Glendale’s Kaitlyn Terry finds her way back to WCWS with Texas Tech

PHOENIX – When Kaitlyn Terry was 3, a purchase cemented her future softball career, all thanks to a marked-down left-handed mitt.

“We went to the Nike outlet in Anthem. Right-handed gloves were like 50 or 60 bucks, and they had all the left-handed gloves marked down to $4,” said Joe Terry, Kaitlyn’s father. “And at that point, we decided she was going to be left-handed.”

Little did her parents know that decision would shape her into the one-of-a-kind player she is today.

The Glendale native is an all-around pitcher/utility player for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and is competing for a national championship as Tech takes on the University of Texas in the championship series beginning Wednesday.

“It’s definitely a blessing playing for the people back in Arizona,” Terry said. “There are not many players who come out of Arizona who can be in this position, so it’s just playing for the people back in Arizona and playing for my family.”

Terry started playing softball at 4 and was already a step above the rest.

“She always played up. She was always the youngest on her team until she was about 14,” her father said. “She got to start playing with her own age, and actually started getting recruited, so it’s been from there on up she was being recruited and watched.”

By 16, Terry was already committed to playing softball at the Division I level after playing at Greenway High School, but not with the Red Raiders.

Terry spent her first two years of her collegiate career at UCLA.

In her two seasons spent in California, Terry left her mark in the pitching circle, claiming Pac-12 First-Team honors her freshman year and Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, and made it to the Women’s College World Series.

During her sophomore campaign, Terry moved from exclusively pitching to playing both ways, all while leading the Bruins’ pitchers with a 20-5 record, and once again making it to the WCWS.

“She’s a gamer, and we knew from a young age,” said Kristy Terry, Kaitlyn’s mother. “ She had the mindset when she was very young of the game in general. I think she had the mindset before she had a talent, per se.”

In June 2025, Terry announced on Instagram that she would transfer to Texas Tech for her junior year, standing out in all areas of the game.

Dominating in the circle and at the plate, Terry is tied for first on the team in batting average at .438 and leads the team with a 1.80 ERA.

“Coach Glasco just lets me be me,” Terry said. “And that’s maybe not something I got at my old school, but I think it’s just playing for my younger self again, and they just brought a side out that I needed that I didn’t get the past two years.”

What separates Terry is her drive to compete.

“She’s just a competitor,” her father said. “She doesn’t want to lose. It doesn’t matter to her who she’s playing. Who’s in the other dugout. She plays the exact same way every game; she just wants to win, and that’s what drives her. She’s always been like that.”

Texas Tech softball coach Gerry Glasco appreciates her drive.

“When you watch KT, you see the ultimate competitor,” Glasco said in a postgame press conference Sunday. “Just greatness. The competitiveness is like a Bobby Hurley. Just greatness is what I see. Tonight I saw her and her greatness giving everything she had to our ballclub.” 

While the star power of the Red Raiders speaks for itself, the bond of this tight-knit group pays benefits, too..

“It’s been amazing, and it’s been great to see her so happy with this team,” her mother said. “They’re one. They have each other’s backs, and it’s amazing to see.”

Terry herself is just one half of the dynamic duo that makes up Tech’s talented pitching rotation.

NiJaree Canady is the senior half and right-handed counterpart of the Terry-Canady combo and was a part of the reason Terry made the leap to Lubbock.

“I love being by her side. That was also a big reason I wanted to come here,” Terry said. “I wanted to be by somebody’s side who is an elite pitcher, knowing that she needed help, and I know exactly what my role is, being exactly where I am. Just watching her pitch is amazing.”

While this is not Terry’s first run at a shot for the national title, the pressure is on as the Red Raiders and Longhorns are meeting again, as both teams were in the championship last year, with Texas ultimately winning.

Terry tries not to let the expectations overcome her.

“I try not to think about the pressure,” Terry said. “Obviously, nerves are going to come tomorrow and the next day, but we just kind of think about it as just another game. Yeah, it’s the championship, but knowing it’s just another ball game, a game that we play pretty much every single day.”

Terry is soaking in every minute.

“Being here is just a blessing, and now being here in the championship, I’m glad it’s with this group of girls and this coaching staff, this team for Texas Tech,” Terry said. “And even the Lubbock community, the way they show out in Oklahoma City, it’s insane. Just knowing you have so many people behind you, that there is so much support here at Texas Tech, and it’s just so amazing.”

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