With the inaugural AUX Softball behind us, Season Three of Athletes Unlimited Softball will get into gear. Over the course of the next five weeks in Athletes Unlimited, you’ll see 60 of the top softball players compete. In particular, you’ll see such amazing talent like pitchers Aleshia Ocasio and Carrie Eberle, outfielder Morgan Zerkle and infielder Amanda Chidester. To start Season Three, they’ll be the team captains in Week One. While all of the aforementioned talents are definitely ones to watch, I have three players to keep an eye on in Season Three.
Rachel Garcia: Pitcher
In truth, Rachel Garcia is one of my personal favorites to win Season Three for two main reasons. First, she’s a pitcher who can hold her own in the circle. The last two winners in Athletes Unlimited Softball have been pitchers in Ocasio (2021) and the legendary Cat Osterman (2020). Garcia participated in AUX Softball, striking out 27 in 25 innings of work with a 2-1 record.
Thankful for this opportunity to be a part of Season 3! @auprosports
— Rachel Garcia OLY (@raaaccchhheeell) July 24, 2022
📸 @jadehewittmedia pic.twitter.com/oVaP815RZh
Moreover, she can handle herself at the plate, hitting .355 and leading all of AUX with three homers. She finished second place in AUX with astounding six-game MVP honors and 1,422 points. The UCLA Bruins star knocked in nine runs while scoring four. Without a doubt, the 2020 Olympic Silver medalist for Team USA can do it all.
Danielle O’Toole: Pitcher
Danielle O’Toole won the inaugural AUX event with 1,436 points and some stout pitching. The lefty had a 1.69 earned run average (ERA), the second-best in the event, while leading with four wins. Also, she gave up just seven runs in 28.2 innings and held hitters to a .206 batting average.
We have a new champion in town 🥇@Oh_tooly3 | #AUX pic.twitter.com/h8f0Pjwbgz
— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) June 26, 2022
The 2020 Olympian, who represented Mexico in Tokyo, showed how great her arm is. In addition, O’Toole brings experience as she competed in the two previous seasons and could make a run at the leaderboard this time around. She finished 58th last season and 16th in her first season in 2020.
Dejah Mulipola: Catcher
It’s no coincidence I have the top three in the AUX leaderboard on my list, including Dejah Mulipola. The former Arizona Wildcat had a batting average of .325 and had five games of two or more runs batted in (RBIs). Important to note that only she and veteran outfielder Victoria Hayward were the only players in AUX to have a four-hit game. However, she played well in her rookie season in Athletes Unlimited in 2021.
The best way to describe @dejahmulipola?
— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) June 28, 2022
Present.
Tune in to her post-medal interview with @savannaecollins below!#AUX | #AUSB pic.twitter.com/jAIjHXawI2
Mulipola finished 18th on the leaderboard last season with 1,320 points. Overall, she had 13 hits, with six being extra-base hits that included leading Athletes Unlimited with two triples. All things considered, she has the bat to become the first non-pitcher to win this season.
Where to watch Athletes Unlimited Season Three
Catch all of the action on the ESPN family of networks (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU) and online on ESPN+. Correspondingly, watch these women do what they do best and give the good drama like close games and big homers.
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