What We’ve Already Seen From AUSL Season Two

Athletes Unlimited Softball opened this week from June 9-11. With nine total games, each team played three times in repeated matchups. 

The Cascade traveled east to take on the Carolina Blaze. The Volts went up to Oklahoma City to battle the Sparks. Last, the Chicago Bandits headed to Utah to take on the Talons. 

This Opening Day delivered the first-ever games from the newest additions to the league, the Portland Cascade and the Oklahoma City Spark. This marks a historic day for the league as they look to make lasting impacts throughout the rest of the season. 

Coming off of day three, the Blaze sit at 2-1 with 4-1 and 11-1 wins over the Cascade. As a result, the Cascade sit at 1-2, with a 12-4 win.

The Talons took all three games over the Bandits 5-2, 1-0, and 9-8, respectively. They now lead the league at 3-0.

The Spark took two of the three over the Volts to move to 2-1 on the season. They took game one 13-5 and game three 5-4. The Volts claimed game two with an 8-5 win.

With just 24 games per team this season, a strong record will be key, as the postseason will quickly approach. 

The Standouts

Volts infielder Tiare Jennings notched her first hit of the season with a grand slam to bring in four of the Volts’ five runs in their opener. Unfortunately, she was outmatched by a dominant Sparks offense that tallied 13 runs on nine hits. If that wasn’t enough, she sent a second one out of the park for a solo shot on day two.

Center fielder from the Sparks, Maya Brady, niece of former NFL quarterback Tom Brady, led the Sparks offense in game one from the leadoff spot with five RBIs on three hits and one home run. In game two, she added two walks and a three-run homer.

Talons first baseman Bri Ellis got off to a monstrous start with four hits in six plate appearances. This included four RBIs and one home run.

From the circle, Montana Fouts tossed a complete game one for the Talons, letting up just two earned runs while claiming four strikeouts. With a 2025 season ERA of 2.71, Fouts will be key for this Talons pitching staff. She will be joined by rookie Taylor Tinsley.

Korbe Otis, Cascade outfielder, had herself a five-RBI day on day three, going 2-4 with an RBI single and a grand slam. Otis slashed .346/.422/.922 last season and is just getting started in 2026.

Rookie Debuts

Though many standout draft picks are still coming off an amazing run at the Women’s College World Series, it didn’t stop them from making an impact early on.

Maya Johnson earned her first start in the circle on Opening Day and notched her first complete game. Though she gave up five earned runs, Johnson’s offense supported her enough to propel her through six innings. 

Number one draft pick Karlyn Pickens took the circle for the Blaze in game two. The ace only needed five innings to get it done. The star pitcher let up just two runs on five hits while notching five strikeouts to earn her first professional win and complete game.

Those two runs off Pickens came from fellow rookie Megan Grant of the Cascade, who launched a four-bagger 86 mph off the bat and 313 feet for her first professional hit. This set the AUSL record for longest home run. The NCAA Division I single-season home run record holder definitely has more in the bag for fans to see as the season continues.

The Volts picked up reserve player Aminah Vega, coming off a successful season at Duke with a .464 average. She blasted her first career homer on day two to log three RBIs and propel the Volts to their 8-5 win.

Who Can We Expect More From?

Keep an eye on the rookie talent, and expect big numbers from players like two-time collegiate national champion Reese Atwood, now catching for the Blaze. 

Ailana Agbayani has yet to make her mark early in the season after leaving five on base while hitting in the two-hole on day one. Consequently, the Bandits moved her down to the nine-hole on day two, where she still struggled at the plate.

On the pitching side, veterans will be competing with rookies for time in the circle, but expect no shortage of top names like Rachel Garcia, Odicci Alexander-Bennett, and Sam Landry. Although off to a slower start, their reputations precede them. 

Up Next

Expect a season of dominant pitching, led by both rookies and league veterans. Fans should see a substantial increase in offense, similar to the trends seen throughout the collegiate season. 

Each team took a couple of days off after the first three games of the year, with play resuming today, Saturday, June 13. From this point on, games will be played every day, continuing through the end of the regular season.

Media coverage rotates between ESPN’s and MLB’s channels, as well as CBS Sports Network.