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AUSL Opening Series Roundup

Screenshot 2024-07-31 at 7.46.34 PMby: Brady Vernon06/12/26BradyVernon

The second season of AUSL is now underway with plenty of drama and highlights as the six teams squared off in three series across the country.

AUSL Standings

Utah Talons 3-0
Oklahoma City Spark 2-1
Caroline Blaze 2-1
Texas Volts 1-2
Portland Cascade 1-2
Chicago Bandits 0-3

AUSL Opening Series Recaps

Texas Volts @ Oklahoma City Spark

June 9: Spark 13, Volts 5 (F/6)
June 10: Volts 8, Spark 5
June 11: Spark 5, Volts 4

  • Maya Brady picked up where she left off from last season with the Talons. Brady went 6-for-9 with four walks (.667 BA, .769 OBP) in the series against the Volts. She blasted a grand slam, had two homers, and eight RBIs for Oklahoma City.
  • Amari Harper isn’t far behind her batting .571 and was hit by a pitch to walk off the rubber match on Thursday. Bubba Nickles-Camarena is batting .333, but the rest of the Spark have batting averages under .230.
  • The Oklahoma City pitching staff survived despite using five rookies: Maya Johnson, Peja Goold, Cassidy Curd, Lyndsey Grein and Ruby Meylan to open the season. Johnson got the ball on Opening Day and pitched well outside of a grand slam by Tiare Jennings. Curd, who is up from the reserve pool, threw four innings, allowing one run on a solo shot. Every win until the veteran staff arrives is a plus for the Spark.
  • Speaking of Jennings, she had quite the start to 2026 as well. She holds a 1.566 OPS after three games with two home runs and seven RBIs.
  • Aminah Vega is making a case to stay on the Volts. The former Duke star is batting .500 with two triples and a homer. She’s also stepped into third base and played well defensively.
  • Aliyah Binford had a great series on both sides. She hit .429 with a pair of doubles and a homer. Binford also threw six innings, allowing one run.
  • Also, an infield of Jessica Warren and Sydney Sherrill doesn’t seem fair.

Portland Cascade @ Carolina Blaze

June 9: Blaze 4, Cascade 1
June 10: Blaze 11, Cascade 2 (F/5)
June 11: Cascade 12, Blaze 4

  • Aleshia Ocasio was certainly the star of the series. She picked up the Opening Day behind four strong innings, allowing one run before Keilani Ricketts closed things out with three scoreless. Ocasio batted .500 and led the team with five RBIs.
  • Karlyn Pickens was awesome in her debut, throwing a five-inning complete game in the Blaze’s run-run win. She was very good outside of the two-run blast she allowed to Megan Grant, but she also struck out Grant twice in that game. If she can help stabilize Carolina’s pitching, it’ll be a huge step forward.
  • Ana Gold is off to another strong start, batting .429 with a .636 on-base percentage.
  • The Cascade set an AUSL record with 12 runs in the second inning of Thursday’s win, however, outside of that frame, Portland only scored three runs the rest of the series. The former Gator duo of Kendra Falby and Korbe Otis are the only two who collected three or more hits in the series.
  • If you show how missed Megan Grant’s 313-foot home run, you’ll find it below:

Chicago Bandits @ Utah Talons

June 9: Talons 5, Bandits 2
June 10: Talons 1, Bandits 0
June 11: Talons 9, Bandits 8 (F/8)

  • The Talons swept, but the series was incredibly close in the rematch of last season’s championship.
  • Montana Fouts was awesome. After a rough start in the first inning on Opening Day, she cruised the rest of the way, throwing six straight scoreless innings. She closed out the series finale with three scoreless. Fouts threw 10 innings, allowing two runs and striking out seven.
  • Sarah Willis was great in the score game, throwing five shutout innings before Megan Faraimo closed the door for the save. The Talons are already cooking in the circle before reigning AUSL Pitcher of the Year Georgina Corrick’s arrival.
  • Bri Ellis smacked two home runs, already surpassing her total from her rookie year. She’s hitting .714 with a double and triple as well.
  • Jayda Coleman and Aliyah Andrews, who are creating a no-fly zone in the outfield, are both batting over .360.
  • Erin Coffel and Morgan Zerkle haven’t skipped a beat. Both have an OPS over 1.000 to start the season. They are joined by Sami Williams, who leads the team with a .556 average and the lone home run.

AUSL Upcoming Schedule

Sat, Jun 13 (ET)

Volts @ Blaze | 12:00 PM ET | ESPN
Spark @ Bandits | 2:00 PM ET | ESPN2
Cascade @ Talons | 4:00 PM ET | CBS Sports Network

Sun, Jun 14 (ET)

Spark @ Bandits | 12:00 PM ET | ESPN2
Cascade @ Talons | 8:00 PM ET | MLB.TV

Mon, Jun 15 (ET)

Volts @ Blaze | 7:00 PM ET | ESPN2
Cascade @ Talons | 9:30 PM ET | ESPN2

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