Chicago Bandits Sami Williams has been named the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) Hitter of the Year as the league announced its yearly awards on Friday night.
Williams, the second-consecutive Hitter of the Year from the Bandits, was also named to the All-AUSL Team. She was joined by middle infielder Skylar Wallace in the league recognition.
Williams put together an incredibly consistent and power-hitting season, and there are few offensive categories she doesn’t lead or sit in the top five for. She finished the regular season with a .427 batting average and 32 hits, which tied for the league lead. She also ranked first with 34 RBIs, seven of which she drove in on June 30 against the Portland Cascade. Those seven ribbies tied teammate Skylar Wallace for the individual game-high.
Williams paced the league with 12 doubles, 4 sacrifice flies, and tied for the lead in total bases with 67. She blasted seven home runs on the season that contributed to her .893 slugging percentage. Her regular season OPS was a staggering 1.388.
In the AUSL’s two years, the Hitter of the Year award has been earned exclusively by Bandits bats. Williams joins Erin Coffel, who claimed the honor in 2025.
Chicago clinched the No. 2 seed in the postseason and beat out the Portland Cascade in the play-in game on Thursday night to advance to the finals, where they will be up against the Utah Talons again for the trophy.
The rematch of the inaugural championship contenders begins on Saturday, July 25, at 1 p.m. ET on ABC, marking a historic first for the sport: the first professional softball game ever televised on a U.S. broadcast network. Game Two will air Sunday, July 26, at 2 p.m. on ESPN, followed by a decisive Game Three, if necessary. It will air on Monday, July 27, at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. All the championship action will also be available in Spanish on ESPN Deportes.
