Athletes Unlimited Softball League holds first-ever draft; Lexi Kilfoyl first overall selection
The inaugural teams of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) are taking shape. Each team – the Bandits, Blaze, Talons, and Volts – selected their first 12 players during the AUSL Inaugural Draft. The AUSL inaugural draft was held live on Wednesday, January 29 on the ESPN App and the newly launched AUSL YouTube page.
The Bandits, who won the No. 1 pick via lottery, selected pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl as the first overall selection in league history. Kilfoyl is a 2019 WBSC U-19 Women’s Softball World Cup gold medalist, going 2-0 in the circle with eight strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA in 7.1 innings pitched. You can see the results of the draft here.
From the 48 selected players, 42 have represented their national team at senior or junior level including countries such as USA, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Italy and Great Britain. The first 22 players in the draft have international experience. A total of 10 players participated in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The four remaining roster spots will be filled with a combination of free agents and the incoming class of the top NCAA talent who will finish their eligibility in May.
ESPN analyst Andraya Carter hosted the show, with analysis provided by veteran ESPN softball commentators Amanda Scarborough and Olympic bronze medalist Danielle Lawrie.