What can’t Aubrey Leach do?!?
Currently, she’s starring in the Athletes Unlimited league and as of this weekend was No. 2 in points behind only pitcher Rachel Garcia.
When she’s not playing pro ball, she’s working on her law degree at the Univ. of Tennessee, her alma mater where she was an All-American, and where returned in 2021 to be a grad assistant to Coaches Karen and Ralph Weekly.
In August of 2021, Tennessee issued the following press release about the former USA Softball team member “coming home:”
Tennessee softball head coach Karen Weekly announced the addition of former Lady Vol Aubrey Leach to the program’s staff in August 2021. She serves as a graduate assistant while attending the University of Tennessee College of Law.
“Aubrey is one of the most driven and goal-oriented student-athletes I have ever coached, and her work ethic is unmatched,” Weekly said ih 2021. “She will bring those same attributes to our staff as a GA and provide a terrific role model for the current Lady Vols.”
A standout on the diamond for UT from 2016-19, Leach finished her college career as the program’s all-time leader in runs (253) and walks (162) while ranking second in program history in career on-base percentage (.503). She was a two-time NFCA All-America selection, earning first team honors as a junior in 2018 and third team accolades as a senior in 2019.
At the conclusion of her senior season, Leach signed a professional contract with Scrap Yard Fast Pitch in 2019 before spending the past three seasons with Athletes Unlimited, an experimental professional sports league that had its inaugural softball season in 2020.
“I’m very excited about returning to Knoxville and the University of Tennessee,” Leach said. “Even more so, I’m excited about helping Karen and the team in this new chapter for Tennessee softball. I’m thankful for the opportunity to give back to a program that provided so many opportunities for me.”
But before all of these impressive accomplishments–pro ball, law degree, All-American and USA Softball participant–Aubrey was starring as a high schooler at The Woodlands High in Texas and shining for her Sudden Impact Gold travel team.
Way back in 2014, I had a chance to spotlight this wonderfully sweet and kind athlete off the field while enjoying her play between the lines… here’s a spotlight profile of Aubrey back in the day almost a decade ago…
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One of the benefits of having covered fastpitch at the club and high school level is you get to follow players from their very young days up through college, pro and international success.
We’ll periodically do a Throw Back Thursday look at some of today’s superstars when they were young and upcoming.
Today, we go back to more than four years ago to cover a then junior in high school, Aubrey Leach from The Woodlands, Texas.
Aubrey has been one of my favorite players to watch grow up, because of her sweet disposition off the field and her fierce will to exceed on the dirt.
She went on to be ranked as a 1st Team All-American as a senior when she hit .594 with 55 runs scored and 49 steals. I also ranked her as the #22 player in the Class of 2015 and she was in the first class of the Louisville Slugger Hit Club that also included future stars such as Amanda Lorenz of Florida, Shay Knighten of Oklahoma and Mac Boesel of South Carolina.
As a junior this year at Tennessee, Aubrey earned 1st Team All-American honors as she led the SEC in batting average at .441 and runs scored with 80 while ranking second in the conference with 82 hits and a .565 on-base percentage.
Kudos to one of the nicest players and people you’ll ever meet… and one of the most competitive!
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball
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This was an article originally written in March, 2014…
Name: AUBREY LEACH
Grad Year: 2015
Pos: 2B/OF
High School: The Woodlands (Texas)
Club: Texas Sudden Impact Gold-Dutton
Stats hitting (jr. through March 18) .547, 31 runs, 19 RBI, four triples, three home runs, 23 steals
Honors: MaxPreps 2013 Underclass All-American, 1st Team Class 5A All-State, District 14-5A All-District Offensive MVP
College: Tennessee
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Your dad, Todd, is one of the Sudden Impact Gold coaches… what are the plusses and minuses of that? (don’t worry, he won’t read this!)
Plusses: my biggest fan is always with me, we think the same way for the most part in the aspects of the game, high expectations. Minuses: my expectations are set very high, it’s not easy being the coaches daughter, you get extra pressure.
You had a stellar sophomore season, how is this year comparing to last year’s so far?
This year has started out great! I feel like I have started off where i left off last season. I have really tried to tie my game together better, in the aspects of hitting, slapping, and even the small ball bunting game. I have actually hit my first home run this season! and I was slapping when I hit it! Along with my first one I have hit two others which have really helped me become more of a triple threat.
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