Lauren Merola

5 days ago | nytimes.com | Jeff Howe |Nick Baumgardner |Lauren Merola |Dianna Russini

By Jeff Howe, Dianna Russini, Lauren Merola and Nick BaumgardnerTravis Hunter officially signed his rookie contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team announced Sunday. The four-year deal is worth a fully-guaranteed $46.65 million with a $30.57 million signing bonus to be paid up front, according to league sources. Hunter, the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, was a two-way star at Colorado, playing both wide receiver and cornerback.

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Lauren Merola

OKLAHOMA CITY - Every pitch Teagan Kavan throws follows a similar routine. She stretches her right foot ahead of her left, bends her knees, raises her left arm to check the pitch call on her watch as her right hand bobbles the ball. Her gloved left hand meets her right one, she winds up and lets it fly. It's a symphony of movement - everywhere but her face, where her muscles are static. The hitter has no idea what she's thinking, and that's exactly how she wants it.

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Lauren Merola

OKLAHOMA CITY - It was supposed to be ball 4. As NiJaree Canady struggled to intentionally walk Reese Atwood in the bottom of the sixth, the batter capitalized. Atwood, one of Texas' best hitters, didn't take the 3-0 pitch that was intended to give her a free pass to first base. Instead, she swung, singling to score two runs and send the Longhorns to a 2-1 victory in Game 1 of the Women's College World Series on Wednesday. After review, this pitch was obstructed by @atwood_reese bat.

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Lauren Merola

OKLAHOMA CITY - For the Glasco family, softball is the lingua franca, the language that connects them. It anchors Texas Tech coach Gerry Glasco to his daughter Tara Archibald, who is also the program's associate head coach. And it connects both of them - even now - to Geri Ann, Gerry's daughter and Tara's youngest sister, who was killed in a car crash in 2019 at just 24 years old. "For us, it's like you can't go anywhere in the softball community without some sort of tie to Geri Ann." Tara said.

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Lauren Merola

OKLAHOMA CITY - We gather here today to say goodbye to the Oklahoma softball dynasty, and hello to the NIL era. Because if Texas Tech just proved anything, it's that you can buy a championship. Last summer, the school spent a million dollars and change to lure the best player in softball to Lubbock, Texas, in hopes of making it to its first-ever Women's College World Series. Naturally, NiJaree Canady upped the ante.