Without question, the AU Championship Season brings out the best softball players across the country. The 2024 AUPro Softball Draft took place recently seeing over 50 players being selected. A mix of youth and experience happened with plenty of takeaways, maybe even some surprises to longtime fans.
Pitching Led the Way Atop the Draft
In this case, the first four selections were about the circle as a rookie, Lexi Kilfoyl, went No. 1 overall. The Oklahoma State star played her senior season with the Cowboys after spending the previous three with the Crimson Tide of Alabama.
Overall, she had a 1.70 ERA with 549 strikeouts in over 560 innings of work in her collegiate career. More so, the former third-team All-American hit four long balls with 24 RBIs in close to 100 games. Kilfoyl is a name to be on the lookout for this season.
Next, Megan Faraimo went No. 2 as the former UCLA star knows about pitching in this league with 12 appearances, a 2.87 ERA, and 46 strikeouts. She finished 24th in the Championship Season in 2023 as she placed 19th in AUX as well.
Southpaw Taylor McQuillin went third overall as the lefty brings in as she has 122 strikeouts in over 115 innings of work. McQuillin finished in fourth place in this season’s AUX and could carry that momentum into the upcoming Championship Season.
shaking things up for Week 1 of #AUProSB with Madam Paleta Tequila!
— AU Pro Softball (@auprosoftball) July 22, 2024
👉 https://t.co/TZiiZRSoHU#AUProSB pic.twitter.com/ShEXqapO5P
Lastly, Mariah Mazon was taken No. 4 as she finished 30 points behind McQuillin in AUX. Mazon made history as the former Oregon State standout tossed the first complete game shutout in AUX history last month.
It is important to note that Rachel Garcia was taken with the eighth overall pick in the draft. Last season’s AUX champion placed fourth in the Championship season last year. Aleshia Ocasio, the champion of the 2021 AU Championship Season, went No. 40 in the draft.
Bats are Back for the AU Championship Season
Since the pitching was mentioned, it would be a disservice not to notice the returning offense for this season. Of the six players with double-digit RBIs last season, four were taken in the draft: outfielder Bubba Nickles and middle infielder Sydney Romero (11) along with Mia Davidson and Garcia (10). Additionally, all four finished in the top five in home runs in the 2023 AU Championship Season.
In terms of hits, 16 of the 18 players with at least ten hits in 2023 were selected, including outfielders Amanda Lorenz, Aliyah Andrews, Morgan Zerkle, Victoria Hayward as well as infielder Tori Vidales. Furthermore, five of the six players who possessed a .300 batting average are back to play this season. It will not come as a surprise if more players reach .300 as there are some rookies whose bats can get hot at any time.
One such example is University of Florida star infielder Skylar Wallace, who went 11th overall in the draft. The three-time First-Team All-Southeastern Conference has a .383 career batting average with 289 hits, including 48 doubles and 21 triples in 284 games in college. Wallace can go yard with 51 homers on her collegiate resume.
Team Captains and the Start of the Championship Season
The captains were chosen based on their finish in the Championship Season last year. Odicci Alexander is the defending champion who will lead Team Gold. Pitcher Alyssa Denham placed second as she trailed Alexander by just 14 points. She will take the helm of the Orange Team for the opening week.
Danielle Gibson and Garcia placed third and fourth, respectively. However, Gibson is not participating this season while Garcia was with the Women’s National Team aboard. Catcher Gwen Svekis, who finished fifth, will captain the Blue squad, and Romero’s sixth-place finish means she will lead Team Purple.
the Week 1 #AUProSB Captains 🫡
— AU Pro Softball (@auprosoftball) July 22, 2024
💛 @2seas__
🧡 @DenhamAlyssa
🩵 @gsvekis21
💜 @syd_syd2 #AUProSB pic.twitter.com/GK4VfJePa9
Season Five of the AU Championship Season gets underway on Friday, July 26th with a doubleheader as Team Svekis faces Team Denham at 7:00 pm ET/6:00 CT as Team Alexander Vs. Team Romero closes out the night at 9:30 ET/8:30 CT. The action can be seen on ESPN2 at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois.
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