no excuse.

Q. Coach, can you take us through the decision to go with the intentional walk of Atwood?

GERRY GLASCO: I didn't want to -- with a base open, I don't want to pitch to what I think may be the best hitter in the country. It made sense -- to me, it made sense to load the bases, let's go to the 4 hole. Let's don't take a chance. She's gotten clutch hit after clutch hit after clutch hit all of her career.

Maybe it was the wrong decision. Maybe we should have went at her. I wanted to go to the 4 hole with the bases loaded and you've got a force ought at every single base. Anything gets hit, you've got a better chance of making a play. Let the 4 hole beat you instead of the star.

Q. Is that something that is practiced with NiJa at all intentionally walking and such?

GERRY GLASCO: I just told Tara, if we don't practice intentional walk once a week, maybe we learn something we'd better write in our book for next year. I really don't know how often they practiced it.

I'm sitting here listening, and I didn't realize it was her first intentional walk all year. You think about it, I guess we haven't. I know we pitched around people, and maybe I should have just said pitch around her because we definitely have pitched around several people this year, but we didn't stand up. Maybe that was a coaching error on my part.

Q. Earlier in the week you said I'm not going to go down without having my best ace in the circle. Are you going to lean on NiJa tomorrow?

GERRY GLASCO: We'll see how she feels tomorrow. She's got a lot left in her career. First and foremost, we've got to wake up tomorrow. We'll do early hitting tomorrow. We didn't hit this morning. The girls said they were tired, they wanted the morning off, and I let them have the morning off. We definitely will hit tomorrow morning.

We'll see how everybody feels at that -- if she doesn't feel good -- she's going to want the ball. If you know NiJa, she's not going to complain, she's not going to tell you. We'll have to really dig, and hopefully the trainer can get her to communicate enough that he'll get a good assessment.

I want to win, but also I want to be sure we leave this season healthy for the future.

Q. I don't know if you believe in momentum or not, or it's just you wipe it clean and start over tomorrow. Do you feel like Texas has a big edge because they have a win?

GERRY GLASCO: The game definitely will start, the momentum is absolutely in the Texas dugout at the beginning of the game. The first couple innings are going to be critical for us to hold them and at some point get the momentum into our dugout early in the game tomorrow, as early as possible.

It's going to take a really tough, resilient team to come back. It always does. But if you can get one win and you get to Game 3, anything's possible.

Q. Back to the intentional walk, not necessarily the walk, but was Hailey ready for the pitch? It looked like Bailey was, but was Hailey ready for that?

GERRY GLASCO: I have to watch the film. I was walking down the -- out of the dugout. I heard the bat, and I'm like, did I hear them hit it? I wasn't even looking. I don't know the answer.

Q. I think there have been some proposals to do a point and walk rule in college softball. Given what happened and the impact it had on the game, what do you think of the rule? Then if you do go with NiJa tomorrow, how do you think she's going to respond on the mound?

GERRY GLASCO: As far as the rule, I don't know. There's people a lot smarter than I am that could answer that. I don't know. I think we should be able to execute it. I don't think we should change the rule. Maybe that's why you don't want to change the rule because something like that can happen. It's above Gerry Glasco's pay scale to answer that question.

As far as NiJa tomorrow, if you've got to pick a pitcher in America to come back and win two games in a row with -- I'll take NiJa. I hate it. Our offense, when I look after our first two, hitters were 0 for 18, and that's what I'm really frustrated about. That's just really -- we work this hard for the season, you don't want to see your hitters go 0 for 18.

But if anybody can do what we need to do to come back, I'm thrilled to have NiJa do it.