The Athletes Unlimited Softball League is set to begin its inaugural season in June, featuring some of the best softball players from around the country. And in an exciting development, MLB announced on Thursday that a significant investment in the AUSL as part of its ongoing commitment to supporting the growth of softball at all levels.
The league will begin play with four teams -- the Bandits, Blaze, Talons and Volts -- competing in a 24-game season that will culminate in a best-of-three championship series July 26-28.
After the championship, 60 players will compete for an individual championship in the AUSL All-Star Cup, a 24-game competition in August featuring the unique Athletes Unlimited scoring system. A previous version of the AUSL All-Star Cup, known as Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball, began in 2020.
Here are some players to watch this season. We picked three for each team, listed in alphabetical order by last name within each squad.
Bandits
Odicci Alexander, RHP
Age: 27
College: James Madison (2017-2021)
Hometown: Boydton, Va.
Notable accolades: 2023 AU Pro Softball Champion; won gold medal with Team USA at 2022 Canada Cup
The lowdown: Alexander has a history of dominance on the mound. She pitched to a 2.15 ERA during her 2023 Championship season, and that followed an outstanding career at James Madison, where she went 81-18 with a 2.18 ERA in 139 appearances. Her senior year, she went 18-3 with 1.71 ERA and 204 strikeouts in 143 2/3 innings, leading the Dukes to their first ever College World Series appearance, which included a stunning upset over the eventual champions Oklahoma. Alexander also had a .337 career average as a hitter and hit 39 homers. Alexander pitched her first pro no-hitter against the Carolina Collegiate League on Aug. 5, 2021, as a member of the USSSA Pride.
Lexi Kilfoyl, RHP
Age: 23 (turns 24 on May 30)
College: Oklahoma State (2023-2024); Alabama (2020-2022)
Hometown: Land O' Lakes, Fla.
Notable accolades: Named 2024 Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball Rookie of the Year; 2024 Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year; consensus First Team All-American at OSU
The lowdown: Kilfoyl was the No. 1 overall pick in the inaugural AUSL draft and one of the dominant college pitchers of her era. She went 70-21 with seven saves and a 1.70 ERA across 565 innings for Oklahoma State and Alabama. This included 54 complete games and 20 shutouts. Kilfoyl has also played for Team USA.
Skylar Wallace, INF
Age: 25
College: Florida (2022-2024); Alabama (2019-2020)
Hometown: Woodstock, Ga.
Notable accolades: 2023 NFCA National Player of the Year; selected to compete on Elite Team for Team USA at the 2024 Japan All-Star Series
The lowdown: Wallace is a pure hitter and a social media standout. The lefty hit .447 with a 1.337 OPS during her NFCA Player of the Year campaign for the Gators in 2023, and finished her time at Florida with a .410 average, 43 homers and a 1.349 OPS over three seasons. That came after compiling a .320 batting average and .964 OPS in two seasons at Alabama.
Talons
Maya Brady, UTIL
Age: 23
College: UCLA (2020-2024)
Hometown: Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Notable accolades: Three-time NFCA First Team All-American; won silver medal with Team USA at 2024 World Cup
The lowdown: Brady comes from a very athletic family as the niece of NFL great Tom Brady and former three-time MLB All-Star and Gold Glove winner Kevin Youkilis. She was one of 15 players chosen in the 2024 Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball College Draft after compiling a .384 average and a 1.221 OPS over her four-year career for the Bruins. Her .448 average in 2023 was eighth-best in the country. On the international scene, Brady hit .375 with five RBIs during the 2024 World Cup. She's currently playing for the Toyota Red Terriers of the Japan Diamond Softball League, so she'll join the Talons after the first half of that season concludes.
Megan Faraimo, RHP
Age: 24
College: UCLA (2019-2023)
Hometown: Oceanside, Calif.
Notable accolades: 2023 Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball Rookie of the Year; won gold medal with Team USA at 2022 World Games and 2022 Pan American Championship
The lowdown: Faraimo was the Talons’ top choice in the AUSL draft, and that should come as no surprise to anyone who has been following her career. She went 101-16 with a 1.44 ERA and 1,000 strikeouts in 707 2/3 innings while at UCLA.
Montana Fouts, RHP
Team: Talons
Age: 24
College: Alabama (2019-2023)
Hometown: Grayson, Ky.
