‘We already have a bunch of inside jokes’: Aleshia Ocasio on the Blaze’s early camaraderie

One major part that makes the Athletes Unlimited Softball League so unique is the camaraderie that rosters throughout the league have. Unlike most professional leagues, the AUSL doesn’t always have a lot of time for players to spend around each other before the show starts.

However, teams like the Carolina Blaze have quickly come to gel like lifelong best friends who have reconnected. While most players do know each other and have probably played together before, it is still a great thing to witness.

Right-handed pitcher and two-way player Aleshia Ocasio feels the positive energy and camaraderie among the team already. And it starts at the top.

“We have a new coaching staff, minus Kara Dill, who’s now our head coach,” Ocasio said. “So the dynamic of our team and our coaching staff is different. It just feels different coming into our first game, just to be frank, and I think that excites me.”

Ocasio wasn’t taking shots at last year’s team and coaching staff by any means, but as a player who has experienced the different feel between 2025 and 2026, she has all the credentials and knowledge from firsthand experience.

“There’s been a lot of intention in training camp, and the camaraderie has been great, even though all of us are probably playing with each other for the first, second, or third time,” Ocasio said.

From Ocasio’s insight, this seems like a team that operates like close friends or even cousins, and the vibes are sparked immediately. That loose feeling and fun can translate to better on-field play. That remains to be seen, as the season starts Tuesday at 5 p.m. EDT, but it seems like the Blaze are already on the right path to becoming a successful team.

“We’ve only been together for 10, 11 days, and we already have a bunch of inside jokes,” Ocasio said. “We’re all saying random things out loud and giggling all the time. So that camaraderie off the field, you’re going to see it on the field this week.”

A new season is upon them with new energy, not only tracing back to the players who come together so fast, but also to a coaching staff that sets the tone for the team. If the staff shows up with positive intention and energy, that sets the tone for the team.

The Blaze’s staff is built with coaches who have been around the game for a long time and know what it’s like to lead collegiate programs. I believe that is a great thing in this league. They mix that collegiate touch with the professional space.

“The coaching staff had me really excited the moment I came into training camp,” Ocasio stated.

Leading the organization is general manager Dana Sorensen. She is a former Stanford All-American pitcher and Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame inductee who enters her second season with the Blaze. Blaze head coach Kara Dill, who is also the head coach at UT-Arlington, is joined by associate head coach Lindsay Leftwich, who is the head coach at NC State.

The staff also includes assistant coaches Brittany Cervantes (Olympian), who is the softball director of operations at the University of Kentucky, and Kyler Holton, who is an assistant for UNC-Wilmington softball. Lisa Maulden also serves as the operations coordinator. She is on the Duke softball staff as the director of player development.

“I think we’re all good people,” Ocasio said. “That’s one thing we can kind of hang our cleats on. We’re all fun to be around, we have good character, and we’re very welcoming at the same time.”