In the short history of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL), the Utah Talons only know one way the season can end: hoisting a trophy.

Back-to-back, the Talons defeated the Chicago Bandits in the Championship and celebrated with champagne showers. They dominated in the inaugural 2025 season, losing only six of 24 games. This summer brought new competition as the league expanded to six teams, but they still finished tied for the best record, 16-9, with the Bandits. But Utah prevailed yet again in the postseason, even with new faces on the team and a different head coach in Cindy Ball-Malone.

The constant? General manager and softball legend Lisa Fernandez.

“At the end of the day, it’s the leadership. To have the group of athletes that I have,” Fernandez said before rattling off almost her entire roster. “Great leadership truly knows what it takes to win.”

That example of leadership is set by Fernandez – a two-time national champion and three-time gold medalist for Team USA softball. You’d need both hands for all the rings she’s won as a coach at UCLA too. In this GM role with the Talons, Fernandez not only advises but mentors and motivates.

“My job as a GM is to level people up, free them up to be the best versions of themselves,” she said. A common theme that’s sprung up with athletes on the team in two seasons.

A will to win

Jadelyn Allchin is the perfect example, going from a temporary player in 2025 to a full-time roster spot. She was the team’s top offensive producer plus a defensive stalwart, earning the AUSL Championship MVP nod. She went 3-for-6 with three runs scored and three runs batted in during a two-game sweep of Chicago in the championship series. In the Game Two victory, she contributed both a double and a home run.

Then there’s Bri Ellis, one of the most highly anticipated rookies last year, who nearly doubled her batting average from .186 to .353. Ellis was a force to be reckoned with this year at the plate and earned the Comeback Player of the Year award.

“Look what Bri Ellis did,” Fernandez said. “Her ability to literally come back from the first year that she had after such a stellar collegiate career and show the world who she really is, how much she loves this game and is committed to this game.”

Sahvanna Jaquish was another she called out. Jaquish is a known utility (catcher and corner infielder) who started every game for the Talons but mostly at second base – a position she hadn’t played.

These players and their will to do what the team needs to win are a testament to the culture Fernandez has built in a short amount of time. While the Talons have been regarded as a favorite amongst the AUSL’s six teams to have successful seasons and make it to the postseason, Fernandez doesn’t see it that way.

“I’ll say it a hundred times, we’re the underdog… These are athletes that know what it takes and have the courage to come back and get after it again and again. Year after year without any guarantees of outcome,” she said.

Pitching on another level

Utah’s continual strength in both seasons has been elite pitching. Georgina Corrick, Megan Faraimo, and Montana Fouts make up their “big three” that routinely shuts down batters. This year the Talons’ 2.55 team ERA was an entire point lower than the next best staff (Chicago’s team ERA was 3.55).

The 2026 team proved that not only does good pitching beat good hitting, but that their elite staff is still evolving. Corrick, the 2025 Pitcher of the Year, had a 1.10 ERA in her 44.2 innings pitched and a 4-1 record. Despite throwing more this year, Corrick’s ERA went down while her strikeouts went up.

Fariamo improved year-over-year too, shaving 1.08 off her ERA this season.

And looking back, Fouts might be the biggest steal of the inaugural draft back in January of 2025. Each of the four original teams built their rosters pick by pick. Fouts wasn’t selected until the ninth round.

At the time, Fouts hadn’t played a ton of pro ball since graduating from Alabama. Beyond her skills, what stuck out to Fernandez was an answer on Fouts’ player info sheet. She’d boldly written that she wanted to be an Olympian.

“If someone wants to be an Olympian, I pick you, because that is a daunting task,” Fernandez said with conviction. “That is someone who knows what the work is.”

Fernandez knew of Fouts’ accomplishments in college, had watched her will the Crimson Tide to wins despite playing through pain and injuries.

“I knew that there were things within her that I could help with. Match made in heaven to be a small piece of her journey. To give her affirmation of her greatness, support her in those times of need, know her big picture, and be almost like a mentor,” Fernandez said.

Fouts had an iconic end to the 2025 season, throwing a shutout against the Bandits in Tuscaloosa to seal the Talons’ first title. It was nearly de ja vu this summer in College Station when Fouts won with another complete game, this time giving up a lone run.

“When you talk about the total package, you know, Montana Fouts takes it to another level,” Fernandez said.

All of the “big three” have signed for 2027, including the lone rookie from the staff, Taylor Tinsley. Tinsley was coming off of a strenuous senior season where she posted a 33-8 record with 193 strikeouts over 235.0 innings at UCLA. Fernandez and the Talons eased Tinsley in, who only had two appearances. In her pro debut on June 21, Tinsley threw a shutout against the Volts, scattering eight hits with three strikeouts.

Fernandez is expecting her to be a bigger contributor next season and has seen her grow as one of Tinsley’s coaches with the Bruins. Now add Fernandez having a front-row seat to Tinsley’s fire to work at the professional level, knowing that she will be a part of one of the most experienced and established staffs.

“It’s unique to find talented people who still look out for others,” Fernandez said about the group. “Just super fortunate that the veterans have sprinkled something on her to give her life, to teach her the way of the game… It goes a long way especially when you hear from those guys that have been so successful in this game. That staff innately knows how to do that.”

The right fit

As of now, not much will change for the Talons come June. The team only released two players – Rachel Becker and Dallas Escobedo. Outfielders Allchin, Aliyah Andrews, Jayda Coleman, and Caroline Jacobsen all re-signed. There’s depth at the corners with Jaquish, Ellis, and Jordan Woolery, so expect a pursuit of another middle infielder to accompany shortstop Hannah Flippen.

The team did add catcher Sarah Gordon to the mix with Sharlize Palacios. Gordon played with the team on a Reserve Pool assignment and held her own as a rookie behind the dish and at the plate. That leaves two openings on the championship-caliber roster.

Whether Fernandez pursues pickups in the Allocation or College Draft is yet to be seen, but she did express her affinity for young players.

“Athleticism is always important, but really, people that want to carry the torch, that want to make an impact, want the opportunity to do the impossible. They are the ones that are going to come in and really be a spark plug and continue the life of this team.”

Those same intangible characteristics that ooze from Fernandez come up often as she describes what she desires in her players. It often boiled down to vulnerability. Daring to set goals in a game built around failure. Without even discussing defensive or offensive needs, Fernandez talked about finding the “right fit.”

“Obviously I’m super passionate,” Fernandez said. “I think it’s a characteristic that’s necessary to push the envelope.”


Savanna Collins is the Senior Reporter for the AUSL. You can follow her on Instagram @savvyco.