If you’re not watching these golden ticket softball stars now, you will be in May

The NCAA softball season is hitting the homestretch. Conference tournaments will be held in early May with 31 automatic bids the NCAA Tournament at stake. Similar to basketball, 64 teams will qualify for the tournament, which culminates with the Women's College World Series, which begins May 29 in Oklahoma City.

So who are the players and teams to keep on our radar heading into the tournament? The Athletes Unlimited Softball League has given us a pretty good idea by handing out golden tickets − delivered by softball legends or AUSL league leadership in front of teammates, coaches and family members − to the best college players, soon to be pros, in the country. Getting a ticket means the athlete will be drafted to AUSL on May 4 (7 p.

m. ET, ESPN2). Fifteen golden tickets have been handed out so far, all but two of the players are on teams ranked in the top 25.

Here are the athletes who have received them: Nijaree Canady, Texas Tech, pitcher This should come as zero surprise, given Nijaree Canady has an name image and likeness deal for $1. 2 million and quickly became the face of college softball during last season's Women's College World Series. The 6-foot pitcher transferred from Stanford to Texas Tech in 2025.