Building off of a fun and exciting debut season highlighted by sellout crowds along with the first-ever “Little League Softball Unlimited” events across the country last April to support its launch, the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) has announced its expansion from four to six teams ahead of the 2026 season. As part of the expansion, a two-part draft was held on December 1, with two Little League Softball® grads selected to join the two new expansion teams — Oklahoma City Spark and the Cascade — along with eight grads who were chosen during the allocation draft to begin filling the four original teams — Talons, Blaze, Bandits, and Volts.
Selected third in the expansion draft was star pitcher Carley Hoover, who started her career on the South Simpsonville LL fields in Clemson, South Carolina. In 2008, Hoover competed and won the Little League Softball World Series (LLSWS) with her Simpsonville LL teammates.
In 2017, Hoover played in the Women’s College World Series (WCWS) as an LSU Tiger, making her one of 10 former Little Leaguers® who have competed in both the LLSWS and the WCWS, including McLean (Va.) LL grad Kathryn Sandercock, who was selected in the first round of the allocation draft. Hoover will spend the 2026 AUSL season on the mound for Cascade, and Sandercock will make a name for herself pitching for the Bandits.
As part of the draft process, the four original teams were able to protect players from being in the pool of available players. Of the 11 Little League® grads who competed in 2025, the following were protected from the expansion and allocation drafts:
- Hannah Flippen, Sweetwater Valley LL (Bonita, Calif.), Talons
- Montana Fouts, South Charleston (W.V.) LL, Talons
- Caroline Jacobsen, Chaires-Capitola LL (Tallahassee, Fla.), Talons
- Lexi Kilfoyl, Land O’Lakes (Fla.) LL, Bandits
- Morgan Zerkle, Ona-Milton LL (Milton, W.V.), Bandits
- Rachel Garcia, California D51 LL (Palmdale, Calif.), Volts
- Aleshia Ocasio, Conway LL (St. Cloud, Fla.), Blaze
In addition to the grads who will be on the diamond in 2026, several former Little Leaguers® will be in the dugout as General Managers and Head Coaches, including:
- Jenny Dalton-Hill (General Manager, Bandits) – Centennial LL (Glendale, Calif.) – 1989 SLSWS – 2022 Little League Hall of Excellence Enshrinee
- Cat Osterman (General Manager, Volts) – Bear Creek LL (Houston, Texas) – 2016 Little League Hall of Excellence Enshrine
While the 2025 season featured a cross-country tour, the 2026 season will be city-based, with each of the six teams assigned to a single city. Below are the 17 former Little Leaguers who were picked during the Expansion Draft or Allocation Draft, or protected by one of the four original teams, and the team they will be competing for in 2026:
Oklahoma City Spark
- Jessi Warren, Citrus Park LL (Tampa, Fla.)
- Maddie Penta, Chesapeake City (Md.) Community LL
Cascade
- Mia Davidson, Orange County LL (Hillsborough, N.C.)
- Kendra Falby, Land O’Lakes (Fla.) LL
- Carley Hoover, South Simpsonville LL (Clemson, S.C.) – 2008 LLSWS Champion
Welcome to the Cascade, Carley Hoover! ✨ pic.twitter.com/lxAsZuuizx
— Cascade | AUSL (@AUSL_Cascade) December 2, 2025
Talons
- Hannah Flippen, Sweetwater Valley LL (Bonita, Calif.)
- Montana Fouts, South Charleston (W.V.) LL
- Maddie Moore, Gilroy (Calif.) LL
- Caroline Jacobsen, Chaires-Capitola LL (Tallahassee, Fla.)
- Aliyah Andrews, Oldsmar (Fla.) LL
Adding that speed to the best in @andrews_aliyah 💨
Trading in fire for talons 🦅 pic.twitter.com/wK4byx6aoA
— Talons | AUSL (@AUSL_Talons) December 2, 2025
Volts
- Rachel Garcia, California D51 LL (Palmdale, Calif.)
Bandits
- Morgan Zerkle, Ona-Milton LL (Milton, W.V.)
- Kathryn Sandercock, McLean (Va.) LL – 2013 LLSWS Runner-Up
- Lexi Kilfoyl, Land O’Lakes (Fla.) LL
And another 1️⃣. https://t.co/ffNkKEKd9h pic.twitter.com/ekWrMy3qrc
— Darin Homer Kilfoyl (@CoachHomer88) December 1, 2025
Blaze
- Jenna Laird, East Meadow (N.Y.) LL
- Aleshia Ocasio, Conway LL (St. Cloud, Fla.)
- Valerie Cagle, York County LL (Yorktown, Va.)
Elite on both sides of the ball 💅
Welcome, Valerie Cagle! pic.twitter.com/Qu09h3BT4T
— blaze | athletes unlimited softball league (@AUSL_Blaze) December 2, 2025
In the spring, the remaining roster spots will be filled by NCAA athletes drafted in the AUSL College Draft. In 2025, the Bandits and Talons selected Little League grads, Devyn Netz and Raelin Chaffin, respectively, during the inaugural AUSL college draft.
With a growing fanbase, in addition to the team expansion, Athletes Unlimited and ESPN announced a three-year distribution deal, which includes 50 exclusive AUSL games — 47 regular-season matchups and the best-of-three AUSL Championship Series. Coverage will be across all ESPN platforms, with a marquee game on ABC, marking the first time professional softball will air on broadcast television.
Little League and Athletes Unlimited formed a strategic partnership in August 2020 to bring together Little League Softball players and the world’s best softball athletes. As part of the partnership, Little League and Athletes Unlimited work together throughout the year to coordinate live and digital events that provide engagement between Little Leaguers and professional softball players, including the annual AUSL Pro Games played during the Little League Softball World Series, both of which are Presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods; promote and strengthen the Little League Girls with Game® initiative; and develop interest in and access to the game of softball at every level and in every community.
Learn more about Athletes Unlimited and the new Athletes Unlimited Softball League by visiting AUProSports.com. If you know of a Little League graduate, please complete the Little League Alumni Submission form.