Softball On SI

AUSL Awards Four More Golden Tickets, Only Six Remain

The AUSL awarded four more Golden Tickets this week, leaving just six spots remaining as the league begins to finalize its rosters for the inaugural season.
Maren Angus-Coombs|
Florida Gators outfielder Korbe Otis (33) hits the ball against the LSU Tigers during the game at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Monday, April 8, 2024. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]
Florida Gators outfielder Korbe Otis (33) hits the ball against the LSU Tigers during the game at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Monday, April 8, 2024. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun] | Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Athletes Unlimited Softball League is handing out 12 golden tickets to college seniors who are eligible to play professional softball this summer.

After handing out the first two to Virginia Tech pitcher Emma Lemley and Duke infielder Ana Gold, the league has handed out four more tickets to players who have been drafted.

Arkansas first baseman Bri Ellis received her golden ticket in a surprise ceremony on April 18. Kim Ng, the league's commissioner, presented Ellis with the news in front of her family and teammates at Bogle Park.

Ellis is having the best season of her career, batting .490 with 22 home runs and 62 runs batted in. Her on-base percentage stands at .642, and her slugging is at an absurd 1.214.

Florida outfielder Korbe Otis delivered a walk-off moment for the Gators on Saturday and then found out she had been drafted to one of the four AUSL teams.

Otis is a two-time NFCA All-American, a 2024 First-Team All-SEC selection, a USA Softball Top 10 Finalist, a SEC All-Tournament Team selection and was named to the CSC Academic All-America First Team.

Texas A&M lefty Emiley Kennedy punched her ticket to the pro league when former Aggie Amanada Scarborough stunned the team with a presentation on Tuesday.

Kennedy is having a stellar senior season with 21 wins, over 100 strikeouts, and more than 100 innings pitched so far this season.

Arizona two-way star Devyn Netz was a little surprised to see former UCLA Bruin Natasha Watley at Rita Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium on Tuesday but it was for a good reason.

The fifth-year senior has an 18-5 record with a 2.19 ERA to along with a .374 batting average, .754 slugging percentage, and 17 home runs.

Draftee team assignments will be revealed on May 3 on ESPNU at 9 p.m. ET during the AUSL College Draft Show.

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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the managing editor of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.

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