'It's huge': Romero thankful for partnership between MLB, AUSL 

TAMPA -- About 15 minutes before Drew Rasmussen’s first pitch Monday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field, Sierra Romero scaled the mound and fired a strike of her own.

After catching Romero’s ceremonial first pitch, Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe met her on the first-base line. The two swapped No. 32 jerseys, with Romero receiving a white Rays uniform with her name on it and Lowe taking a purple one representing Romero’s Volts team in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL).

Romero, a professional softball veteran and one of the greatest college softball players of all time, said the invitation to throw out a first pitch and do a jersey swap was “awesome.” So, too, is the support the AUSL has been getting from MLB and players like Lowe, whose wife, Madison, was a college softball player at Maryland.

“It's huge. I think it's what we need for our sport to continue growing,” Romero said. “I think that the partnership with MLB and AUSL is huge, just like the NBA was for the WNBA. They have their players, just like we have our players, but having the support of our male counterparts, it's really helpful.

“Especially because baseball is such an established sport, having that support is huge, and I think that's the last little missing piece. Because we have the talent. The games are good. The women are unbelievable. They're amazing, just watching them.”

The AUSL began its inaugural season on June 7, and Major League Baseball made a strategic investment in the league, a first-of-its-kind partnership to help the AUSL become an established entity while continuing MLB’s commitment to supporting the growth of softball at all levels.

The four-team league features legends of the game like Romero, a middle infielder (from a family loaded with athletic talent) who was a four-time All-American and USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year at Michigan and the NCAA record holder for most runs and grand slams.

“It's been so fun. I have been missing a traditional league for so long now. I still loved AU and the point system that they had, but there's nothing like being on a team,” Romero said. “This was meant to be a team sport, and to have my group of girls that I can just go to battle with, and it's like, 'Hey, we're gonna figure this out whether we're winning or we're losing,' it's really cool for me.

“On top of that, the competition is really fun. That competitive side finally gets to be brought back out again, because we're not playing just for points anymore. We're playing to win. So for me, it's everything I could want.”

With a break in the AUSL schedule, Romero was excited to stop by Steinbrenner Field before the Rays’ series opener against the Athletics. Tampa Bay is, after all, now her hometown team.

Romero had been on the Atlantic coast of Florida in previous years while playing professionally for the USSSA Pride. Looking for something new, she moved to St. Petersburg three years ago. She came to love the area and attended a few Rays games at Tropicana Field.

“I'm excited. It's fun to be here, especially just because St. Pete's now my hometown,” she said. “It's just so cool to be here and be able to throw out the first pitch.”