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2026 NCAA softball preview: Can Texas Tech, NiJaree Canady bounce back?

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2026 NCAA softball preview: Can Texas Tech, NiJaree Canady bounce back?


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Step up to the plate: The 2026 softball season is here.

Texas won its first national championship in program history after defeating instate rival Texas Tech in a winner take all Game 3 in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. But the Red Raiders are ranked No. 1 in at least one preseason poll on the strength of NiJaree Canady’s right arm and the team’s top-ranked transfer class.

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“Obviously it will be very difficult to improve upon our 2025 season, but as a staff we feel like we have made tremendous improvements as we enter our second season at Texas Tech,” head coach Gerry Glasco said.

Here’s five storylines heading into the 2026 softball season, including some early player of the year nominations:

NEBRASKA softball coach refuses to project ceiling for Huskers’ season

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Who won the transfer portal?

The addition of Stanford transfer NiJaree Canady paid instant dividends for Texas Tech in Gerry Glasco’s first season as head coach. The Red Raiders made their first Women’s College World Series appearance last season and fell just short of the program’s first national championship as runner-up to Texas.

Don’t be surprised to see Texas Tech back in Oklahoma City. The Red Raiders reloaded their roster with a top transfer class that brings depth at the pitcher position and extra pop to the lineup. The seven newcomers combined for 105 home runs last season, an upgrade from Texas Tech’s 60 homers.

Texas Tech added All-Americans Mia Williams (Florida), Taylor Pannell (Tennessee) and Jasmyn Burn (Ohio State), plus Kaitlyn Terry (UCLA), Lagi Quiroga (Cal) and Jackie Lis and Desirae Spearman (Southern Illinois).

“We wanted to add depth and experience in as many places as possible as we try to win the national championship,” Glasco said.

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Can Texas defend championship?

The Longhorns are in prime position to repeat with many contributors of their championship squad returning. Sure, the departure of senior third baseman Mia Scott is a blow, but Texas will have continuity in the circle with ace pitcher Teagan Kavan and catcher Reese Atwood back. Kavan had a 28-5 record with a 2.16 ERA and 230 strikeouts last season, while Atwood was named the NFCA Catcher of the Year after leading the team in home runs (21), RBIs (89), slugging percentage (.822) and walks (41).

Atwood and Kavan are among 10 players from Texas’ championship squad that are coming back. Four of those players —  Atwood, Kavan, Kayden Henry and Katie Stewart — were named to the 2026 preseason All-SEC Team selected by a vote of the conference’s 15 head coaches. Texas’ four selections tie Oklahoma for the most. The Longhorns were also picked to win the 2026 SEC Championship.

The Longhorns will also get a boost from the return of shortstop Viviana Martinez, who was sidelined the entire 2025 season with an injury. Martinez started 61 games in 2024 and had a .376 batting average with 70 hits, 52 RBIs and 46 runs.

Texas led the nation in hits (630) last season and its lineup will be even more dangerous with the additions of transfers Kaiah Altmeyer (Arizona), Taylor Anderson (Oklahoma State) and Brenlee Gonzales (Texas Tech).

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What’s up with Oklahoma this season?

Oklahoma’s reign of four consecutive national titles ended last season, but the Sooners look to return to softball supremacy with a squad that features a mix of veterans, the top-ranked 2026 recruiting class and key transfers.

Let’s start in the circle. Right-handed pitcher Sam Landry was the Sooners’ ace last season with 191.2 total innings pitched, 114 more innings than left-handed pitcher Kierston Deal. With Landry having graduated, Deal will most likely get the ball and look to bounce back from a down year, where her ERA was up and strikeouts were down. She posted a 10-2 record with 50 strikeouts and a 3.42 ERA in 77.2 innings last season, compared to her 1.97 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 78.1 innings in 2024. Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso brought in reinforcements with transfer pitcher Sydney Berzon, who recorded a 18-8 record and 2.46 ERA as LSU’s ace in 2025.

