Video: Duke Softball's Ana Gold Receives AUSL Golden Ticket
The No. 19 Duke Blue Devils kicked off senior weekend in celebratory style.
After taking down Notre Dame 5-4 on Thursday night in Durham, senior infielder Ana Gold was surprised by Athletes Unlimited Softball League Commissioner Kim Ng.
Ng walked onto the field and presented Gold with the second golden ticket, solidifying her immediate future as a professional softball player in the inaugural AUSL season.
a GOLD-en Ticket Moment in Durham ✨@DukeSOFTBALL infielder, @ana_gold4 receives the second Golden Ticket to be drafted to the #AUSL! pic.twitter.com/gH8GILbk7S
— AUSL (@theAUSLofficial) April 18, 2025
Gold is in the middle of a career-best season, batting .352 with 11 home runs, 47 RBIs, 50 runs and 16 stolen bases through 46 games. She set the Duke program record for career home runs in 2024 and currently has 49.
The infielder made an immediately the moment she stepped onto campus. As a freshman in 2022, she started 51 games and hit 10 home runs, – the most by a freshman in program history. She started 120 more games during her sophomore and junior seasons.
me: I will not cry during the golden ticket moment tonight
— Savanna Collins (@savannaecollins) April 18, 2025
*watches Ana Gold’s mom and dad*
me: 🥹🥹🥹 pic.twitter.com/v935YnUd2F
Last season, she helped Duke reach the Women's College World Series for the first time in program history.
Overall, Gold is a two-time All-ACC selection. She earned first-team honors in 2023 and third-team in 2022, along with a spot on the ACC All-Freshman Team. She was also named to the NFCA All-Region third team in 2023 and earned ACC All-Tournament honors in 2024.
A GOLDen family moment ⭐️#ELEV8TE | @ana_gold4 pic.twitter.com/dTKaYZ4rVL
— Duke Softball (@DukeSOFTBALL) April 18, 2025
The AUSL is set to hand out 10 more golden tickets over the next few weeks with the AUSL College Draft Show on May 3 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
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-1d7db99dccc9abef7b9378f016b22b68.webp "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+.