Virginia Tech Softball: Lemley and McMillan Taken in First Round of AUSL Draft

The inaugural AUSL draft was Saturday night, featuring 3 rounds, with four teams getting a selection in each round.

The AUSL spent the last three weeks touring the country, giving away Golden Tickets to the best of the best players that softball has to offer. Blacksburg was the first college town stop on this three-week tour, with four-year program veteran Emma Lemley receiving the first-ever Golden Ticket.

Lemley is tied with Angela Tincher with 11 saves for the most in program history, alongside her other stellar career stats. In her 2025 campaign alone, Lemley has thrown four no-hitters, including two perfect games.

Cori McMillan received her award at the 10th annual Gobblers awards, joining Mississippi State as the only collegiate program with two athletes being drafted into the AUSL.

McMillan was a junior transfer from the college located 10 miles down I-81, Radford. Instantly, the impact from McMillan was felt, breaking the single-season Hokies home run record, being the first player to ever surpass 20 home runs in a single season with 21--which she broke in her senior campaign with 27 and growing.

The two decorated Hokie all-time greats didn't even last until the second round. Taken with back-to-back selections to cap off round one. Lemley was taken third overall to the Blaze, and McMillan was taken fourth overall to the Bandits.

The Hokies celebrated this spectacular accomplishment as a team in their suite in Lane Stadium. Culminating the hard work and success not only Lemley and McMillan have showed all season, but the entire team as a whole under the Pete D'Amour program.

Here are the full results from the draft:

Round One

1. Volts: Sam Landry, RHP, Oklahoma 2. Talons: Bri Ellis, INF, Arkansas 3. Blaze: Emma Lemley, RHP, Virginia Tech 4. Bandits: Cori McMillan, UTIL, Virginia Tech

Round Two

5. Talons: Sierra Sacco, OF, Mississippi State 6. Blaze: Korbe Otis, OF, Florida 7. Bandits: Emiley Kennedy, LHP, Texas A&M 8. Volts: Michaela Edenfield, C, FSU

Round Three

9. Blaze: Ana Gold, INF, Duke 10. Bandits: Devyn Netz, RHP, Arizona 11. Volts: Danieca Coffey, UTIL, LSU 12. Talons: Raelin Chaffin, RHP, Mississippi State

The AUSL season will be underway for its inaugural season in June. With the influx of support for women's sports, this league can bolster success for these athletes after college.

"I'm excited to know that there is something after college," McMillan said. "That once my eligibility runs out, that's not the end of softball."

ACC Softball: Hokies Will Be The No. 3 Seed In This Week's ACC Softball Championships

Virginia Tech Softball: Hokies Avoid Run Rule Loss in Game One Against Florida State