That’s not the only additions. Oklahoma’s recruiting class includes Keegan Baker, Ki’ele Ho-Ching, Jerrell “Ori” Mailo, Malaya Majam-Finch, Ella Kate “EK” Smith and Payton Westra. 

“This is one of the best incoming freshman classes that we’ve had in a while,” Gasso said. “There’s a little bit of everything from pitching to great defense, but some big time hitters are going to make this offense powerful and elite. All of these athletes fit the championship mindset mentality.”

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We can’t forget about the returning Oklahoma players. Gabbie Garcia, Nelly McEnroe-Marinas, Ella Parker and Kasidi Pickering were all named to the 2026 All-SEC team. Despite battling an injury much of the season, Parker hit 15 homers and drove in 53 runs while batting .423.

Player of the Year candidates

  • Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady: The 6-foot right-handed senior was unanimously named to the Big 12 preseason team after posting a 1.11 ERA last season and leading the Red Raiders with 11 home runs. Canady was named to the USA Softball 2026 Collegiate Player of the Year watch list. She was one of three finalists in for the award in 2025 after winning it in 2024 at Stanford.
  • Texas catcher Reese Atwood: The 6-foot senior became the first Longhorns player to hit 20 or more home runs in back-to-back seasons and led the nation in with 89 RBIs, the second most in program history behind her own 90 mark in 2024. She was also solid behind the plate and posted a .988 fielding percentage with 313 putouts, 18 assists and four errors.
  • Nebraska pitcher Jordy Frahm: The 5-foot-8 two-way player recorded 23 homers and a .462 batting average last season, in addition to 286 strikeouts and a 1.56 ERA. She was named Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, becoming the first player to earn both in the same season.
  • Tennessee pitcher Karlyn Pickens: The 6-foot-1 senior pitched over 226.2 innings last season and posted a 25–11 record with a 1.17 ERA and 306 strikeouts. She was named SEC Pitcher of the Year after leading the conference in ERA, games started (34), complete games (25), shutouts (7), innings pitched and strikeouts.

How much more parity is there in softball?

No. 1 overall seed Texas A&M was upset in its home regional in College Station, Texas, by Liberty in the postseason, marking the first time in history the top overall seed failed to advance out of its own regional.

The defeat highlights the growing parity in college softball, which can be tied directly to the transfer portal and NIL money being poured into programs. Landing a star player can change a program’s entire trajectory.

Texas Tech won the program’s first Big 12 championship and made its first WCWS appearance following the addition of NiJaree Canady in the transfer portal. It was made possible by Canady’s landmark NIL deal which paid her upwards of $1M, believed to be the largest in softball history. Canady landed another deal for the 2026 season and helped attract the team’s top transfer class.

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Texas Man Finds Hidden GPS Tracker in His New Truck: “They Didn’t Want Me To Find This”

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Texas Man Finds Hidden GPS Tracker in His New Truck: “They Didn’t Want Me To Find This”


A man in Texas, suspicious about his newly acquired truck, decided to take a look inside. To his surprise, he found a GPS tracker that was monitoring his every move. As expected, people online reacted as they normally do: a collective meltdown.

The man in question is none other than David Allen, also known as ToTouchAnEmu. He is a very popular content creator who has over 9.8 million followers on TikTok alone.

And while he shares a wide variety of content, one of his latest videos addresses this apparent breach of privacy. He detailed how he was surprised and overwhelmed as he went through the terms and conditions after purchasing his new truck.

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His dealer had signed him up and paid for a one-year subscription to CarRx, a platform and mobile app that monitors vehicles’ data. David, however, was not too thrilled to find out exactly what that meant.

Tracking Everything

For starters, he showed that, under the terms and conditions, CarRx would sell all collected information to third parties. David was not too worried about that.

Instead, he showed all the data that the platform collects from vehicles. Understandably, he was shocked.

Monitored information includes the car’s VIN, mileage, oil and battery status, fuel, and charging history. The platform can also track a vehicle’s location, speed, crash detection alerts, braking events, and even camera image and sensor data.

