It’s no surprise that the number one team in the league has five players claiming Athletes Unlimited Softball League awards and honors. Here are the stand-out players that have been recognized for their efforts this season:
Defensive Player of the Year: Hannah Flippen
Flippen, a true Athletes Unlimited veteran, has had an ever-evolving career since her college days. During her collegiate career, she owned the highest batting average (.384) of any athlete in the Utah softball program. She had a full-circle moment this weekend after competing back at her alma mater. It was a testament to softball fans everywhere of how much better she gets with each season.
Flippen has earned a fielding percentage of .969 with 56 putouts, 38 assists, and only three errors as she has started every game this season for the Talons. The shortstop has made stellar plays all season long and brings the bat to match. With a .507 slugging percentage and 20 RBIs on the season, she serves as the team’s leading run producer. Her presence on the field, accompanied by her production at the plate, makes her one of the most dynamic players in the league.
Pitcher of the Year & All Defensive Team: Georgina Corrick
Corrick played her first game with the Talons on June 18, and her impact was immediately felt in her first outing, leading the Talons to victory against their league rival, the Bandits. Since then, she has been on a tear with a league-leading 6-0 record on the season. With a 2.01 ERA, she leads the league across 31.1 innings pitched this season. She has 25 strikeouts and held opponents to a .195 batting average.
She became the first pitcher to throw a complete game in AUSL history, after the Talons defeated the Volts back in June. A couple of weeks later, she would follow up with her second complete game against the Volts. The Talons’ go-to arm has led her team to the number one seed in the Championship.
All-Defensive Team
Sharlize Palacios (Catcher)
Sharlize Palacios has been the mainstay behind the plate for the Talons and rightfully so. Both the pitching staff and Head Coach Howard Dobson have sung the praises of Palacios all season long. With arguably the best pitching staff in the league, it’s important to recognize the other half of the puzzle piece behind the plate. Her leadership and ability to be vocal continue to lead the Talons staff to success.
Palacios has also earned a .419 slugging percentage and two home runs on the season, one coming in walk-off fashion, defeating the Blaze 5-4 on June 20.
Sierra Sacco (Outfielder)
In her rookie season, Sierra Sacco became impossible to ignore. As a slapper for most of her life, she adopted hitting for power in her final year at Mississippi State, giving her game an extra edge, and it translated to the pros seamlessly.
Aside from her dominant presence at the plate, she has held it down in the outfield for the Talons. Starting every game she has played in the outfield, she has a perfect fielding percentage with 34 putouts.
*Sacco has been added to the Talons’ injured reserve list.
Jadelyn Allchin (Outfielder)
Allchin, who was reinstated to the Talons’ roster this weekend from the Reserve Pool, has been noteworthy for the Talons. In her second year playing professional softball, she has a .386 batting average and .971 fielding percentage with 33 putouts. Across 44 at-bats, she has only struck out twice, an extremely impressive stat in a league with some of the country’s best pitching.
Defensively, she lays it all out on the line–literally. If you’ve caught a Talons game this season, you know the energy that she brings to the field.
Cayla Sweazie is a former collegiate softball player turned sports reporter with a passion for telling the stories of athletes. She is serving as a correspondent for the Talons of the AUSL. You can follow her on Instagram @caysweazie.