A national championship, a slew of player of the year awards, and an Olympic silver medal, all by 24.
Pitcher Rachel Garcia surged through softball’s loftiest goals and achievements at a young age.
But she didn’t peak too early – and she is definitely not done yet.
Keeping an edge
Like many Athletes Unlimited Softball seasons before, Garcia is in the hunt to finish at the top of the All-Star Cup leaderboard. It would be another medal to accompany her other three in the league: one for fourth, another for second, and a first-place medal from being crowned the 2023 AUX Champion.
Garcia’s competitive edge is as sharp as ever. She knows that if she hadn’t missed part of the season to compete with Team USA at the 2025 World Games, where she added a gold medal with the team while in Chengdu, China, she would be closer to the top.
“I’m two games behind and it’s frustrating,” Garcia said. “I know that if I was able to play those two games, it could be different. And so I do feel like I am hungry to get there to that number one spot.”
That hunger is tunneled through concrete goals that aren’t dependent on ranked results. Garcia entered this All-Star Cup season with the intention of perfecting two pitches: her rise and drop ball.
“When you get caught up in that leaderboard system, it almost sucks the life out of you in a way. I knew I wanted to have more fun and be able to just play free and focus more on… what can I perfect that’s going to make me perform at my best and allow me to be myself?”
This summer of softball has prompted another question: how good can Garcia get? She stands with a 1.64 ERA through 25.2 innings pitched. She’s second in the All-Star Cup in strikeouts with 19 and has held opponents to a .146 batting average in six games. There are outings where she’s looked near untouchable.
Carrying the load
Garcia has viewed this short circuit with its unique format as a reset. She was on a disappointing inaugural Volts team that went 8-16 in the AUSL’s regular season. The righty-hurler was a bright spot for a team that struggled offensively and didn’t catch many breaks.
“We all knew on paper we had the best freaking team, but the outcome of it just didn’t go our way. Everything we did just didn’t go our way,” Garcia said.
When things did fall in the Volts’ favor, it was often due to their ace. She was the only pitcher in the AUSL to throw three complete games. She paced the league in strikeouts with 51 Ks and finished with a 4-3 record on the season.
She carried the majority of the load for the team, too, with 54.2 innings pitched and 15 appearances, sometimes on back-to-back days. But she’s accustomed to that. At UCLA, Garcia knew she would be called on in the opening and final game of a three-game series.
“Now, that middle game? That was the one that I had to prepare myself the most for because I knew there was an opportunity that I’d have to come in. I was playing first [base] as well, so I would go right into the pitcher’s circle,” Garcia said.
She explained that’s when her durability began to harden, and she adopted the mindset that she can go in at any moment, any time.
As a Bruin, Garcia “knew her role and knew her job,” but the one she took on with the Volts did surprise her.
“I shocked myself with how much load I was able to carry this year,” Garcia said.
In the offseason, she threw two or three times a week, listening to her body. She hits the Peloton bike every day in between giving lessons and volunteering at Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego, Calif. She’s even felt how working with youth pitchers and catchers sharpened her eye.
“I feel like I can see a lot more, even just standing in the dugout. I think I see what batters are doing more than I have before, really just from having to analyze differently,” Garcia said.
“I’m really excited to see what I’m going to be able to do next season, too.”
Answering the big questions
This summer, Garcia has been asked what’s different about her often.
The answer stems from much bigger questions she wrestled with about herself as a person and player last year. Why keep playing? Why not just retire?
Following the 2024 season, she found herself enjoying giving lessons and playing slowpitch more than she did training.
“Softball to me should not have to feel like a job, and the second it starts feeling like that, maybe it’s time to take a step back and reassess what path I’m taking,” Garcia said.
Titles, medals, and trophies. The boxes have been checked, and the benchmarks have been reached. But in July, she played in front of the second biggest crowd of her life. Almost 7,000 people flocked to Round Rock, Texas, to see her and the Volts face the Bandits.
It was one of the pinnacle moments of not just her season but for the entire league in its fledgling year. She loved it, but it also ate at her.
The only other time she played in front of a crowd that big was the Women’s College World Series. Reaching the top of softball’s resources, audience, and influence in college and not professionally challenged her motivation. Her international or professional career had never reached an audience of that size until the games at Round Rock.
“It’s almost kind of sickening,” Garcia said.
But drawing the AUSL drawing that crowd in Texas?
“That is why I want to keep going,” Garcia said. “How can we make it even bigger? That is what excites me and is what’s fueling my fire.”
She dreams of a future in pro softball with a team in her home state of California, but tries to be present and “soak up every bit” that she can of now because she’s finally playing light.
“I’ve done it all and I’ve got nothing to lose,” Garcia said.
Yes, she’s playing for the progression of pro softball. And she will always carry some pressure with her name being attached to UCLA, Team USA, and the AUSL.
But finally, “it’s about me.”
Savanna Collins is the Senior Reporter for the AUSL. You can follow her on X @savannaecollins.
