OKLAHOMA CITY — The Texas Tech softball team made a statement to open the 2026 Women’s College World Series on Thursday.
Jackie Lis belted a two-run home run, NiJaree Canady pitched four scoreless innings as Texas Tech rolled to a run-rule 8-0 victory over Mississippi State on at Devon Park.
Texas Tech (58-7) will play at 2 p.m. CST Saturday against the winner of Game 2 between Texas and Tennessee. Mississippi State (43-20) will play the Texas-Tennessee loser at 6 p.m. CST Friday.
“I thought Nija coming out in the first inning, I think she had two strikeouts, she set the tone,” said Tech coach Gerry Glasco. “She gave us four innings with two hits and I thought she was just fantastic as she always is in Oklahoma City. And I was proud of (Kaitlyn Terry) when we brought her in, it was a smooth transition.”
The Red Raiders took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when leadoff hitter Mia Williams was hit by a pitch for the sixth time since the Super Regional and Lis followed with a home run.
“Mia Williams getting on base, she’s a magnet now, and I’m glad she found a way to get on base for Jackie Lis,” Glasco said. “And then for Jackie Lis to step up in her first World Series at-bat, is just always so calm, and then for her to deliver a two-run home run and put us in command with no outs in the first inning, that was just a huge moment for me and probably a huge moment for this small town girl.”
Added Lis, “I really wasn’t thinking that it was my first at-bat of the World Series. I was just more excited that we scored first because I knew that was going to be huge for us.”
Texas Tech added two more in the second inning on RBI doubles from Lauren Allred and Williams.
The Red Raiders scored four runs in the fifth inning on a single by Lis for her third RBI of the game, an RBI-single by Kaitlyn Terry, and a one-out single by Mihyia Davis in which two runs scored invoked the run rule with one out.
Canady (26-6), the two-time national pitcher of the year and playing in her fourth straight World Series, allowed two hits and struck out five in four innings. Terry pitched a 1-2-3 fifth inning.
“Being a pitcher, I think it allows me to attack batters,” said Canady about the offense behind her. “Especially after we got four runs off the bat, the approach was to attack batters. One home run isn’t going to hurt us, so it just gives me confidence cause I can go right at hitters. I feel it set the tone for this whole World Series.”
For Mississippi State, Alyssa Faircloth (16-8) allowed four runs in 1 1/3 innings. Peja Goold gave up four runs, three earned, in three innings, having run-ruled the first game.
This is the first time since 2007 that neither Oklahoma nor Florida has been in the WCWS. Mississippi State eliminated Oklahoma in the Super Regional round and Texas Tech defeated Florida in another Super Regional.