The drama began when the Athlete’s Unlimited Softball League’s first contract holdout was from one of the game’s brightest stars.
After two seasons at Texas Tech and losing in the Women’s College World Series championship twice, right-handed pitcher NiJaree Canady and her representation refused to sign her rookie contract.
The exact reason why is unclear because, according to Front Office Sports, the contract is consistent with the other rookies. In 2025, the AUSL indicated that players can earn up to $80,000, including performance and marketing incentives.
Originally, Canady’s agent, Lindsay Colas, said her client was seeking a “fair and equitable contract.”
That statement from Colas sent softball social media into a frenzy, with former AUSL players challenging the decision by Colas and others supporting the decision. After Canady’s holdout took over the internet, Colas sent reporters an updated statement:
“Women athletes have continued to prove that seeking their value is not about self-interest, it’s about what you owe the sport and everyone coming after you. NiJa is grateful to be in a unique position with the responsibility to acknowledge that softball is at an inflection point,” Colas said. “NiJa loves this game too much to let this moment pass without honoring what it’s asking of her. NiJa is grateful for all of it and she looks forward to joining her team and competing as soon as we can finalize the contract.”
Canady agreed to terms on June 12 and was in the circle for the Texas Volts by the weekend.
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However, that wasn’t the only AUSL drama as Portland Cascade pitcher Sam Landry found herself in the middle of some controversy.
Landry pitched a gem on June 13, and afterward, a user on X (formerly Twitter) called the former Oklahoma star out for not signing autographs with the rest of her team. Landry quoted the user and said she didn’t sign because she was sick and didn’t want to spread germs.
There is overwhelming evidence showing Landry signing autographs time and time again, but the one time she didn’t, it was blown out of proportion.
Has the AUSL finally made it? In just Year 2, there was more drama after the first two weeks than ever before.
Honestly, the drama is bringing in a new audience. Similar to what happened during the WCWS, drama fueled addictive story lines, and this could be happening with the pro league. That’s not a bad thing because the competition on the field has been just as electric as the drama off of it, too.
In her first game with the Cascade, Megan Grant sent a pitch from Karlyn Pickens into orbit. Seriously, it went 313 feet and exited the bat at 86 m.p.h.
The home run would’ve left the yard in at least two Major League Baseball stadiums.
The exclamation point on the week had to be when Reese Atwood homered off Canady for her first career pro hit. In her next at-bat, she homered again.
It was a true welcome to the league moment for Canady because some of the biggest moments of Atwood’s career came against Texas Tech in the 2025 and 2026 WCWS.
The AUSL will only benefit from everything that has been happening, regardless of whether the players see it as good or bad. ESPN just had its best viewership ever for the WCWS, and the dramatic story lines helped draw people in.
Perhaps the same thing is happening for the AUSL? Only time will tell.
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Soccer: Annie Peterson, @AnnieMPeterson, AP Women’s Soccer
Tennis: Joey Dillon, @JoeyDillon, Freelance Tennis Writer
Basketball: Howard Megdal, @HowardMegdal, The IX Sports
Softball: Maren Angus-Coombs, @Maren-Angus, The IX Sports
Golf: Marin Dremock, @MDremock, The IX Sports
Hockey: @TheIceGarden, The Ice Garden
Gymnastics: Jessica Taylor Price, @jesstaylorprice, Freelance Writer
