Pro News: Athletes Unlimited AUX Winners Announced After Season Two Completed

June 27, 2023, Rosemont, Ill. – Pitcher Rachel Garcia was crowned the 2023 Athletes Unlimited AUX Softball champion, finishing at the top of the 42-player leaderboard with 1,392 points. The final two games were canceled due to poor air quality in the Chicago area from the Canadian wildfires on Tuesday evening.

Leaderboard points and statistics from Game 16 will not count toward the final point totals to ensure the number of games played among players was even.

Middle infielder Aubrey Leach placed second with 1,158 points while designated player Mia Davidson followed in third place with 1,122 points. In addition, corner infielder Jessi Warren was recognized as the recipient of the 2023 Athletes Unlimited AUX Defensive MVP following a vote of the league’s players and facilitators.

Rachel Garcia (1st Place)

Garcia, the runner-up during the inaugural AUX campaign last summer, compiled a 4-1 record in the circle while pacing the league with a 3.19 earned run average. The former UCLA star set an AUX single-season record with 34 strikeouts over 37.1 innings and secured one of the league’s two complete game efforts.

Aubrey Leach (2nd Place)

Leach, meanwhile, authored a .405 batting average with two home runs and eight runs batted in, while ranking among the league leaders with 15 hits, including five doubles and a triple. She paced the league in Series One with a .571 batting average and hit safely in 8-of-10 games, including a three-hit effort against Team Warren on June 24.

Mia Davidson (3rd Place)

Davidson fashioned a .417 batting average with a league-high five home runs while driving in eight runs. She enjoyed her best outing of the season on June 19 with a 3-for-4 performance against Team Filler with a double and a home run. The former Mississippi State standout also established a new AUX single-season record by being hit by a pitch seven times.

Created in 2022 as an expansion of Athletes Unlimited Softball to provide more playing opportunities and compensation to athletes and more pro softball for fans, AUX Softball (pronounced A-U-X) was a fast-paced, condensed two-week season featuring 42 players competing for more than $300,000 in compensation.

To commemorate her victory, Garcia will receive a medal designed and hand-fabricated by Lisa Issenberg, founder of Kiitellä, inc.

Kiitellä is a Finnish word meaning “to thank, applaud or praise,” and Issenberg creates awards that are innovative, mixed-media, non-traditional works of art, pieces that celebrate accomplishment, humanity, and philanthropy. Kiitellä is committed to being a responsible steward of our environment, with each step in the process, from design to fabrication to delivery, using minimal energy and material.

Leach and Davidson will also receive medals for their second and third place finishes, respectively, while Warren will receive a medal for being named AUX Defensive MVP.

“It’s an honor to be AUX champion and I know I couldn’t have done all of this by myself,” Garcia said. “It’s amazing to finish at the top of the leaderboard because I know how much hard work I put in to be the player I am. I want to be an inspiration to the younger generation and let them know they can be a pitcher who is also able to hit.”

“Defense is something I take pride in and I used to be a big offensive player, but I have really worked on my defense,” Warren said. “I just felt free this season and came out here trying to have fun and enjoy the people that I was around. I am just super thankful for all of the girls who helped me jump back into playing the game I love.”

The head of the league also issued a statement of congratulations and said that there won’t be much of a time gap before softball fans can see enjoy pro softball.

“Congratulations to Rachel Garcia on becoming our 2023 AUX Softball Champion, and to Jessi Warren for winning the AUX Defensive MVP award,” said Jon Patricof, CEO and Co-Founder of Athletes Unlimited.

“We look forward to coming back to the great fans in the Chicago area in July for the Championship Season, and for fans across the country to enjoy the excitement of Athletes Unlimited Softball through our incredible partnership with ESPN.”

The fourth championship season of Athletes Unlimited Softball is scheduled for July 28-August 27, also at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois, the first professional sports venue dedicated exclusively to women’s professional sports in the United States.

The five-week season will feature 60 of the world’s best players competing for more than $1 million in compensation. It will mark the professional debut for 2023 College Draft picks Rachel Becker and Kathryn Sandercock, while 40 players who competed in AUX will return to Rosemont for the Championship Season.

Tickets for all games are available now at auprosports.com. All games will be available live exclusively on ESPN platforms.

About Athletes Unlimited

Named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in 2023, Athletes Unlimited is a new model of pro sports, where athletes are decision-makers and individual players are champions of team sports.

Athletes Unlimited owns and operates professional women’s softball, lacrosse, volleyball and basketball leagues featuring world-class competition and fan experience, and stands out as an organization driven by the athletes that play in the leagues, with athlete representation on the company’s board of directors, each league led by a Player Executive Committee, and players sharing in long-term profits of the company, all while being proactive in shaping policies supporting the mothers that play in the league.

Athletes Unlimited is the first professional sports league to be organized as a Public Benefit Corporation. The second season of Athletes Unlimited Basketball concluded in March 2023. The 2023 Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse and Softball Championship Seasons take place later this summer, to be followed by the third season of Volleyball this fall.

A special thanks to Sean Rhomberg and the AU marketing and communications staff who did a great job in getting results and images out quickly after each game this season.

COPYRIGHT © 2023 Extra Inning Softball TM

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