AUSL Inaugural Mock Draft – NewsBreak

With the AUSL (Athletes Unlimited Softball League) Inaugural Draft happening January 29 live at 8:00 p.m. ET, streaming on the ESPN App as well as the newly-launched AUSL YouTube page, the Softball America staff wanted to create its own mock draft to have fans imagine what it’ll look like come Wednesday evening.

The AUSL Inaugural Draft will determine the initial 12 players to be selected to play for each of the league’s first four teams: the Bandits (led by General Manager Jenny Dalton-Hill and Head Coach Stacey Nuveman-Deniz), Blaze (General Manager Dana Sorensen and Head Coach Alisa Goler), Talons (General Manager Lisa Fernandez and Head Coach Howard Dobson) and Volts (General Manager Cat Osterman and Head Coach Kelly Kretschman).

The General Managers – in consultation with their Head Coaches – will begin the process of assembling their 16-player rosters at the AUSL Inaugural Draft. The four remaining roster spots will be filled with the incoming class of the top NCAA talent who will finish their eligibility in May, as well as one free agent pick for each club.

The Bandits, via a lottery, were awarded the first overall selection, to be followed by the Blaze, Talons and Volts. To ensure parity, picks will be selected in a rotating draft order. The first pick of each round will rotate among the four teams as follows for all 12 rounds of the draft:

Round 1: Bandits, Blaze, Talons, Volts
Round 2: Blaze, Talons, Volts, Bandits
Round 3: Talons, Volts, Bandits, Blaze
Round 4: Volts, Bandits, Blaze, Talons

Brady Vernon drafted for the Bandits and Talons, while Gray Robertson controlled the picks for the Blaze and Volts. The results of the mock draft per team are below:

Bandits (General Manager Jenny Dalton-Hill and Head Coach Stacey Nuveman-Deniz)

Round 1 (1st overall) OF Amanda Lorenz

Lorenz is fresh off her 2024 Athletes Unlimited Softball Championship and goes first overall in our mock draft. With Jenny Dalton-Hill and Stacey Nuveman-Deniz running the Bandits, it’s hard to imagine two of the best to ever step into the box don’t go with the best hitter on the board.

Round 2 (8) RHP Lexi Kilfoyl
Round 3 (11) UTL Sam Show
Round 4 (14) RHP Carley Hoover
Round 5 (17) MIF Skylar Wallace
Round 6 (24) CIF Baylee Klingler
Round 7 (27) MIF Sydney Romero
Round 8 (30) C Taylor Edwards
Round 9 (33) OF Victoria Hayward
Round 10 (40) CIF Kelsey Stewart-Hunter
Round 11 (43) UTL Kayla Kowalik
Round 12 (46) RHP Payton Gottshall

Blaze (General Manager Dana Sorensen and Head Coach Alisa Goler)

Round 1 (2nd overall) RHP Rachel Garcia

The 2023 AUX champion comes off the board for the Blaze. Garcia’s ability to be a high-end pitcher and batter makes her one of the best assets in the draft.

Round 2 (5) C Dejah Mulipola
Round 3 (12) MIF Sis Bates
Round 4 (15) OF Aliyah Andrews
Round 5 (18) CIF Tori Vidales
Round 6 (21) RHP Mariah Mazon
Round 7 (28) LHP Taylor McQuillin
Round 8 (31) MIF Ali Aguilar
Round 9 (34) OF McKenzie Clark
Round 10 (37) OF Ciara Briggs
Round 11 (44) CIF Delanie Wisz
Round 12 (47) RHP Alana Vawter

Talons (General Manager Lisa Fernandez and Head Coach Howard Dobson)

Round 1 (3rd overall) RHP Megan Faraimo

Lisa Fernandez would’ve loved to see Rachel Garcia drop to the Talons. Nevertheless, she keeps her first-round pick in the Bruin Bubble. Faraimo has pitched over 100 innings in her Athletes Unlimited career with a 2.87 ERA.

Round 2 (6) LHP Keilani Ricketts
Round 3 (9) OF Bubba Nickles
Round 4 (16) MIF Hannah Flippen
Round 5 (19) CIF Jessi Warren
Round 6 (22) MIF Erin Coffel
Round 7 (25) C Mia Davidson
Round 8 (32) OF Megan Wiggins
Round 9 (35) RHP Odicci Alexander
Round 10 (38) OF Morgan Zerkle
Round 11 (41) UTL Valerie Cagle
Round 12 (48) MIF Sierra Romero

Volts (General Manager Cat Osterman and Head Coach Kelly Kretschman)

Round 1 (4th overall) RHP Georgina Corrick

The legendary Cat Osterman goes with another pitcher to start her Volts teams. Corrck has continued her dominance from USF into the Athletes Unlimited, finishing fourth last summer.

Round 2 (7) MIF Tiare Jennings
Round 3 (10) RHP Montana Fouts
Round 4 (13) C Sharlize Palacios
Round 5 (20) RHP Aleshia Ocasio
Round 6 (23) MIF Anissa Urtez
Round 7 (26) OF Erika Piancastelli
Round 8 (29) UTL Sahvanna Jaquish
Round 9 (36) UTL Ali Newland
Round 10 (39) MIF Aubrey Leach
Round 11 (42) OF Kalei Harding
Round 12 (45) CIF Ashley Prange

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