TOPEKA (KSNT) — Two Topeka natives are on fire in the pitching circle as college softball season gets underway.
Topeka grad Nija Canady and Washburn Rural alumnus Kasey Hamilton are off to the start of their 2023 campaigns.
Canady, a freshman at Stanford, already has his first career no-hitter. The former Lady Trojan pitched a five-inning no-hitter against Liberty in only the second college outing of her career. She has three complete game stoppages in her first four starts for the Cardinal.
Canady didn’t allow a single earned run in 22 innings pitched to start his college career.
Kasey Hamilton also had a stellar start to the 2023 softball season. Hamilton, a young KU, got off to a pretty rough start. He has allowed a total of 10 earned runs in her first two outings of 2023. However, in two starts since then she has been sensational.
The WRHS product tallied two hits in three days and only went one out short of winning consecutive complete games. Hamilton went the distance Thursday, Feb. 16 against Cal St. Fullerton, striking out eight. On Saturday, February 18, Hamilton pitched 6.2 innings and struck out eight others.
Hamilton isn’t the only local star playing well for KU softball. Another Washburn Rural graduate, Olivia Bruno, is hitting .300 and .800 in nine games. Bruno has six hits, including three home runs, in his first 20 at-bats of the season.
Also, Manhattan High School graduate Haleigh Harper is making an impact on the Jayhawks. The senior shortstop batted in a run with a walk-off single on Friday, February 17 to help Kansas beat Liberty.
KU softball is 6-4 to start the year.