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Finding the Tracker

David, still astounded by the revelation, knew that something was fishy. He asked, “I start thinking, how do they know all that information about my car if they don’t have some sort of GPS tracker on it?”

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And to no one’s surprise, and thanks to a Google search, it turns out that there was, in fact, a tracker installed in David’s truck. And not willing to let it slide, the man got to work immediately.

The Texas man searched for the tracker near the OBD port. He noticed a Y-cable right below it and found the tracker connected to it. The tracker had an IMEI, meaning that it had a SIM card in it, so tracking is pretty much a guarantee.

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Viewers React Accordingly

Of course, David’s video caused a multitude of reactions. Some took issue with how he labeled his SUV a truck, but most viewers were worried about their privacy.

“We need data privacy laws stat!” one said. Another one commented, “This isn’t new, unfortunately. I used to work for GM; they track everything. In real time.”

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The latter comment seemed to echo the majority of reactions. Other users, former car dealership employees themselves, said the exact same thing. 

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Texas Rangers investigating City of Trinidad after water issues, controversial arrests, firings

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Texas Rangers investigating City of Trinidad after water issues, controversial arrests, firings


After controversial arrests, alleged retaliatory firings and a litany of water issues, the Texas Rangers are investigating the City of Trinidad.

What we know:

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The Texas Rangers confirmed to FOX 4 they have begun an investigation into the City of Trinidad.

“We can confirm the Texas Rangers are investigating. As this is an active investigation, we have no further information to provide,” the Texas Rangers said to FOX 4 in a statement.

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Dig deeper:

The law enforcement agency’s investigation comes as multiple lawsuits have been filed against the city over retaliatory firings and controversial arrests related to the city’s water quality issues.

This week, former Trinidad City Administrator and Secretary Lindsey Patterson filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming she had “no record of discipline” when she was terminated in Feb. 2026.

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Patterson’s suit claims she was fired after reporting to the Trinidad Police Department that “public funds belonging to the city were being held by private individuals.”

Former Trinidad City Administrator Lindsey Patterson

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Trinidad’s current City Administrator, Cynthia Dosier, has been listed as a defendant in several of the lawsuits. She has not returned FOX 4’s request for comment since our first report.

On Friday, FOX 4’s David Sentendrey attempted to speak to Dosier at her office in Trinidad. Dosier had no comment when asked about the Texas Rangers’ investigation.

“It’s way bigger than just water”

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What they’re saying:

Trinidad Mayor Dennis Haws previously called for an investigation by the Texas Rangers into the city’s now-public issues. He tells Sentendrey he’s glad that’s finally happening.

“I wanted people here to know that there is going to be transparency at the end of this,” Haws said.

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“We need to know that our office is in order and I think the best way to do that is with a third party having eyes on it and finding out what really is going on here.”

Trinidad Mayor Dennis Haws

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The investigation wouldn’t have come without Henderson County resident Jennifer Combs’ arrest for a Facebook post concerning the city’s water quality. 

“To tell the story to someone they would think you were crazy. You know what I mean?”

She says she’s glad the Texas Rangers are investigating, but that the root of the issue remains: the city’s water issues.

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“I’m just ready for all of it to calm down and what’s going to happen is gonna happen, and the rest needs to be done so we can get back to the real issues of fixing the water. People deserve clean water.”

Trinidad Water Saga

Timeline:

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The saga in Trinidad, which claims less than 800 residents, began in May following Combs’ arrest over the city’s water issues.

Combs’ post stated that people had been hospitalized after drinking the city’s water. FOX 4 has not verified that anyone in Trinidad was hospitalized from drinking the city’s water.

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A Henderson County grand jury declined to indict Combs, who has since filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Trinidad and Gregory which alleges she was arrested in “an act of deliberate political retaliation.”

Since our initial report, FOX 4 has continued to receive images of dirty and discolored water from the residents of Trinidad.

