Montana Fouts has been named the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) Pitcher of the Year as the league announced its season awards on Friday night.
Fouts, the second Pitcher of the Year recipient from the Utah Talons, was also named to the All-League team. She is joined by corner infielder and Comeback Player of the Year Bri Ellis and outfielder Jadelyn Allchin in league recognition.
One of the most dominant pitchers in the league this season, Fouts ranked first with seven wins in nine starts and 11 appearances in the circle. She was third in the AUSL with a 2.36 ERA across her league-leading 61.1 innings pitched. Fouts logged the most strikeouts too, sitting down 63 batters. Her opponent batting average also ranked at the top, with hitters batting only .200 against her. Fouts finished the regular season with a 7-4 record.
Her seven complete games were also the most of any pitcher, and she logged her lone shutout on June 26 against the Carolina Blaze to propel the Talons to a 3-0 victory. She also set new league records over the course of the 2026 season. On June 18 versus the Texas Volts, Fouts broke the single-game strikeout high with 12 Ks.
In the AUSL’s two years, the Pitcher of the Year award has been earned exclusively by Talons hurlers. Fouts joins Georgina Corrick, who claimed the honor in 2025.
Utah clinched the No. 1 seed in the 2026 AUSL Championship with a 16-9 regular-season record, advancing the team straight to the finals, where they will face the Chicago Bandits, the winner of the Play-In Game against the Portland Cascade.
The rematch of the inaugural championship contenders begins on Saturday, July 25, at 1 p.m. ET on ABC, marking a historic first for the sport: the first professional softball game ever televised on a U.S. broadcast network. Game Two will air Sunday, July 26, at 2 p.m. on ESPN, followed by a decisive Game Three, if necessary. It will air on Monday, July 27, at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. All the championship action will also be available in Spanish on ESPN Deportes.
