Heading into the break, sitting at 4-8 in the inaugural season of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League wasn’t what general manager Cat Osterman and head coach Kelly Kretschman expected. The good news is that beginning July 7, the team in purple and green has an opportunity to turn things around as the second half of the season gets underway. Coach Krestchman believes that they can do it.

“We haven’t had the most successful season that we probably have wanted so far,” she said. 

“But we’ve stayed together as a team and haven’t had to worry about any drama in the locker room, which then gives us opportunities to focus on the things that we need to improve on the field.”

THE STRUGGLES 

Some of those things that the Volts hope to improve on if they want to have a better second half of the year include hitting, and, in particular, hitting with runners in scoring position. As a team, they sit at the bottom of the league in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Only four active players are hitting over .300. 

“We’re leaving way too many runners on base and runners in scoring position,” said the Volts’ head coach. “We’re not doing a very good job with that. It’s honestly just a matter of executing.” 

Kretschman said she’s working on finding the right lineup to put her players in the best position to execute. 

“We’ve had people in and out, putting people in positions that maybe they’re not necessarily used to,” Kretschman said.

The Volts’ head coach is hoping that the second half of the season will allow her team to reset, get healthy and have the players that joined the team late be ready to go. She hopes that having everyone from the start will be a positive for the team. 

THE SUCCESSES 

Though there were some offensive struggles, there were also some positives to build upon. The pitching has been very good, with Rachel Garcia, in particular, leading the pack. She’s thrown more innings than anyone else in the AUSL, but has only allowed one home run. The UCLA alum also has struck out 31 batters in her 35.1 innings pitched. 


Despite some hitting struggles overall, last year’s Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball Individual Champion, Amanda Lorenz, has picked up right where she left off. 

She’s tied for the 6th highest batting average in the league, hitting .432, and is fourth in OPS at 1.246. 

Another positive for the team is their culture. Kretschman touched on it, but other members of the Volts agreed. 

“We haven’t been winning games, which really sucks,” said third baseman Jessi Warren. “But we bring the positive out of every single game and find bright light in those dark moments.” 

“I really enjoy being around this team,” rookie Daneica Coffey said. “Even after losing, our conversations are kind of hard, and Amanda Lorenz hones it back in and takes a negative and rewires it to make it somehow this positive.” 

One of the most crucial pieces of a successful team is creating a positive culture. The Volts have that. With the combination of solid pitching and hopefully offense on the horizon, they’ll have a shot to make a run in the second half.

To do that, though, they will have to beat two teams that they have yet to defeat this season. 

Second Chances

The Volts begin the second half in Rosemont, Illinois, with a game against the Bandits on July 7, followed by a two-game series against the Talons on July 8 and 9.

The last time they faced the Bandits, the team led by Lexi Kilfoyl and Erin Coffel silenced the Volts’ bats. In the final two games of the series, the Volts scored just one run. The Bandits also scored early and often, putting up six runs in every game. They lead the AUSL in team batting average (.344).

If the Volts hope to get back on track, they will need to figure out how to get to the Bandits’ pitching staff, led by Kilfoyl, Odicci Alexander and Taylor McQuillin. 

After facing the Bandits, the Volts will be the visiting team against the Talons, a team that swept four games before the break and arguably the hottest team in the AUSL right now. 

Although the bats were an issue, the bigger problem for the Volts was playing from behind. If they hope to beat the team led by Georgina Corrick and Hannah Flippen, they will need to score early and give their pitchers some breathing room.

The Volts return to action on July 7 at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT in Rosemont, Illinois.

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