Many things run through Rylie Boone’s mind while she patrols the outfield.
Sometimes she wonders what color the sunset will be. She might compliment an opposing hitter on a good swing or try to predict the next pitch.
And sometimes, she counts birds.
“I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone this, but I will bird count,” Boone said. “Just to take my mind off of things, because this game is already hard.”
Don’t misunderstand her. The Texas Volts outfielder quickly clarified: “But I am focused, though. Trust.”
Boone proved that during her first season in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League.
She hit .349, sixth-best in the league, and finished third with 29 hits in her third professional season. Boone reached base safely in 20 of 25 games, produced eight multi-hit performances, and provided some of the season’s most memorable defensive highlights.
But the player making those plays is also the one dancing with fellow outfielders, talking her way through games and creating memorable moments whenever a broadcast microphone comes near her.
For Boone, the two sides are more connected than they might appear.
Playing Like a Kid Again
Boone has learned that her best softball comes when she remembers that it is still a game.
“I literally just think back to when I was young,” Boone said. “Never forget we’re playing a kids’ game. Like, we’ve been playing this game since we were so young.”
She knows how easy it can be to lose that perspective.
Boone said that nearly every athlete reaches a point where the game becomes too serious. For her, learning how to handle the inevitable failures that come with softball was key to getting back to the joy she had as a child.
During her collegiate career at Oklahoma, Boone described herself as much more emotional.
“When I was really high, I was super high, super like, ‘Oh my goodness, you’re so fun to watch,’” Boone said. “But when I was low, I was like, ‘Get me off the field. I’m ready to go home and put my bonnet on and go to sleep.’”
Learning to find the middle ground has become one of the biggest developments of her career. She can still be energetic, expressive and entirely herself without letting one bad moment dictate the next.
That shift was especially noticeable to Boone in her first AUSL season.
“Coach JT (Joshua Trevino) played a big role in it. He told me ‘You can have 10 seconds to yourself after you don’t like something,’ and I think that was when a light bulb in my head went off,” Boone recounted. “I just need a short term memory… Him letting me have that space to do that, I think played a really big role, and now I don’t really need it. I just have fun now.”
When she does catch herself dwelling on a mistake, she tries to turn her attention outward. Boone said she often chooses a teammate and pours confidence into them instead.
The habit keeps her negative emotions from snowballing, and helps put her energy somewhere she considers more useful.
Finding Her Place in the AUSL
Boone entered 2026 with two years of professional experience after playing for the Oklahoma City Spark in 2024 and 2025, but joining the AUSL still brought some nerves.
She watched the league grow quickly and knew the caliber of players she would be competing with: All-Americans, national champions and many players that she had looked up to throughout her career.
“I had high expectations, and I feel like AUSL literally surpassed my expectations,” Boone said.
The difference extended beyond the competition.
Boone said the level of preparation and support made her feel like a professional athlete “for the first time.” With those needs handled, she felt freer to focus on playing and enjoyed taking the field in front of crowds truly invested in professional softball.
Volts General Manager Cat Osterman also helped Boone trust that she belonged.
“I feel like Cat really had a big influence on me, just continuing reminding me, ‘I bet on you,’” Boone said.
The message carried weight for Boone and led to one of the league’s strongest offensive seasons.
On defense, Boone made plays that often left her as surprised as everyone watching.
After one diving catch, Boone popped up and struck the Heisman pose.
“I know I can make the play,” she said. “I think it’s just watching myself do it in my head and actually go in and make the play. I think that’s when I’m like, ‘Oh my God.’”
But the highlight-reel-worthy plays are no coincidence. Boone’s defensive game is something she’s been crafting since middle school.
“There’s a lot of good outfielders, but to be elite at it and working on that craft is something that I think is really hard,” She explained. “The small techniques of how you field a ground ball, the quickness of the release with the throw–that plays into winning ball games.”
More Than the Viral Moments
The dances, celebrations and mic’d-up conversations have made Boone one of the AUSL’s most entertaining personalities.
But they also offer a glimpse into the approach she has worked to develop.
She’s not only chatting for the camera. Even when she’s not mic’d up, Boone keeps a constant stream of chatter in the outfield, hyping up teammates, talking through game situations, and commenting on the sights and sounds of game day.
“I’m locked in, but I’m not locked in,” Boone said. “I am very focused and I do want to do my job, but again, I just want to be like a little girl playing the game.”
The players around her reinforce that perspective.
More recently, Kelsey Stewart-Hunter has become someone Boone can turn to when her confidence dips. One of the greatest lessons Boone has taken from Stewart-Hunter is that her accomplishments before arriving in professional softball have little bearing on the next pitch.
“She taught me that your resume doesn’t necessarily matter,” Boone said. “Who cares about your resume? Like, in the nicest way, no one cares. You’re a four-time national champion. No one cares. And she’s like, ‘Just go play.”
Now, that is what Boone is trying to do.
After a first AUSL season that exceeded her expectations, she is already looking forward to returning to her teammates, traveling to different cities, and playing again in Round Rock.
Most of all, she is excited to see fans continue to show up.
“They’re investing in you in a good way,” Boone said. “They’re investing, and I think that’s something I’m super excited about. That’s probably the number one is the fans.”
Some of those fans are young softball players watching Boone make diving catches, dance in the outfield, and laugh her way through games.
As her professional career continues, Boone is making sure she never gets too far from what they already know: sometimes softball is at its best when you can just go play.
Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.
