Corner infielder Danielle Gibson Whorton has signed with the Blaze for the inaugural Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) season.
The Blaze selected the first 12 players at the inaugural AUSL Draft. Gibson Whorton is the first addition to the team.
Gibson Whorton is a former Arkansas Razorback who competed in the 2022 and 2023 Athletes Unlimited Championship Seasons. She hit her way to the top of the leaderboard in 2023 and finished as the 3rd-place medalist. Gibson Whorton had the best slugging percentage in the league, posting a .721 average, and had one of the top batting averages (.395). She had 17 hits, including five doubles, three home runs, and eight walks. Her .491 on-base percentage was second-best amongst all hitters in 2023.
Gibson Whorton took off the 2024 season to start her family and is a mom to her son, Whitley.
She made her pro debut with AU after a decorated career at Arkansas. The two-time All-American finished her Razorbacks career as the all-time RBIs leader with 180. She belted 10 or more home runs in four of her five seasons, including a career-best 20 home runs as a redshirt senior. Gibson Whorton led the Razorbacks to back-to-back Southeastern Conference titles in 2021 and 2022.
The AUSL is a professional women’s softball league featuring four teams playing in a traditional format. The league will begin play this summer.
Savanna Collins is the Senior Reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on X @savannaecollins.
