Outfielder Victoria Hayward has signed with the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) for its inaugural season. The AUSL is a professional women’s softball league featuring four teams playing in a traditional format. The league will begin play this summer.
Hayward has played in seven AU Softball campaigns, most recently finishing 12th place in the 2024 Championship Season. A starter in 14 games, she ranked fifth in the league with .341
batting average. She was also the third-place medalist of the inaugural season in 2020. Hayward holds multiple Championship Season records including at-bats (248), hits (85), and stolen bases (26).
She is the youngest person ever named to the Canadian Senior National Team after joining the team at 16 in 2009. She helped lead Canada to its first-ever Olympic medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Hayward hit .300 in Tokyo with a team-high seven runs scored.
Hayward is currently the head coach at the University of Nevada.
The general managers of the four teams will assemble the inaugural rosters at the AUSL Inaugural Draft, which will take place on January 29th.
Savanna Collins is the Senior Reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Twitter @savannaecollins.