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During the inaugural Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) Draft, 11 Little League Softball® graduates were selected, including former Land O’Lakes (Fla.) Little Leaguer and Oklahoma State alumni Lexi Kilfoyl, who made history as the first-ever AUSL draft pick.
Two former Little Leaguers and star pitchers were also drafted in the first round of picks: Carley Hoover, who first played on the fields of South Simpsonville LL (Clemson, S.C.), and California D51 LL (Palmdale, Calif.) graduate Rachel Garcia. Hoover competed in and won the Little League Softball World Series in 2008 with Simpsonville LL (photo gallery below) before competing as an LSU Tiger in the Women’s College World Series in 2017. She is one of ten former Little Leaguers who have competed in both the LLSWS and the WCWS, including Kathryn Sandercock who became the first LLSWS player to participate in Athletes Unlimited in 2023 and 2024.
Hosted in Nashville, Tennessee, four softball superstars led the draft as General Managers – Centennial LL (Glendale, Calif.) alum and ESPN Little League Softball World Series Commentator Jenny Dalton-Hill (Bandits); Dana Sorensen (Blaze), Lisa Fernandez (Talons); and Bear Creek LL grad and former Athletes Unlimited pitcher, Cat Osterman (Volts).
The 11 softball stars will play in AUSL’s first season which kicks off in June 2025 and will feature four teams playing 24-games in a traditional format. The season will be followed by the AUSL All-Star Cup, formerly the AU Pro Softball Championship Season, between July and August. The four AUSL teams – Bandits, Blaze, Talons, and Volts – will tour six to eight cities for the first season’s games and at least 18 games will be broadcast on ESPN, ESPN, and ESPNU.
round 1 complete ✅#AUSL pic.twitter.com/MFA80HMCyS
— AUSL (@theAUSLofficial) January 30, 2025
Below are the 11 former Little Leaguers who were picked in this year’s draft and the team they will be competing for in June:
Bandits
- Lexi Kilfoyl, Land O’Lakes (Fla.) LL
- Aleshia Ocasio, Conway LL (St. Cloud, Fla.)
- Mia Davidson, Orange County LL (Hillsborough, N.C.)
- Morgan Zerkle, Ona-Milton LL (Milton, W.V.)
Blaze
- Carley Hoover, South Simpsonville LL (Clemson, S.C.)
- Aliyah Andrews, Oldsmar (Fla.) LL
pick #13 is ours and we have selected outfielder from @LSUsoftball @andrews_aliyah ✨ pic.twitter.com/AuMkUuK7nX
— blaze | athletes unlimited softball league (@AUSL_Blaze) January 30, 2025
Talons
- Montana Fouts, South Charleston (W.V.) LL
- Hannah Flippen, Sweetwater Valley LL (Bonita, Calif.)
- Caroline Jacobsen, Chaires-Capitola LL (Tallahassee, Fla.)
Volts
- Rachel Garcia, California D51 LL (Palmdale, Calif.)
- Jessi Warren, Citrus Park LL (Tampa, Fla.)
Little League and Athletes Unlimited formed a strategic partnership in August 2020 to bring together Little League Softball players and the world’s best softball athletes. As part of the partnership, Little League and Athletes Unlimited work together throughout the year to coordinate live and digital events that provide engagement between Little Leaguers and professional softball players, including the annual Athletes Unlimited Pro Games played during the Little League Softball World Series; promote and strengthen the Little League Girls with Game® initiative; and develop interest in and access to the game of softball at every level and in every community.
Learn more about Athletes Unlimited and the new Athletes Unlimited Softball League by visiting AUProSports.com. If you know of a Little League graduate, please complete the Little League Alumni Submission form.