USA Softball has a lot of stars to choose from for its LA28 diamond

Mia Williams (Texas Tech), NiJaree Canady (Texas Tech), and Karlyn Pickens (Tennessee) are ones to watch in women’s softball over the next two years.

Softball, first played at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, will return to the 2028 Los Angeles Games after last appearing at the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021.

Until 2008, the Olympic Committee supported the sport as a world-class event that belonged on the top international stage.

After not being part of the Olympic Games in 2024 — softball wasn’t included in Paris — and coming off a historic Tokyo 2020 Olympics, held in 2021 due to the global pandemic, in-person fans will get their chance to watch their favorite catchers, pitchers, sluggers, and base stealers in LA.

Team USA won a silver medal in their last Olympic showing. And, before the Americans host the upcoming summer Games, and USA Softball deliver their Olympic roster, there’s a lot of college competition to savor.

Over the course of the next 30 months, Team USA has time to put together an impressive roster of star athletes and that’s due to the American collegiate scene that boasts several athletes primed to be the next big superstars, who could bring home another gold.

NiJaree Canady was arguably the best pitcher in college softball in the 2025 season.

She had a dominant year with a 1.11 ERA over 240 innings pitched. The Stanford transfer was the ace of the Texas Tech team that nearly won the Women’s College World Series (WCWS), which took down the four-time defending champion Oklahoma Sooners in the semi-finals 3-2.  

Canady had a brilliant performance against Oklahoma, pitching a complete game while allowing only two runs. Showing off her stamina, she also appeared in all three games of the Championship Series.

She pitched complete games in Games 1 and 2, before leaving after the first inning in Game 3, when she gave up five earned runs.

Tennessee’s Karlyn Pickens is another pitcher to look out for. Similar to Canady, the standout junior had a flashy 2025 season. A 1.17 ERA over 226.2 innings pitched was one of the reasons Tennessee looked like it had a real chance to win the WCWS.

In 2025, Pickens broke the NCAA record for the fastest pitch twice. The first was on March 24, 2025 when she broke Monica Abbott’s 13-year record with a pitch clocked at 78.2 mph.

She then broke her own record with a 79.4 mph pitch on May 24, 2025.

Canady or Pickens could easily be the best pitcher for Team USA when the time comes. It would be a hard decision to make, who would start in a win-or-go-home game, but you can’t go wrong with either of these stars.

On the offensive side, college softball provides just as much talent as the pitching side.

Texas’ Reese Atwood would easily be in contention for the best catcher Team USA could field. Atwood batted close to .400 and slugged 21 homers over 68 games last season.

The Southeastern Conference described her as “a force behind the plate, posting a .988 fielding percentage with 313 putouts, 18 assists and just four errors.” She threw out “four-of-seven-would-be base stealers throughout 68 games this past season.”

Atwood received the Johnny Bench Award for her performance. The award is given to the best NCAA Division I catcher in the country.

She also becomes the first player in Texas history to win the award. She was a key player in delivering the Longhorns their first program title in history in 2025.

Oklahoma’s Ella Parker turned in a terrific sophomore campaign, hitting .423 with an on-base-percentage of 1.310. Parker is one of the younger members looking to carry on Oklahoma’s dynasty after they fell short this season. 

In her young career, Parker already has championship experience, being a part of the 2024 WCWS-winning Oklahoma team. 

Mia Williams is another name to look for as she continues her collegiate career with Texas Tech. The transfer from Florida hit .335 with 10 doubles and 19 homers last season. 

Going into her junior year, she is looking to help Texas Tech get back to the title game and get over the hump to secure a championship. 

These star players will likely continue their careers in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League or other professional leagues before the Olympics, providing them with valuable competitive and professional experience before competing in Los Angeles.

The future of USA softball is extremely bright for 2028. Like years past, softball has appeared in all medal games winning three gold, and two silver.

Thank you for reading Female Athlete News. Carter Joseph Brooks is a student-intern at Penn State.