'Golden tickets' make first AUSL College Draft like no other

Twelve of softball’s brightest stars have officially gotten the news: They’ve headed to the next level. As for how they found out? Well, you’ll have to see it to believe it.

The new Athletes Unlimited Softball League has completed its first college draft, propelling a fresh crop of players into the professional ranks. But there’s a twist: The players who were drafted don’t even know where they’re headed yet.

That’s because the AUSL has come up with a fun way to announce the 12 players who will form the 2025 college draft class: golden tickets (yes, think Willy Wonka.)

Throughout April, AUSL representatives have visited college campuses across the country to award one golden ticket apiece to the dozen standout players who will join star-studded rosters. The AUSL held its initial draft on Jan. 29, featuring players who already completed their collegiate careers.

During Saturday’s AUSL College Draft Show, the 12 players who were selected will learn their new destinations. The league’s four teams -- the Bandits, Blaze, Talons and Volts -- have already made their allotted three selections, and their picks will be revealed live Saturday night.

Here’s what to know about the AUSL college draft and the 12 players who received golden tickets.

What is the AUSL?
Launching this June, the Athletes Unlimited Softball League will feature four teams playing a 24-game season. There’s also the AUSL All-Star Cup, a four-week season where 60 players will compete for points using Athletes Unlimited’s unique scoring format. Players can earn points for their individual and team performances, and they’ll be fighting to top the leaderboard when all is said and done. A version of AUSL All-Star Cup, previously known as the Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball, has existed since 2020.

Former Marlins general manager Kim Ng is serving as the AUSL’s commissioner, and softball icon Jennie Finch is one of the league’s advisors. They have been among the luminaries handing out those golden tickets.

How can I watch the AUSL College Draft Show?
The AUSL College Draft Show will air at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday on ESPNU.

Who are the post-collegiate players who are already on teams?
Back in January, the AUSL completed a 12-round draft among players who have completed their college eligibility. It’s a who’s who of some of softball’s biggest stars of the past decade.

The first round was all pitchers, with Oklahoma State product Lexi Kilfoyl going first overall to the Bandits. She was followed by Carley Hoover (LSU) going to the Blaze, then UCLA’s Megan Faraimo being selected by the Talons, and Rachel Garcia, another UCLA alum, going to the Volts.

Full draft results can be found here. Some notable names from each roster are listed below.

Bandits
• Lexi Kilfoyl, RHP, Oklahoma State
• Odicci Alexander, RHP, James Madison
• Skylar Wallace, INF, Florida

Talons
• Megan Faraimo, RHP, UCLA
• Maya Brady, UTIL, UCLA
• Montana Fouts, RHP, Alabama

Blaze
• Carley Hoover, RHP, LSU
• Aliyah Andrews, OF, LSU
• Keilani Ricketts, LHP, Oklahoma

Volts
• Sis Bates, SS, Washington
• Amanda Lorenz, OF, Florida
• Tiare Jennings, INF, Oklahoma

How does the college draft work?
The selections of the 12 players who received golden tickets will be revealed during Saturday’s draft show. The 12 draftees will learn their team assignments.

Here’s the draft order:
First round: Volts, Bandits, Blaze, Talons
Second round: Talons, Volts, Bandits, Blaze
Third round: Blaze, Talons, Volts, Bandits

When does the season start?
The AUSL regular season is set to begin June 7, just after the 2025 NCAA Division I softball season concludes with the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. The Talons and the Bandits will play the league’s opening game in Rosemont, Ill., at 3 p.m. ET on June 7.

Where will the games be played?
The AUSL will become a city-based league beginning in 2026, while the inaugural season in 2025 will be a touring property.

Nine cities will host AUSL regular-season games:
• Rosemont, Ill.
• Wichita, Kan.
• Sulphur, La.
• Chattanooga, Tenn.
• Norman, Okla.
• Omaha, Neb.
• Seattle, Wa.
• Salt Lake City, Utah
• Round Rock, Texas

The postseason will take place from July 26-28 at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the home of the Alabama Crimson Tide softball team.

Now, let’s meet the golden ticket recipients and see their reactions (listed in alphabetical order by last name).

Raelin Chaffin, RHP, Mississippi State
One of two golden ticket recipients from Mississippi State, Chaffin has excelled in her first season with the Bulldogs. The transfer from LSU has been dependable while handling nearly half of Mississippi State’s 2025 innings total, posting a 2.50 ERA with 173 strikeouts in 154 frames.

Chaffin has made an impact ever since her first outing of the season, when she outdueled Texas Tech ace NiJaree Canady and threw all eight innings of an extra-inning victory. The Bossier City, La., native played for Team USA at the 2021 WBSC U18 World Cup, striking out 15 over 11 1/3 innings with a 1.85 ERA.

Danieca Coffey, INF, LSU
Coffey is in her fifth season with LSU, and it’s been her best. The redshirt senior from Richwood, Texas, is batting a career-high .405 and is getting on base at a .536 clip. She ranks in the top five all-time in program history in both categories.

Coffey is playing a starring role for the Tigers after suffering a season-ending ACL tear just 16 games into her 2024 season. The standout slapper worked her way back from the injury to become one of the most productive players in the SEC.

