Reflecting on the inaugural Athletes Unlimited Softball season and its impact

The AUSL began in 2025.

The inaugural Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) season is behind us and a wave of impressive performances has come and gone.

Five major awards were presented at the end of the league’s season in 2025, which recognized players for an outstanding first season.

Let’s take a look back at the decorated athletes.

Most Valuable Player and Hitter of the Year

Erin Coffel, of the now Chicago Bandits, earned the league’s first “Hitter of the Year” and “Most Valuable Player” awards. Among qualified hitters, Coffel led the league in both on-base percentage (.587) and slugging (.848). 

This resulted in a monstrous OPS of 1.426, .200 points more than the next closest batter. Coffel also led the league in both RBIs, with 28, and triples, with four.

To add on to an impressive resume, Coffel was elected to the AUSL All-Defensive Team as a middle infielder, playing mostly second base and shortstop throughout the year. 

AUSL commissioner Kim Ng praised Coffel when reflecting on her impressive season.

“Her power at the plate, consistency in the field, and relentless competitiveness made her a force in every game she played… we’re proud to recognize her as our first AUSL MVP,” Ng said in a statement.

Coffel is an obvious favorite to repeat as the 2026 Hitter of the Year and MVP, but there are other strong contenders.

Teammates Morgan Zerkle, Skylar Wallace, and Sydney McKinney all had an OPS above 1.000, while Maya Brady was able to hit .500 in her eight games following her activation from the injured list. 

Pitcher of the Year

Georgina Corrick had an extremely successful first year in the AUSL. She won the first-ever “Pitcher of the Year” award, while also being a part of the championship-winning Utah Talons.

Corrick paced the league with a 6-0 record, a league-leading 2.24 ERA, and the lowest batting average against, limiting hitters to just a .210 average. 

Corrick faces stiff competition if she wants to defend her Pitcher of the Year award in 2026.

Teammate Montana Fouts had a 3-2 record with a 2.71 ERA, while the Bandits’ Lexi Kilfoyl went 6-1 with a 2.35 ERA over 50.2 innings of work. 

Rookie of the Year

Ana Gold impressed in her rookie season after graduating from Duke University in 2025. Gold ranked fourth among qualified hitters in slugging (.667), OPS (1.094), and sixth in average (.373)

While also being an impressive hitter, Gold earned AUSL All-Defensive Team honors for the corner infield. 

Gold’s combination of glove and bat talent makes her a contender to win both Defensive Player of the Year and Hitter of the Year in 2026.

Defensive Player of the Year

Hannah Flippen won the inaugural “Defensive Player of the Year” award, also a member of the Talons championship squad.

Flippen played shortstop for the majority of the year, with a .968 fielding percentage, 19 putouts, 11 assists, and just one error.

Flippen has been known for her defense throughout her professional and collegiate career, winning the 2017 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and the 2022 AU Pro Softball GEICO DPOY.

The stars of the AUSL wasted no time in making a name for themselves in the league’s first year. It will be difficult to defend their titles in a league full of talent, but an exciting second season of the AUSL is sure to come.

Thank you for reading Female Athlete News. Carter Joseph Brooks is a student-intern at Penn State University.