She played for James Madison, a mid-major program that entered that year’s Women’s College World Series having never competed at college softball’s showcase event. She stood just 5-foot-7, several inches shorter than the tall, long-limbed intimidators the traditional powers often featured.

And she was Black.

She stole the show anyway. Her infectious energy, exceptional skill, rare athleticism and competitive fire fueled the unseeded Dukes’ unlikely surge into the national semifinals and made her the event’s breakout star.

Alexander’s success resonated with Texas Tech’s NiJaree Canady and UCLA’s Taylor Tinsley, two Black pitchers who were in high school at the time. They rarely saw anyone at the Division I level whose look and swagger in the circle resembled theirs. 

That’s why they couldn’t help but smile broadly when they were asked at this year’s Women’s College World Series about Alexander’s special week five years earlier.

“It meant everything to see someone like me pitch in the World Series and do it successfully,” Canady recalled. “And just seeing how she grew the game for people who looked like us — it meant a lot.”

Knowing her success propelled Canady and Tinsley resonated with Alexander.

“They’re not carrying on my legacy, they’re creating their own,” Alexander said. “But if my journey helped them believe they could do it, too, that’s something I’m really proud of.” 

In a sign of progress, Canady and Tinsley started against each other Sunday night in an elimination game, a rare WCWS matchup between Black pitchers. Texas Tech defeated UCLA 8-7 in nine innings and moved into the semifinals. Canady got the win and Tinsley went the distance, throwing 181 pitches in a gritty performance.

Canady didn’t stop there. Texas Tech needed two wins against top-seeded Alabama on Monday to return to the championship series for a rematch against Texas, and she delivered again.

The senior star won the first game in relief, securing a 5-4 victory that forced a winner-take-all second game. She came back and threw a two-hitter with six strikeouts to give the Red Raiders a 2-0 victory in the nightcap. Now, she’s two more wins away from a national championship. Game 1 against the defending national champion Longhorns will be played Wednesday night.

Alexander’s magical stretch helped Canady and Tinsley believe reaching the highest heights of the college game from the circle was realistic. But Alexander didn’t just leave a mark because she was good — it was that she hit the scene with so much flair, in such a dramatic way.

On the opening day of the 2021 WCWS, Alexander stared down No. 1 seed Oklahoma and a lineup that included standout players Jocelyn Alo, Tiare Jennings and Jayda Coleman. Alexander struck out nine in a complete-game, 4-3 victory in eight innings.

The next day, the Dukes led Oklahoma State 2-1 in the seventh with runners on second and third and one out. Alexander charged a bunt, picked the ball up with her glove and dove in one fluid motion to tag the runner coming home for the second out. James Madison held on for the win, and the spectacular play pushed Alexander to the top of the sports highlights that weekend.

Oklahoma later eliminated the Dukes in the national semifinals, but Sooners fans who had fallen in love with Alexander’s all-out style of play gave her a standing ovation when she was replaced in the circle during her final game. Oklahoma went on to claim the first of four straight national titles.

It was quite a launch into the spotlight for Alexander, who hailed from the tiny town of Boydton, Virginia.

“She brought the small-town atmosphere and her personality to the big stage,” USA Softball CEO Craig Cress said. “And she performed on the big stage. She beat the Goliath at that time in OU, so she instantly won over a lot of fan support.”

Alexander had already proven to be an elite player — she was Softball America’s NCAA Pitcher of the Year and a National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) second-team All-American that season. But her WCWS run made her a star beyond the sport. She was nominated for an ESPY Award for best female college athlete.

Alexander has continued to succeed. With Team USA, she was a Canada Cup Champion and a Pan American Championship gold medalist in 2022. She won the Athletes Unlimited individual championship in 2023, topping a field of 60 players during a 30-game season. Now 28, she plays for the Athletes Unlimited Softball League’s Chicago Bandits.

Tinsley said she’s thankful to have pitched in the same WCWS circle Alexander once pitched in, and that she loves when Black girls approach her after games to talk about the art form.

“I hope that I am inspiring a younger generation, which I know I am — just keeping in touch with my people back at home or all the little girls that DM [direct message] me or want pictures after the game,” she said.

Canady said she is proud young players see her the way she saw Alexander.

“Honestly, that’s what I’m trying to do. too,” Canady said. “I’ve had so many parents reach out to me and, honestly, people at away games, and just say how much their daughter started softball and started pitching because of people like us. So it means a lot.”

Alexander was an unexpected star who wasn’t even sure she could make it at the college level. She emerged step by step before making the most of her chance to shine on the big stage.

On the other hand, Canady was a powerful force from the beginning of her two-year stint at Stanford. The 6-footer was named freshman of the year by the NFCA and Softball America, then was the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and NFCA Pitcher of the Year as a sophomore before deciding to transfer. In each of the two years since, she has signed a name, image and likeness deal worth more than $1 million at Texas Tech. Canady was a second-team NFCA All-American this season and the No. 2 overall pick by the Texas Volts in the AUSL draft.

Tinsley, who is 5-foot-7 like Alexander, was selected by the Utah Talons in the second round of the AUSL draft. She tied for the national lead with 33 victories this season and was fourth in innings pitched. At the WCWS, she fired a three-hit shutout in five innings to lead UCLA in an 11-0 rout of Arkansas that set up the Sunday showdown with Texas Tech.

“I have a pitcher who put this program on her back for the last three years. I’m very grateful that she did,” UCLA head softball coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said.

Canady and Tinsley faced off during last year’s Women’s College World Series, too. Canady gave up just four hits and struck out seven, and Texas Tech won 3-1. Tinsley allowed three runs on four hits.

Statistics show Black players made up 8% of Division I players in 2025, but Cress acknowledges the percentage of Black pitchers is much lower. He was encouraged by the matchup between Canady and Tinsley and appreciates the fact that they, like Alexander, are committed to making young Black girls feel comfortable approaching them.

Ultimately, Cress wants more Black athletes to step into the circle so the talent pool for Team USA expands and the sport continues to grow.

“I’m excited about [Canady and Tinsley] because we need more and more people who want to play our game from that standpoint,” he said. “But they’re also two good role models. And that’s what all sports are about, is the role models that they create and what they bring to the table.”

The next Black star pitcher might already have arrived. Alabama freshman Vic Moten, who won 21 games this season, entered both of Monday’s games in relief. In the first game, she gave up three runs in 2 ⅔ innings and struck out four. In the second, she gave up one run on two hits in two innings of the 2-0 loss. 

Alexander said the future looks bright.

“As a Black pitcher, representation matters, and seeing them continue to excel at the highest level shows how much the game is growing,” Alexander said. 

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