The MLB stars who inspired these softball trailblazers

Professional softball is at its height of its visibility with the launch of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League.

Last week, Major League Baseball announced a strategic investment in the AUSL, marking a first-of-its-kind partnership with a women’s professional sports league to help establish and grow the AUSL as a sustainable organization.

But many players stepping into their pro careers today didn’t have the representation of pro softball on their TVs or social media growing up. Instead, they looked to MLB players to inspire their swings, personas, and dreams.

Sharlize Palacios wants to be the “chispa” like Fernando Tatis Jr.
Growing up 15 minutes south of San Diego in Chula Vista, Calif., Talons catcher Sharlize Palacios went to her fair share of uneventful Padres games.

That’s why when Fernando Tatis Jr. and his “chispa” took the team by storm in 2019, he was an instant favorite for her.

“Sometimes the Padres games were a little lulling; we didn’t have an explosive player,” Palacios said. “And then we hear about Tatis coming up. He won all the Padres fans’ hearts by just being a chispa, being a spark.”

That’s what Palacios wants to be for the Talons in the AUSL: spunky, fun, and a player everyone wants to see play.

“And as a righty hitter, I can appreciate a righty swing that is just gorgeous,” she added.

Although they play different positions, Palacios and Tatis Jr. both have a propensity for power. Palacios was a star at UCLA and finished her collegiate career with a .338 batting average (213-for-631) and a whopping .700 slugging percentage. She blasted 69 home runs in her four years.

They have commonality on pitches up in the zone; both keep their hands high through their swing.

“I like how he just reacts to pitches. He’s talked about his mentality going up to the plate – sometimes he doesn’t even hunt and he just goes for a pitch,” Palacios recalled. “I absolutely love that. I want that energy of, ‘I know I can hit everything, so I’m going to react and hit it.'”

Hannah Flippen wears No. 19 for Tony Gwynn
Tatis Jr. is a modern fan-favorite, but there’s only one “Mr. Padre.” Talons infielder Hannah Flippen was only 6 years old when Tony Gwynn played his final season in the big leagues, but his legacy inspired her to wear his number throughout her pro career.

When she started playing in the AU Pro Softball Championship Season (now known as the All-Star Cup), the classic No. 1 she wore throughout her career at Utah had already been claimed.

“So I was like, ‘This is a perfect opportunity to represent San Diego, my family, Tony Gwynn, and it’s just a great fit,'” Flippen said.

Flippen is a veteran middle infielder from Bonita, Calif., and has played on the world stage for the U.S. Women’s National Team since 2016.

“The part of him that I take inspiration from is consistency. He was never the big bopper, he was never the home run hitter. He hit for average, and he was on base all the time," Flippen said. “Came up in clutch moments, but he was just the consistent hitter that everybody could rely on, so that’s what I modeled my game after.”

McKenzie Clark is finding more than a swing from Mookie Betts
All it took was a comment from her hitting coach while at Clemson, and McKenzie Clark found her new inspiration. Her coach thought her swing looked similar to Mookie Betts’, and Clark was taken aback. Being compared to the Dodgers’ seven-time Silver Slugger Award winner was a tall order.

“He wants to be in those big moments, you can tell. And that’s just kind of the mentality of a player I want to be, so I’ve been a huge Mookie fan ever since,” said Clark, who plays for the Volts.

Clark embraced her offense and defense. The high-flying Volts center fielder patrols the outfield with confidence. If she needed anything more than she already had, it came from watching Betts.

“When [you’re] in the outfield, you gotta be loose. You’ve got to have your own momentum, your own kind of swag. And it’s not something that you can just pick up. It’s not something that someone can give you. But just watching him, he just has his own thing going on, and I love it. I gravitate towards it … His persona is something that I want to keep growing as my game keeps going on and on.”

Erin Coffel connects to Freddie Freeman on and off the field
In the Coffel household, the TV was tuned in to either MLB Network or a live game just about every night. As Erin Coffel watched with her two older brothers, she found a player she admired on and off the field: Freddie Freeman.

It started by liking the way he carried himself in games. Then she watched the ESPN E:60 story about his battle with COVID-19 and struggles with building a family.

“I see myself in him a little bit. We’re not overly cocky or anything. We just kind of do our business and get off the field and go home to our family,” the Bandits infielder said.

Coffel started watching YouTube videos of Freeman’s swing when her own swing earned her All-American honors at the University of Kentucky. She had a program-high .785 slugging percentage and competed for Team USA at the 2023 Pan American Games, helping the team win a gold medal.

What’s stuck with her about Freeman’s offense is the approach and plan.

“He doesn’t really overthink his mechanics. It’s more of an offseason-type thing, but in the box, it’s just him versus the pitcher. ‘I’m a dog, I’m better than him.'”

A version of this story also appeared on theausl.com