The Athletes Unlimited Softball League Inaugural Draft Order Set with 80 Eligible Players

January 23, 2025, New York, N.Y. – The AUSL (Athletes Unlimited Softball League) today announced the details of its Inaugural Draft, which will take place on Wednesday, January 29 live at 8:00 p.m. ET, airing on both the ESPN App and the Athletes Unlimited YouTube page. ESPN analyst Andraya Carter will host the show, with analysis provided by former All-Americans Amanda Scarborough and Danielle
Lawrie.

The AUSL Inaugural Draft will determine the initial 12 players to be selected to play for each of the league’s first four teams: the Bandits (led by General Manager Jenny Dalton-Hill and Head Coach Stacey Nuveman-Deniz), Blaze (General Manager Dana Sorensen and Head Coach Alisa Goler), Talons (General Manager Lisa Fernandez and Head Coach Howard Dobson) and Volts (General Manager Cat Osterman and Head Coach Kelly Kretschman).

The General Managers – in consultation with their Head Coaches – will begin the process of assembling Their 16-player rosters at the AUSL Inaugural Draft by selecting from a list of 80 of the world’s top softball players who have declared themselves eligible to be drafted (full list here and below). The four remaining roster spots will be filled with the incoming class of the top NCAA talent who will finish their eligibility in May, as well as one free agent pick for each club. In addition to the opportunity to compete in the new league, all players selected in the draft will receive benefits unprecedented in the history of the sport, including year-round health insurance, mental health services, paid leave for pregnancy or adoption and in-season childcare.

The Bandits won a lottery to earn the first overall selection, to be followed by the Blaze, Talons and Volts. Picks will be selected in a rotating draft order. To ensure parity, the first pick of each round will rotate among the four teams as follows:

Round 1: Bandits, Blaze, Talons, Volts
Round 2: Blaze, Talons, Volts, Bandits
Round 3: Talons, Volts, Bandits, Blaze
Round 4: Volts, Bandits, Blaze, Talons

Launching this spring, the AUSL will be a touring property in its first season, with the Bandits, Blaze, Talons and Volts playing games in six to eight different cities. The teams will each be assigned to a single city when the league becomes city-based in 2026. ESPN has signed on as a founding broadcast partner of the AUSL, and will carry at least 30 games exclusively on its linear platforms (ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU) in 2025 between the AUSL and the AUSL All-Star Cup (the former Championship Season,
which will follow the AUSL). Further details including touring locations, schedule and additional broadcast partners will be announced at a later date.

LIST OF PLAYERS ELIGIBLE TO BE SELECTED IN AUSL INAUGURAL DRAFT (AS OF JAN 23)

Pitchers (20):
Odicci Alexander – James Madison
Taran Alvelo – Washington
Georgina Corrick – South Florida
Estelle Czech – Texas
Chenise Delce – Arkansas
Megan Faraimo – UCLA
Montana Fouts – Alabama
Rachel Garcia – UCLA
Payton Gottshall – Tennessee
Carley Hoover – LSU
Lexi Kilfoyl – Oklahoma State
Allie Light – San Diego State
Mariah Mazon – Oregon State
Aleshia Ocasio – Florida
Keilani Ricketts – Oklahoma
Ashley Rogers – Tennessee
Hope Trautwein – Oklahoma
Alana Vawter – South Carolina
Sarah Willis – UCF
Brooke Yanez – UCLA

Catchers (9):
Julia Cottrill – Texas A&M
Mia Davidson – Mississippi State
Taylor Edwards – Nebraska
Kayla Kowalik – Kentucky
Dejah Mulipola – Arizona
Sharlize Palacios – UCLA
Jordan Roberts – Florida
Jordyn Rudd-Lee – Northwestern
Kelly Torres – Duke

Middle Infielders (13):
Ali Aguilar – Washington
Billie Andrews – Nebraska
Sis Bates – Washington
Erin Coffel – Kentucky
Hannah Flippen – Utah
Tiare Jennings – Oklahoma
Aubrey Leach – Tennessee
Sydney McKinney – Wichita State
Josie Muffley – Florida State
Sierra Romero – Michigan
Sydney Romero – Oklahoma
Anissa Urtez – Utah
Skylar Wallace – Florida

Corner Infielders (10):
Andrea Filler – Northwestern
Baylee Klingler – Washington
Daisy Munoz – Cal State Fullerton
Lilli Piper – Ohio State
Ashley Prange – Alabama
Kelsey Stewart-Hunter – Florida
Nadia Taylor – Texas
Tori Vidales – Texas A&M
Jessi Warren – Florida State
Delanie Wisz – UCLA

Outfielders (16):
Jadelyn Allchin – UCLA
Aliyah Andrews – LSU
Ciara Briggs – LSU
Ciara Bryan – Louisiana
McKenzie Clark – Clemson
Bella Dayton – Texas
Morgan DeBord – Minnesota
Kalei Harding – Florida State
Victoria Hayward – Washington
Madi Huskey – Washington
Caroline Jacobsen – Clemson
Jenna Kean – Louisiana
Bubba Nickles – UCLA
Erika Piancastelli – McNeese
Megan Wiggins – Georgia
Morgan Zerkle – Marshall

Utility Players (12):
Makena Brocki – San Diego State
Suzy Brookshire – Long Beach State
Hayley Busby – Oklahoma State
Valerie Cagle – Clemson
Pal Egan – Florida
Sara Fessler – Youngstown State
Sahvanna Jaquish – LSU
Kayla Kowalik – Kentucky
Ali Newland – LSU
Sam Show – Oklahoma State
Allie Skaggs – Arizona
Karli Spaid – Miami (Ohio)