If you’re a sports fan, you have probably heard the “Angels in the Outfield” quote, “If you build it, they will come.” After watching the launch of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, it seems like it could have very well been written about the inaugural season.
Fans from across the nation came to different venues to see these incredible women compete, and the Volts were a big part of it.
Despite not winning as many games as they would have liked, the team in purple and green left a major impact in the first year of AUSL. So, let’s review all that happened.
LOTS OF GOOD
#1 Ready-to-go rookies
The rookies on the roster showed that they were ready. Ciara Briggs finished the season hitting .320 with a .426 OBP. In her last six games of the season, she was unstoppable, going 7-for-17 (.412).
Danieca Coffey was also effective, hitting .283 and pushing across 11 RBIs. Mia Scott joined the team later, but heated up as the year progressed. In her last six games, she had six RBIs.
#2 Precise pitching.
The pitching had some bright moments throughout the season, especially ace Rachel Garcia. Overall, the Volts finished second in the league in ERA and had the lowest opponent batting average.
A big reason for their success in the circle was the variety of the staff. Payton Gottshall, Rachel Garcia and Sam Landry threw most of the innings. All three balanced each other well between movement and speed. Samantha Show and Mariah Mazon provided support in relief.
Gottshall finished with the fourth-best ERA (3.40) in the league and had a stellar last outing against the Talons to finish out the Volts’ season, allowing just three hits in four innings and striking out six.
Garcia led the AUSL in strikeouts and innings pitched with 51 and 54.2, respectively. She combined movement and speed to get hitters to swing and miss.
WHERE THEY NEED TO IMPROVE
#1 Hitting.
At the beginning of the season, it was thought that the Volts could have the best offense in the league; however, they finished last in batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage.
The most surprising part is the power numbers. At the beginning of the season, Coach Kretschman said, “If you look at our roster, you know that we’re going to hit. We’re going to score runs.”
Amanda Lorenz was on fire most of the year, and the rookies mentioned earlier had their moments. Sierra Romero and Jessi Warren heated up towards the end. But, by the end of the season, just three hitters were over .300.
#2 Finding ways to win.
The Volts struggled to win games due to the lack of hits. They had the least amount of runs scored in the league with 96. They had 89 RBIs in 24 games.
When they did come out and get the big hits in the big moments, they struggled to shut the door, allowing teams back into the game in late innings. They finished the season with an 8-16 record.
However, despite the difficulties, veteran Sierra Romero was proud of the way the team responded. In her final post-game presser of the year, she said, “Softball’s hard. Hitting is hard. Pitching is hard. All of it is hard. So sticking together when things aren’t going our way is really big and important, and I think we did a good job doing that.”
BREAKING IT ALL DOWN
To sum it all up, in the first season of the AUSL, the Volts had some good moments, and they have things to improve on. They have the personnel to be a very good softball team, and towards the end of the season, some of that offense and will-to-win emerged.
They beat the league’s top-seeded Talons in their last game of the season.
“It’s just so exciting to think about the future,” Coach Kretschman said. “Next year we’re just going to grow with two teams, and that’s going to be even more fun, and we’re going to start to have rivalries and things like that. It’s just really exciting to see where we are year one and the possibilities are endless.”
TOP 5 MOMENTS
This is just the beginning for pro softball and for the Volts. Take a look at some of the best moments from the team in purple and green.
#5 First win for the Volts.
The first victory in Volts’ history came in extra innings. They took a 2-1 lead in the top of the 7th when McKenzie Clark hit a no-doubter three-run homerun to give the Volts insurance.
Rachel Garcia was stellar in the circle, going the distance.
#4 Fan love throughout the season.
Fans traveled throughout the country to see the Volts play. They had young girls come with Michaela Edenfield-style makeup, Sam Landry glasses, and much more.
#3 Jessi Warren’s defense.
We’ve always known how good Jessi Warren is defensively. She showed that all season long, but during the Volts’ series in Washington, she especially showed out.
#2 Largest crowd in AUSL history in Texas.
The Volts made history playing in front of the largest crowd in AUSL history. Over 6,500 fans packed the ballpark in Round Rock, Texas, to see the two teams play on July 19.
#1 Last win against the Talons.
The Volts finished their season on a high note, beating the Talons – a team they didn’t beat throughout the season, 6-4.
Maria Trivelpiece is currently the Director of Video Communications and Reporter at the American Athletic Conference and a softball color analyst. Trivelpiece was an outfielder at Fordham University and still stays involved with the game through coaching and covering the sport. You can follow her on X M_Trivelpiece or Instagram @_mariatrivelpiece
