NiJaree Canady is not only the best pitcher in softball, but she has also made history as the first athlete in the sport's history to sign a million-dollar deal.

The reigning USA Softball National Player of the Year, who transferred from Stanford to Texas Tech, inked a landmark contract. The Matador Club, Texas Tech's NIL collective, offered Canady a one-year, $1,050,024 contract, which includes a million for Canady, $50k for living expenses, and $ 24k for her jersey number.

Last July, Canady entered the transfer portal, and her decision reverberated throughout college softball. In her previous two seasons, she led Stanford to the Women's College World Series, and it seemed like a perfect fit.

According to The Athletic, Canady's family requested that Lifetime Cardinal, Stanford's NIL collective, sign the star pitcher to a new NIL deal.

Stanford and Lifetime Cardinal did not give a new deal to Canady that season. Although she was the best player in college softball, Candy couldn’t read an agreement with the NIL collective until the last day the NCAA portal was open.

Per the report, Stanford was prepared to up its initial offer of “100,000-$150,00” to Canady with a "much larger offer" that would have been "within shouting distance" of what Texas Tech had on the table.

After visiting the Texas Tech campus, Canady decided to move to the “Lone Star” state.

Despite the lucrative deal, the money was not Canady's sole motivation for making the transfer.

"I feel like people thought I heard the number and just came to Texas Tech, which wasn't the case at all," Canady said. "If I didn't feel like Coach Glasco was an amazing coach and could lead this program to be where we thought it could be, I wouldn't have come."

Gerry Glasco, the head coach of the Red Raiders, said that it was a no-brainer to sign Canady.

"My message was: We're talking about Bo Jackson. We're talking about Herschel Walker," Glasco told ESPN on what he said to the Sellers. "We're talking about a once-in-a-generation player that's already made a name all over America. She's a folk hero in our sport, and she's a sophomore."

"We look at it as they deserve it just as much (as male athletes). She worked so hard to be the No. 1 pitcher in the country. ... I left that meeting and thought, this is who I would love to put a lot of effort into because of who she is," Glasco added. 

To say that Canady is worth her contract would be an understatement; along with her superior pitching prowess, she’s also proven to be an excellent hitter, a skill she was not permitted to showcase at Stanford. This season, Canady is batting .312 with a slugging percentage of .720 and an on-base percentage of .454. Additionally, she recorded 34 RBIs, 29 hits, and 11 home runs in 55 games.

Up next for Canady is the Women's College World Series (WCWS) championship series, which will be played on June 4, 5, and 6, in a best-of-three series on ESPN. Texas Tech will take on the Texas Longhorns.