A unique series in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League All-Star Cup resulted in unusual leaderboard results following Series 2.
Only three teams competed in Series 2, with each team only playing two games. Team Kowalik was unbeaten, collecting 260 win points. Team Willis secured one victory (90 win points). While a game win evaded Team Falby, they did win innings (40 win points).
This resulted in the captains for Series 3 being heavily influenced by win points more than almost any other category.
Mover of the Series: Sierra Romero
Infielder Sierra Romero made the most significant jump on the leaderboard, moving up 42 spots to break into the top 10. Now at No. 9, Romero was the second-highest total point earner in Series 2, collecting 410 points in two games. She crushed the stat point category with a sacrifice bunt, single, two doubles, and a home run, recording points in all five at-bats.
Rookies on the rise
Rookies Emma Lemley and Korbe Otis made the other two most significant increases in leaderboard standings.
Lemley rose 26 spots, improving her points in all three categories. In addition to the win points with Team Kowalik, she threw four scoreless innings on Thursday night and garnered MVP 3 recognition.
After collecting only 50 win points in Series 1, Otis benefited greatly from the boost in that category, helping her move up 22 spots to ranked tenth in the league.
Weight in the wins
Win points showed to have the heaviest influence on the captains for Series 3.
Despite not recording any stat points in the series, pitcher Devyn Netz will lead the purple team. She’s been on the two best teams in back-to-back series and leads in win points with 500 total on the season. Infielder Danieca Coffey, the blue team captain, has also been on winning teams with 490 total win points. In Series 2, she registered two singles, a walk, and a stolen base to move up 15 spots into third place overall.
Pitcher Keilani Ricketts is now the closest in a race for first place. She trails Kayla Kowalik by 256 points and will captain the orange squad. Ricketts earned an MVP 2 nod and logged 48 stat points for her appearances in the circle.
Kowalik continues to be elusive at the top, leading a winning team and continuing her productivity at the plate. She has earned Game MVP honors in all four games this season, including three consecutive MVP 1 certificates. She leads the field in MVP points (220) and stat points (150), while tying for third in the win points (490).
Up Next
Series 3 will begin with a doubleheader on August 24 at 3 p.m. ET, as Team Coffey faces Team Ricketts, followed by Team Netz vs. Team Kowalik. The Series 3 draft will be held on August 22.
Fans can check back on the AUSL website and @theauslofficial on social to see the draft results.
The AUSL All-Star Cup is a four-series season from Aug. 2 to 31 in which 60 professional softball players compete to become the individual champion utilizing Athletes Unlimited’s innovative format. Teams are hand-picked by the top athletes on the leaderboard each series. Remaining games for the 2025 All-Star Cup will be played in Rosemont, Illinois.
Savanna Collins is the Senior Reporter for the AUSL. You can follow her on X @savannaecollins.
