Athletes Unlimited Softball League ramps up on Tuesday, as six teams take the field to begin the 2026 season. With the addition of the Oklahoma City Spark and the Portland Cascade, things look a bit different going into season two of this format.
The main difference, for anyone who missed out on the development months ago, is the six teams are set in home cities. Those six teams are:
- Oklahoma City Spark (Oklahoma City, Okla.)
- Chicago Bandits (Rosemont, Ill.)
- Carolina Blaze (Durham, N.C.)
- Portland Cascade (Hillsboro, Ore.)
- Utah Talons (Salt Lake City, Utah)
- Texas Volts (Round Rock, Texas)
With the expansion and collegiate drafts, teams look a little different from the inaugural season. One team in particular that I will be focusing on this season is the Carolina Blaze.
The Blaze were able to protect a core group of five players: 2025 Rookie of the Year Ana Gold, Baylee Klingler, Aubrey Leach, Kayla Kowalik, who was the All-Star Cup champion, and veteran pitcher Keilani Ricketts.
A rough debut season in the circle
Last season, the Blaze struggled in the win column and a lot of that was attributed to a difficult season in the circle. They finished with a league-worst 6.18 ERA with 139 earned runs on 226 hits, and opponents hit for an average of .330 against them. It was a season of trying to find great innings out of the staff, and injury played a role too.
Ricketts missed nearly a month of action due to an injury suffered during a series with the Talons in Chattanooga on June 15, 2025. Ricketts returned to the fold on July 12, and for the rest of the season and All-Star Cup, she looked like the Ricketts we are all accustomed to seeing.
Injury trouble wasn’t limited to Ricketts. Carley Hoover, who is no longer with the Blaze, missed most of the inaugural season due to an injury, adding to the staff’s struggles in the circle.
“Keilani had a rough start to her first season battling injury, but once healthy, she proved that she still is one of the toughest pitchers to barrel up,” Blaze general manager Dana Sorensen said via press release. “She was absolutely one of the most dominant pitchers in the second half of the season and carried that success through the All-Star Cup. Keilani is someone you can build a very diverse staff around, and her experience in all levels of the game speaks for itself.”
New arms join the staff
Sorensen and Blaze head coach Kara Dill added talented arms to the staff through the drafts. They picked up Jala Wright, who is the pitching coach for the Duke Blue Devils. Wright initially started her professional career with the Texas Smoke, which moved to Atlanta in 2025. Before that, she finished her collegiate career as one of the best in Blue Devils’ history, totaling 431 strikeouts, a 2.00 ERA and a 44-12 record across three seasons in Durham.
Then, in the collegiate draft, the Blaze took University of Tennessee legend Karlyn Pickens as the No. 1 overall pick. Pickens, known for her blazing velocity that reached 79.4 miles per hour, just completed her career with a third trip to the Women’s College World Series.
Pickens brings a dominant arm to the staff that can be used in different roles, whether as a starter or a reliever. She finished her career in Knoxville with 824 strikeouts, an ERA of 1.53 and a 71-33 record in 650.1 innings across four seasons.
Bats added through the collegiate draft
Even though offense wasn’t the main issue in 2025, the Blaze added some pieces that can do damage. Reese Atwood, who just came off back-to-back national championships with the Texas Longhorns, was taken in the second round of the collegiate draft.
Atwood slashed .360/.444/.729 with 74 home runs, 283 RBI, 179 runs scored and 266 hits across her four-year career in Austin. She is a well-experienced veteran in the game with 253 starts in 256 games played. She also took home a Rawlings Gold Glove in 2026. With Kowalik returning as catcher, Atwood’s role this season will be worth watching. However, she has a bat that must find its way in the lineup.
Dakota Kennedy from Arkansas was taken with the Blaze’s third pick of the collegiate draft. Kennedy is coming off the Razorbacks’ first-ever trip to OKC and a first-team All-SEC season. She was also named to the SEC All-Defensive team in 2026. She only spent one season in Fayetteville after transferring from Arizona. But this is another well-experienced player whom Sorensen and Dill saw the appeal in adding.
Kennedy finished her collegiate career slashing .392/.495/.694 with 44 home runs, 148 RBI, 198 runs scored and 240 hits across 207 games, starting 203 of them.
Returners and expansion additions
Carolina has formed a team that consists of mainstays from 2025, along with newcomers from college and the expansion draft. Infielder Alyssa Brito was the first overall pick in December’s expansion draft. Other expansion additions include infielder Jenna Laird, utility Valerie Cagle and Wright.
Leach was an on-base machine for the Blaze. In 2025, she slashed .368/.467/.461, led the team with 23 runs scored and seven doubles, and tied for the team lead with 28 hits. Her patient approach at the plate also showed with a league-leading 15 walks drawn.
The Blaze should be a dangerous team to watch this summer. They have major pop and speed on offense. Also of note is the return of McKenzie Clark, who can change things quickly on the bases when she gets her opportunity. Clark provides quick-minded defense in the outfield and prevents a lot of runs due to her ability to cover a lot of ground.
And with the reinforced pitching staff, which includes returners Aleshia Ocasio, Emma Lemley and two-way player Devyn Netz, coach Dill should have a winning formula with options. Carolina begins the season on Tuesday, June 9 at 5 p.m. ET at Smith Family Stadium on the campus of Duke University.
How to watch
The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network. Also, stay tuned here as Southeastern Softball Wire will have on-site coverage, as well as interviews from Media Day on Monday. For a breakdown of the AUSL, including the season broadcast schedule, check out and download the media guide below, courtesy of the AUSL.
