Many numbers sum up the Blaze’s shortcomings in the pitcher’s circle this summer. But one in particular stands out: Carley Hoover, their first-round pick in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League Inaugural Draft, recorded just two outs for the team in pink, orange and black.
The Blaze knew they would be without Hoover to start the year — she was finishing the first half of the Japan Diamond League season and did not arrive until June 16 — but they were counting on the former LSU right-hander to eat up quality innings. Instead, Hoover allowed five earned runs in two-thirds of an inning on June 17 against the Volts, giving up three hits and three walks before the game was suspended due to lightning in the area.
Two days later, Hoover was placed on the Injured List, where she remained the rest of the season.
“We got bit by a bit of an injury bug in the circle,” General Manager Dana Sorensen said. “We lost Carley Hoover for the season to an injury, and (Keilani) Ricketts was out for a good chunk. Those are two of our veteran leader pitchers, and they have great stuff. We were kind of piecing it together a little bit.”
The Blaze finished with a 6.18 team ERA, by far the worst in the AUSL. It was the primary reason for their 7-17 record and last-place finish, and thanks in part to those injuries, they operated in a state of perpetual roster churn.
Sorensen was busy all year, as the Blaze used 10 different pitchers and 15 position players. Emma Lemley and Aleshia Ocasio were the only pitchers to remain on the active roster for the entire season.
“I joke with (Senior Manager of Softball Operations) Sam Fischer. Every day, I’m texting Sam, ‘We’ve got another transaction.’ We’ve had so many injuries,” Sorensen said. “Managing the injury stuff behind the scenes and just the personalities, there’s a lot more that goes into it than simply roster acquisition. You’re always trying to figure out the pieces that are in play and moving and shifting, and how you can make your roster better.”
The Blaze were involved in the only two trades of the summer, acquiring McKenzie Clark from the Volts for Ciara Briggs on June 22 and sending Danielle Gibson Whorton to the Bandits for Devyn Netz just before the trade deadline on July 11.
Both deals addressed specific needs. The Blaze added Clark to give themselves another power bat, and Netz, a two-way player, added depth to their pitching staff.
“I drafted two pitchers first. I still stick to that. Injuries aside, I still stick to that,” Sorensen said. “I’ve definitely been leaning into the youth. We have 10 players on our roster right now who graduated college within the last two or three years, so that’s pretty young, and they were everyday contributors for us.”
The Blaze did have one of the AUSL’s younger squads, particularly after injuries to Hoover and catcher Taylor Edwards ushered in even more of a youth movement. At season’s end, they had five rookies and three second-year pros.
After earning their first win in franchise history on June 10 against the Volts, the Blaze lost eight straight games, allowing nine runs or more in six of those defeats. They added or removed 10 different players from their active roster during that stretch as they tried to find a winning formula.
Effectively out of the race for a spot in the championship series by the midseason break, the Blaze still fought hard in the second half. Rookie of the Year Ana Gold sent them into the break with a home run to clinch a run-rule win over the Bandits, and the Blaze pitched considerably better in July thanks to Ricketts’ return and new additions like Netz and rookie Aliyah Binford.
“(It’s about) looking at different options and how you can adjust your roster,” Sorensen said. “That’s not something that we’re familiar with midseason in the college game. Seeing where maybe somebody has a little bit of a surplus on their team that you could use versus what you have a surplus of, and how you work those deals, and how you figure out what’s best for everybody. That’s been super fun for me.”
The Blaze earned their first-ever series win by taking two of three over the Volts in Seattle from July 11-13. They recorded their first-ever shutout against the regular season champion Talons on July 19, avoiding a season series sweep. Korbe Otis, Aubrey Leach, Baylee Klingler and Gold formed a formidable top of the lineup, while players like Aliyah Andrews, Urtez and Kayla Kowalik helped the Blaze hit .304 as a team.
The entire final active roster will compete in the AUSL All-Star Cup in August, with Ocasio serving as a captain for the first week.
“I am just proud,” Head Coach Alisa Goler said. “The character piece is what it is. It’s not a matter of skill in this league. Every roster, with as small as the roster sizes are, it’s all skill. It’s filled with competitive people. But the heart and the grit piece, and to have a group (where) it’s not just one or two people, it’s the entire team that’s doing it, that’s really special.”
Benjamin Rosenberg is the Blaze beat reporter for the AUSL this season. He has more than seven years of experience covering college, professional and high school softball, and graduated with a degree in journalism from Northwestern University in 2021.
