The Athletes Unlimited Softball League begins its inaugural season on Saturday. It’s a bold and fun new venture that will be barnstorming the country this summer. The league is guided by its commissioner, the barrier-breaking former MLB executive Kim Ng.
The league’s season will involve four teams – Bandits, Blaze, Volts and Talons – playing 24 games apiece in 10 different cities, culminating in a best-of-three championship series in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on July 26-28.
COMPLETE AUSL COVERAGE
- MLB, AUSL announce historic partnership
- 12 AUSL players you should know
- FAQ: Everything to know about the burgeoning AUSL
- 7 MLB connections to softball you probably didn't know about
- Partnership offers 'north star' for softball players with pro dreams
- Broadcast schedule announced
- Team profiles: Bandits | Blaze | Talons | Volts
For 2025, there are no city affiliations for teams, but that is expected to happen for the 2026 season.
We’re doing team-by-team breakdowns of each roster to help fans familiarize themselves with the league. Here’s the Blaze.
BLAZE
GM: Dana Sorensen
She threw five no-hitters and two perfect games for Stanford and was a member of the USA Softball Elite team in 2005.
Coach: Alisa Goler
A three-time All-American and record-setting infielder at Georgia who also serves as head softball coach at Western Illinois University.
KEY PLAYERS
Carley Hoover, RHP: A 2008 Little League World Series champion, a 2013 Gatorade National Player of the Year in high school and a member of three Women’s College World Series teams at LSU, Hoover has spent the last few years starring in the Japan Diamond Softball League. Like other players currently playing in Japan, she’ll join the AUSL a couple of weeks into the season at the conclusion of her season abroad.
Aleshia Ocasio, RHP: In addition to a distinguished career at Florida, Ocasio has starred for the Puerto Rican national team and participated in several AU Pro Softball Championship seasons.
Ana Gold, IF: After a standout career at Duke, where she helped lead the Blue Devils to their first Women’s College World Series in 2024, Gold brings her power bat and infield versatility to the AUSL. (Her brother, Luke, is an infielder in High-A in the Tigers’ system.)
Aubrey Leach, IF: Having earned her law degree at Tennessee, Leach brings intelligence on and off the field, along with a dynamic left-handed bat. Her younger twin sisters, Alannah and Gabby, are on the Tennessee team that reached the Women’s College World Series this year.
Aliyah Andrews, OF: This dynamic LSU grad is known as “Air Aliyah” for her incredible diving catches.
WHAT THE PLAYERS ARE SAYING
“Chaos. You never know what’s coming. We have so much speed and power and nasty pitching and really good defense. We’re super solid all around. I think we’re going to make a lot of noise this season.” – Gold
“Our speed, our softball IQ on the bases stands out. We have a great arsenal of doing a lot of hit and runs, steals, the short game. I wouldn’t say we’re known for having a lot of power, but I think we could be quiet assassins with our bats.” – catcher Taylor Edwards
“Just a lot of versatility. We have some speed, some pop from the right side, some pop from the left side, we have downball pitchers, upball pitchers, righties, lefties, a little bit of everything.” – outfielder Kalei Harding
TEAM STRENGTH
The speed provided by players like Andrews and Leach perfectly befits a ballclub known as the Blaze. And it comes by design.
“Sometimes it can take time for players to get into their power,” Sorensen said. “In case we’re not going to be able to get into our power numbers because the season is so short, we wanted to be able to make some things happen on the basepaths.”
UNIQUE STORYLINES
The Blaze give off Tampa Bay Rays vibes. They have a highly versatile position player group, which could lead to a lot of different lineup iterations, and they plan to be aggressive in maximizing pitching matchups. You might see them take full advantage of AUSL rules that allow for pitcher re-entry by cycling pitchers with different looks through the game.
The Blaze will be without their first Draft pick, Hoover, for the first week-plus of the season as she fulfills her obligation in the Japan Diamond Softball League, where she’s competed the last six years. But Hoover’s return to professional competition in the United States is exciting for the AUSL.
SOCIAL MEDIA MUST-FOLLOWS
Aliyah Andrews developed a big following on Instagram and X during her LSU career and has continued to engage with fans during her pro career in Athletes Unlimited.