Trinidad officials have admitted the city has struggled to keep its water clean. Combs said the water “looks like the Trinity River.”

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The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) confirmed to FOX 4 it received a complaint regarding the water quality in Trinidad, and that an investigation is ongoing.

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One day after FOX 4’s initial report on Combs, citizen journalist Winston Noles protested outside Trinidad City Hall with a sign with expletives targeting “bad cops.”

Noles was arrested and charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct for the sign. The Trinidad Municipal Judge, Shellena Bivens, later dismissed the charge.

On Wednesday, May 27, Alex Estrada and Colby Reyes, two former Trinidad employees, filed a lawsuit against the city claiming the city administrator fired them without cause.

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Reyes, the former Trinidad Water Clerk, says in the lawsuit that she was fired because she “refused to lie” on behalf of Gregory and City Administrator Dosier.

Reyes’ lawsuit claims Gregory publicly fabricated a story that Reyes was frightened by Noles in order to arrest him, in which Reyes says she put in writing she was “never offended” by Noles.

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A law firm representing Estrada and Reyes and Consumer Wellness Center Labs are organizing free independent water testing for people on Trinidad’s water supply as the TCEQ investigation continues.

At a May 28 Trinidad City Council meeting, Judge Bivens was fired as the city’s municipal judge. The issue of water quality in Trinidad was never addressed.

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Gregory, who made his first public comments since FOX 4 initially reported on the story, said he had “nothing to hide” in relation to Combs and Noles’ arrests.

Trinidad Mayor Dennis Haws suggested to Sentendrey that the Texas Rangers should investigate the city and its police department after the recent arrests and water issues have come to light.

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Bivens is considering legal action against Trinidad, with her attorney saying her firing was unjust. “I’m a good judge. I’m a damn good judge,” Bivens told Sentendrey.

In June, a family in Trinidad alleged that after showering with the city’s water, their teenage daughter suffered a chemical burn.

An attorney for the family provided a preliminary water test strip result that showed “dangerous” free chlorine levels in the Logan family’s water. It remains unclear if Trinidad’s recent water treatment led to the Logans’ daughter’s rash.

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A planned meeting for Thursday, June 4 to give an update on the city’s attempts to fix their water quality issues was canceled. Mayor Haws said he did not receive a reason for the cancellation, though a small protest took place outside the planned meeting.

Gregory resigned from his position as Trinidad Police Chief following the multiple controversies. His final day with the department was June 19.

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Gregory has declined interview requests from FOX 4, citing pending lawsuits.

Following news of Gregory’s resignation, the Trinidad judge who approved the arrest warrant for Combs wrote a scathing letter against him and his police department.

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McKee’s letter questions “the accuracy, completeness, and reliability of information presented” to him by two Trinidad police officers in relation to Combs’ arrest warrant.

What’s next:

Interim Trinidad Police Chief Cameron Beckham told Sentendrey over the phone he has a meeting with the Texas Rangers in the next few weeks and plans to fully cooperate with their investigation.

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The Source: Information in this story comes from the Texas Rangers, the City of Trinidad and previous FOX 4 reporting.

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Fetus found deceased along Lewisville Lake shoreline was discarded intentionally, police say

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Fetus found deceased along Lewisville Lake shoreline was discarded intentionally, police say


An investigation is underway after the Lewisville Police Department said a fetus was found deceased along the Lewisville Lake shoreline Friday morning.

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Police said a resident called them to report the discovery around 8 a.m. near Lake Park Road. Officers then began searching for evidence alongside investigators from the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office. The scene has since been cleared.

The department said the fetus appeared to have been between five and six months of gestation and appeared to have been intentionally discarded along the shoreline. The medical examiner’s office is now working to determine identity and other characteristics.

Anyone with further information is asked to contact Detective Craig Holleman by emailing cholleman@cityoflewisville.com or by calling 972-219-3620. Anonymous tips can also be shared with the Denton County Crime Stoppers online or by calling 1-800-388-TIPS.



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