Pro News: Athletes Unlimited Announces First Signings for 2022 Season, Expands with AUX Softball Competition

Athletes Unlimited on Tuesday made several announcements, including adding Rachel Garcia and Sierra Romero among their first crop of 2022 league signees and also forming a new softball competition that will take place surrounding the 50th anniversary of Title IX.

The new competition – branded as AUX Softball – will be a two-week, standalone competition that will include 42 players and a total of 18 games. The two-week competition will take place from June 13-26 and will be played in a not-yet-announced location.

The AU regular season – the league’s third since forming in 2020 – will run from July 29-August 28. The regular season will continue to be held in Rosemont, Illinois. The regular season will include 60 players.

Fifteen players have signed multi-year contracts with Athletes Unlimited for the first time, including reigning league points champion Aleshia Ocasio as well as Amanda Chidester and Kelsey Stewart, who finished 2nd and 3rd in the AU point standings last season.

A total of 35 players have been signed for the 2022 Athletes Unlimited season. 31 of those players are returners from the 2021 season. League rookies include Garcia and Romero, as well as Italian Olympian Greta Cecchetti and former Oklahoma pitcher Shannon Saile.

Other league standouts signed to multi-year contracts include Morgan Zerkle, Gwen Svekis, Amanda Lorenz, and Haylie McCleney. Lorenz was a rookie during the league’s 2021 season, while Zerkle, Svekis, and McCleney have participated in Athletes Unlimited since the league’s inception.

Reigning league Rookie of the Year Carrie Eberle, as well as fellow 2021 rookie standouts Aliyah Andrews and Sis Bates, have all signed to return for the 2022 season. All three will participate in the AUX Softball competition, as well as the Athletes Unlimited regular season.