From throwing out the first pitch at the Padres game to representing the AUSL in the USA softball showcase, the Talons are having an eventful mid-season break. The team in green headed into the break on a four-game win streak and is looking to make it five as they resume play on Monday, July 7th at 9:30 pm EST against the Blaze on MLB.com
“Going into that break, it really gives us some motivation to [say] ‘Hey? What we’ve done is working, so let’s keep working and keep going,’” said Head Coach Howard Dobson.
Currently sitting atop the AUSL standings alongside the Bandits with a 9-3 record, the Talons have started the inaugural season in dominant fashion. From pitching to offense and everything in between, if the Talons continue this momentum through the latter half of the season, a championship series run in Tuscaloosa later this month could be on the horizon.
With a total of 70 runs scored across the 12 games played so far for the Talons, their offense has been a force to be reckoned with. Outfielders Jadelyn Allchin and Caroline Jacobsen, alongside infielder Hannah Flippen, led the team in hitting above .400 in the first half of the season. Outfielder Ali Aguilar also paces the team with three home runs. As the team continues to get acclimated, it’s clear that the offense has grown as well.
“A lot of it goes off the field too, just being able to build that chemistry and being able to know each other personally translates really well for us on the field right now. It’s been amazing so far,” Jadelyn Allchin said.
The Talons have several strong contenders for league MVP in Hannah Flippen and Caroline Jacobsen. Flippen, hitting .410 with a team high of 13 RBIs and a .981 fielding percentage, leads the team in multiple categories as Jacobsen hits .405 with 10 RBIs. Starting all 12 games for the Talons, their impact is consistently felt, making their case for why they should be the league MVP.
“I think we’re deep, I think we’re really deep. I think we’re really good one through nine, anybody in the lineup we can plug and play,” said Dobson.
The more recent addition of Georgina Corrick to the Talons’ active roster has been a major factor in their success, as she is now vying for a spot as pitcher of the year. With a team-leading 1.62 ERA and a 3-0 record, she picked up two of those wins in the Talons’ most recent series against the Volts, including a historic AUSL complete game shutout. Raelin Chaffin has also been stellar in the circle with a 4-1 record against AUSL opponents.
Megan Faraimo has pitched the bulk of the innings (23.0) and Montana Fouts is tied with Corrick for a team-high 12 strikeouts on the season so far. The lone left-handed pitcher, Mariah Lopez, as well as Lauren Derkowski, can expect to see more innings as Fouts has been moved to the injured reserve list. Fouts is accompanied by utility Maya Brady and infielder Sydney Romero on the injured reserve list as well.
The Talons will face the Blaze in Rosemont on Monday for a single matchup, followed by a two-game series against the Volts later in the week. It will be a packed schedule in Rosemont as all AUSL teams will be competing in the same location for the week. The Talons are currently 3-0 against the Blaze, marking their first sweep in the inaugural AUSL season last month.
With only two wins so far, the Blaze have struggled in the first half of the season. Yet, one of those wins came in their most recent game against the Bandits in an 11-3 run-rule fashion as infielder Ana Gold blasted a game-ending home run. Baylee Klingler has also been a standout bat for the Blaze with a league-high .500 batting average.
Talons hold the overall series lead in Volts matchups and will face them again on Tuesday. They pulled off a successful four-game sweep of the Volts earlier this season, yet the Volts took a few of the games down to the wire, making it more intense than the final score reflects. Generating offense and tallying runs earlier in the game will help avoid any extra-inning pressure for the Talons.
They will once again face the dominant arm of Rachel Garcia, who’s thrown 35.1 innings with 31 strikeouts. With just 12 more regular season games to be played and a championship series on the line, the Talons’ collective efforts are set on finishing strong.
“So now, getting everyone together and knowing which way we’re going, and we’re all pulling on the same rope the same direction,” Dobson said of his team’s goals.
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.
