Lexi Kilfoyl picked 1st in Athletes Unlimited softball draft - ESPN

The Athletes Unlimited Softball League held its inaugural draft Wednesday night, with an early emphasis on the position most in demand.

Beginning with former Oklahoma State star Lexi Kilfoyl going first to the Bandits, seven of the league's initial eight picks were pitchers, perhaps not surprising given the depth of talent available.

«In this sport, pitching is huge. Pitching and defense win championships, and that hasn't changed in the history of the game,» Bandits coach Stacey Nuveman-Deniz said. «The offenses are too good. The hitters are too good. You've got to have dominant pitching; you've got to have different looks to face different parts of the lineup.»

The AUSL, a new pro league helmed by former Miami Marlins general manager Kim Ng, has four teams — Bandits, Blaze, Talons and Volts — that will play a 30-game schedule in June and July across multiple cities. On Wednesday night, the four teams each drafted 12 players, and they will eventually expand to 16-player rosters by adding a free agent and three college players from the 2025 class.

The teams are directed by softball legends, with the Bandits led by general manager Jenny Dalton-Hill and Nuveman-Deniz, the Blaze by GM Dana Sorensen and coach Alisa Goler, the Talons by GM Lisa Fernandez and coach Howard Dobson, and the Volts by GM Cat Osterman and coach Kelly Kretschman.

After Kilfoyl went No. 1 in the draft, pitchers Carley Hoover (Blaze), Megan Faraimo (Talons) and two-way star Rachel Garcia (Volts) were next off the board. The first pure hitter taken was outfielder Amanda Lorenz by the Volts with the seventh pick.

Maya Brady, the former Pac-12 player of the year for UCLA and a last-minute addition to the draft class after signing with the league on