Notable accolades: Recipient of 2023 Honda Award for Softball; four-time All-American at Alabama; won gold medal with Team USA at 2022 World Games
The lowdown: Fouts was a flat-out dominant presence on the mound for the Crimson Tide. She compiled a career record of 100-32, making her one of just four pitchers in school history to notch 100 or more wins, and pitched to a 1.66 ERA in 852 2/3 innings. She also tossed three solo perfect games and five no-hitters. Fouts' 1,181 strikeouts at Alabama are second-most in school history, and she's one of just four pitchers to have multiple 300-plus-strikeout seasons. She is perhaps most famous for her perfect game against UCLA in the 2021 College World Series.
Blaze
Aliyah Andrews, OF
Age: 27
College: LSU (2016-2021)
Hometown: Oldsmar, Fla.
Notable accolades: 2024 Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball Defensive Player of the Year; won gold medal with Team USA at 2023 Pan American Games
The lowdown: Despite being a defensive specialist -- seriously, check out this highlight -- Andrews has also proven valuable with the bat. She posted a .311 average during the 2024 AUSL Pro Softball season after posting a .400 average (and a .916 OPS) in 2023. She also swung a good bat in college. While at LSU, she hit .353 with a .399 on-base percentage. In 2021, she was named First Team All-SEC and was also named to the SEC All-Defensive Team.
Carley Hoover, RHP
Age: 30
College: LSU (2014-2018)
Hometown: Clemson, S.C.
Notable accolades: 2022 Japan Diamond Softball League Player of the Year; two-time All-American at LSU
The lowdown: After a successful college career, Hoover has found success as a professional playing in Japan. She was the Japan Diamond Softball League Player of the Year in 2022 after posting a league-best 18 wins, 198 strikeouts, and a 1.66 ERA for Denso Bright Pegasus. Then in 2024, she had a 2.08 ERA with 115 strikeouts in 84 innings. In college at LSU, Hoover went 71-30 with a 1.73 ERA and 754 strikeouts in 684 innings. Hoover, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the AUSL draft, will complete the first half of the current Japan Diamond season before joining the Blaze.
Keilani Ricketts, LHP
Team: Blaze
Age: 33
College: Oklahoma (2010-2013)
Hometown: San Jose, Calif.
Notable accolades: Two-time winner of Honda Cup Award for Softball; 2012 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year
The lowdown: Ricketts has been a reliable arm on the mound for more than a decade across amateur and professional competition. At Oklahoma, she compiled a career record of 125-35 with a 1.26 ERA. At the 2011 Pan American Games, where she helped Team USA win a gold medal, Ricketts had a 4-0 record and 0.43 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 16 1/3 innings. Fast-forward 13 years, and she pitched to a 2.75 ERA in 20 1/3 innings during the 2024 AUX Softball season.
Volts
Sis Bates, SS
Age: 27
College: Washington (2017-2021)
Hometown: Ceres, Calif.
Notable accolades: Named greatest college shortstop of all time by ESPN in 2020
The lowdown: Simply put, Bates is a magician in the field. If the highlights alone aren’t enough to wow you, know that she was named Softball America’s Defensive Player of the Year in three consecutive seasons (2019-2021), and helped lead Washington to a College World Series appearance in 2021. But she isn’t just about defense. Bates finished her college career as the all-time hits leader in Huskies history. Since then she has won a silver medal with Team USA at the 2024 World Cup, and participated in the Athletes Unlimited All-Star Cup.
Tiare Jennings, INF
Age: 22 (turns 23 on June 5)
College: Oklahoma (2021-2024)
Hometown: San Pedro, Calif.
Notable accolades: Four-time NCAA champion; won silver medal with Team USA in 2024 WBSC World Cup
The lowdown: Jennings was an absolute star during her four years with the Sooners. A career .412 hitter, she clubbed 25 or more homers in three of her four seasons and had a career 1.376 OPS, becoming one of just 21 players in NCAA Division I history to receive four First Team All-American citations. She was also named to the Women's College World Series All-Tournament Team four times. As a member of Team USA, Jennings hit .333 in the 2024 World Cup. Recently, she took fans on a behind-the-scenes tour of Oklahoma’s incredible softball facility for MLB’s YouTube channel.
Amanda Lorenz, OF
Age: 28
College: Florida (2016-2019)
Hometown: Moorpark, Calif.
Notable accolades: Named Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball champion in 2024; also won 2024 HRDX MVP Award
The lowdown: After crushing softballs as a four-time All-American at Florida, where she had a career .407 average with 41 homers and a 1.234 OPS, Lorenz has continued to mash as a pro. Last season, she tied for the AU Pro Softball lead with a .373 average and led outright with a .998 OPS, while hitting safely in 11 of 15 games. She's a career .346 hitter in AU Pro play. Lorenz has also been a member of Team USA, having competed in the Pan American Games, World Games and World Cup, among other events.