Former Cowgirl Lexi Kilfoyl Taken No. 1 in AUSL Draft

The new Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) recently held its first draft. The league will feature four teams playing a 24-game season in a traditional format and will be in addition to the existing AU Pro Softball Championship Season, which launched in 2020 and is 30 games over five weeks in July and August.
Launching in 2025, the new Athletes Unlimited Softball League will complement the existing AU Pro Softball Championship Season, which will be renamed the AUSL All-Star Cup and will follow the conclusion of the AUSL season. The AUSL All-Star Cup will continue to use AU's scoring model to crown an individual champion.
TOP TWO AND SHE AIN’T TWO 🗣️ #GoPokes | @lexikilfoyl https://t.co/m4YzepPYkw
— OSU Cowgirl Softball (@cowgirlsb) January 30, 2025
The AUSL season will start in June and will feature four teams (Bandits, Blaze, Talons and Volts). The league will be going on tour to 6-8 cities in its first season and then in 2026 will move to a city-based format. ESPN will broadcast at least 18 games exclusively in 2025 (ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU).
On Wednesday history was made not only for the league but also for a former Oklahoma State Cowgirl Lexi Kilfoyl. The Bandits made Kilfoyl the first player taken off the board.
During her time at Oklahoma State, Kilfoyl accumulated a 42-10 record over two seasons with 11 shutouts and five saves, along with 282 strikeouts and 29 complete games. She was recognized as a consensus First-Team All-America selection by NFCA, Softball America, and D1Softball as a graduate student.
one of one.
— AUSL (@theAUSLofficial) January 30, 2025
tonight, @lexikilfoyl and the @AUSL_Bandits made history.#AUSL pic.twitter.com/0DNAMkSmCt
Kilfoyl was also a top 3 finalist for the 2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. Additionally, she received Third-Team NFCA All-America plaudits during her senior season at Oklahoma State.
Kilfoyl was honored as the 2024 Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year and was a unanimous choice for the All-Big 12 First Team after compiling a 26-5 record with three saves and a career-best 1.20 earned run average.
The four teams will be led by GMs with extensive and storied softball careers.
- Jenny Dalton-Hill (Bandits)
- Dana Sorensen (Blaze)
- Lisa Fernandez (Talons)
- Cat Osterman (Volts)
Here are the coaches for the first season:
- Stacey Nuveman-Deniz (Bandits)
- Alisa Goler (Blaze)
- Howard Dobson (Talons)
- Kelly Kretschman (Volts)
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