Michaela Edenfield, C, Florida State
Edenfield was the last of the 12 AUSL draftees to receive her golden ticket. The Florida State catcher -- the only backstop in the collegiate draft class -- learned the news at the Seminoles’ senior celebration on Wednesday.

The Sneads, Fla., native is in her fifth year with the program and her fourth as a full-time starter. With a .344 average, a .639 slugging percentage and 43 RBIs, Edenfield has once again been a key player for an always-dangerous FSU squad.

Bri Ellis, INF, Arkansas
Ellis has been college softball’s top hitter by OPS this season, leading Division I in both on-base percentage (.645) and slugging percentage (1.218). She’s batting .491 this season, and her 24 home runs are second in Division I. It’s easy to see why those eye-popping numbers earned Ellis a golden ticket.

Hailing from Houston, Ellis transferred in from Auburn before the 2024 season and was named a first-team all-SEC selection in her first campaign with the Razorbacks. She’s taken things to a whole new level in 2025.

Ana Gold, INF, Duke
When your last name is Gold, a golden ticket just seems fitting. The Duke senior certainly earned it, hitting .356 with a team-high 13 homers and a 1.090 OPS in 2025 -- a year after Gold helped lead the Blue Devils to the Women’s College World Series.

From Ballston Spa, N.Y., Gold began her college career with a bang, starting 51 games and hitting 10 homers in 2022 -- a program record for a freshman. She set Duke’s career record for homers in 2024 and has only kept adding on this spring.

Emiley Kennedy, LHP, Texas A&M
Elite left-handed pitchers are rare in college softball, but Kennedy sure is one. In 2024, she became the first southpaw to earn All-America status in 41 years. The product of The Woodlands, Texas, has a 2.71 ERA in 126 2/3 innings of work this season, striking out 116.

Kennedy helped lead the Aggies to the 2024 NCAA Super Regional round by tossing 12 scoreless innings across a pair of shutout wins over Texas State in NCAA Regional play. She became the first Aggie in 13 years to record double-digit shutouts and the first in 11 years to surpass 200 strikeouts.

Sam Landry, RHP, Oklahoma
Landry is in her first season at Oklahoma, but she has made a major impact for a Sooners team seeking its fifth straight Division I title. OU’s top hurler has a 1.95 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 129 1/3 innings, helping her team to a 42-5 record so far.

The product of Mont Belvieu, Texas, transferred to OU after three stellar seasons at Louisiana. Her senior season of high school featured some impressive numbers: a 0.40 ERA and 252 strikeouts in 121 innings.

Emma Lemley, RHP, Virginia Tech
The senior from Forest, Va., was the first “golden ticket” recipient, and she had an absolutely incredible start to her 2025 season. After six scoreless, one-hit innings and 14 strikeouts against Fordham in her first game of the year, Lemley tossed perfect games in her next two outings.

With four no-hitters on the season, a 2.45 ERA and 169 strikeouts in 134 1/3 innings, Lemley has been among the most dominant pitchers in all of college softball ever since bursting onto the scene as the 2022 ACC Freshman of the Year.

Cori McMillan, OF, Virginia Tech
It hasn’t just been Lemley powering the Hokies’ excellent 2025. McMillan is hitting .441, slugging 1.035 and leading the nation with 25 home runs. Few sluggers have impacted the game like the Greensboro, N.C., product, and she’ll take her power bat to the professional ranks.

McMillan slugged a single-season record 21 home runs for Virginia Tech in 2024 (while stealing 20 bases without being caught), only to shatter her own homer mark a season later. She spent her first two collegiate seasons at Radford, hitting .345 with 17 homers as a Highlander.

Devyn Netz, RHP/INF, Arizona
Softball has a bevy of star two-way players, and Netz is among the best. Not only does she have 19 wins in the circle this season, but she has also slugged a team-leading 17 home runs. Netz became the first player in program history to toss a perfect game AND hit a homer in the same contest -- something that has never happened in Major League Baseball.

From Sierra Madre, Calif., Netz didn’t start hitting regularly for the Wildcats until her junior season in 2023, when she batted .303 with 13 home runs and 40 RBIs. She missed all of her senior year in 2024 due to a back injury but has returned to be one of the most exciting players in Division I.

Korbe Otis, OF, Florida
Otis has been one of the key contributors to a perennially contending Florida team. The senior from Littleton, Colo., is hitting .317 with 38 RBIs and a .927 OPS, and she’s come up clutch in multiple big moments for her school. Otis slugged a walk-off grand slam on April 5 against Arkansas and received her golden ticket right after hitting a walk-off single to beat Alabama on April 19.

Otis, a transfer from Louisville, is a two-time NFCA All-American. She led the SEC in both batting average (.434) and walks (59) in 2024, her first season with the Gators. In 2023 with Louisville, she hit .414 with a .502 on-base percentage, 10 home runs and a 1.204 OPS.

Sierra Sacco, OF, Mississippi State
Only Virginia Tech and Mississippi State can boast multiple golden ticket winners. Sacco, the Bulldogs’ standout leadoff hitter, joined her teammate Chaffin in being drafted into the AUSL. She has a 1.362 OPS with a team-leading 45 RBIs, and her .471 batting average ranks eighth in Division I.

Sacco has hit 10 home runs, tied for second on her club, has stolen 15 bases and hasn’t made an error since 2023. After transferring from Louisiana Tech before the 2024 season, Sacco has made herself one of the country’s best college players.