RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
With Series 2 of AUX Softball San Diego completed, it’s time for the final Series to begin as Athletes Unlimited will crown the first champion of AUX on Saturday night.
Here’s who ranks at the top of the leaderboard, powered by GEICO.
No. 1 Sam Fischer / 988 points:
Fischer moved up to the No. 1 spot on the leaderboard as her team swept the competition in Series 2. She posted a three-hit day on Sunday and picked up 522 points in the series.
No. 2 Danielle O’Toole / 978 points:
10 points behind Fischer is O’Toole, who leads the league with a 1.62 ERA in 17.1 innings pitched. She aided in the first shutout of AUX history on Monday and jumped 17 spots on the leaderboard.
No. 3 Morgan Zerkle / 466 points:
Zerkle, who moved 14 spots, had two singles, a double, a home run and a walk during Series 2. She added 430 win points as a member of Team Fischer.
Series 3 begins Thursday at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ESPNU. Tune in as the softball world celebrates the 50th anniversary of Title IX.
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TEAM ROSTERS
Here are the rosters for Series 3 of AUX Softball San Diego.
TEAM FISCHER
Facilitator: Charlotte Morgan
- Sam Fischer, Corner Infielder
- Sydney Littlejohn Watkins, Right-Handed Pitcher
- Victoria Hayward, Outfielder
- Sis Bates, Middle Infielder
- Rachele Fico, Right-Handed Pitcher
- Taylor Edwards, Catcher
- Mariah Mazon, Right-Handed Pitcher
- Megan Wiggins, Outfielder
- Alyssa Denham, Right-Handed Pitcher
- Gwen Svekis, Catcher
- Aly Harrell, Designated Player
- Courtney Gano, Corner Infielder
- Nicole Rangel-Mendes, Outfielder
- Abby Ramirez, Middle Infielder
TEAM O’TOOLE
Facilitator: Ellie Cooper
- Danielle O’Toole, Left-Handed Pitcher
- Rachel Garcia, Right-Handed Pitcher
- Sierra Romero, Middle Infielder
- Amanda Lorenz, Outfielder
- Caleigh Clifton, Middle Infielder
- Tori Vidales, Corner Infielder
- Carrie Eberle, Right-Handed Pitcher
- Amanda Chidester, Corner Infielder
- Sashel Palacios, Catcher
- Aliyah Andrews, Outfielder
- Caylan Arnold, Right-Handed Pitcher
- Jazmyn Jackson, Outfielder
- Maggie Balint, Right-Handed Pitcher
- Maddi Hackbarth, Catcher
TEAM ZERKLE
Facilitator: Tatum Edwards
- Morgan Zerkle, Outfielder
- Georgina Corrick, Right-Handed Pitcher
- Haylie McCleney, Outfielder
- Sydney Romero, Middle Infielder
- Aleshia Ocasio, Right-Handed Pitcher
- Dejah Mulipola, Catcher
- Nadia Taylor, Designated Player
- Andrea Filler, Middle Infielder
- Shannon Rhodes, Outfielder
- Lilli Piper, Corner Infielder
- Haylie Wagner, Left-Handed Pitcher
- Jordan Roberts, Catcher
- Kama Dung, Right-Handed Pitcher
Picks are listed in the order in which they were drafted to each team.
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RECAPPING SERIES 2
During Series 2 of AUX Softball, one point category trumped all: win points.
Team Fischer became the first-ever team to sweep a series going a perfect 4-0. Not only that, but in their final game of the series vs. Team Gibson, they completed the first shutout in AUX Softball history, collecting all 70 inning win points.
The quintessential effort by Team Fischer naturally makes all of the movers of the series from that squad. Here’s how it impacted the leaderboard.
Mover of the Week: Victoria Hayward
Outfielder Victoria Hayward jumped from 31 to 8 on the leaderboard in a matter of four games on Team Fischer.
What’s been most impressive about Hayward lies in the traditional statistic that pays off on the leaderboard. She leads the league in hits with 17 knocks on 31 tries, hitting a whopping .548. Every hit but one has been a single. She’s yet to have a slump – she’s on a five-game hit streak – continuously pacing her way up the board.
She also went from having zero MVP points to 80 on the season which was the deciding factor in moving up 23 spots.
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O’Toole emerges as the ultimate arm
It would be remiss not to mention the stellar performances of the Team Fischer pitching staff that combined for a shutout and held opponents to 2.25 runs on average in Series 2.
At the helm of that staff was Danielle O’Toole. She holds the best ERA in the league at 1.62 through 17.1 innings pitched. All of the outs that she’s accrued through these innings — worth four points each — total 208 stat points. She lost 40 points in Series 1 with four earned runs allowed, but has been solid since.
.@Oh_tooly3 was dealing heat all week. #AUX 🔥
JWS x @Gatorade pic.twitter.com/IEZBxzCovp
— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) June 21, 2022
She’s by far been the most lethal and effective arm this season; opponents’ batting average against O’Toole is just .131. This has also translated to MVP points for the countless scoreless innings she’s able to carry a team, often beyond what she expects going into a game. She earned MVP 1 and MVP 2 during the series with Team Fischer.
O’Toole jumped 17 spots on the leaderboard to secure the No. 2 spot in Series 2 and will captain her own squad in Series 3.
A little of this and that from Zerkle does the trick
There’s a collection of athletes tied for the winningest player this season and outfielder Morgan Zerkle is one of them. She’s been on the best team in both series that amassed 740 win points (along with Sam Fischer, Amanda Chidester, Andrea Filler, and Sydney Littlejohn Watkins) with all five of those athletes working their way into the top 10.
What set Zerkle apart to become a captain was how she sprinkled in stat and MVP points throughout the four games.
She had two singles, a double, a home run and a walk during Series 2.
Plus, she led a comeback effort against Team Mulipola where she hit her three-run home run in the sixth inning to punch the team through to victory – rising 13 spots in that game alone.
Speed + Power = @mzerkleee
Small ball. Long ball. Morgan Zerkle can do it all 😤#AUX | 📺: ESPNU pic.twitter.com/I6tv32LJI2
— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) June 18, 2022
Clutch hitting = 60 points for MVP 1 honors, plus 20 more when she was voted as MVP 3 later in the series.
She propelled up from 17th to 3rd on the leaderboard.
A title up for grabs
Heading into the final week of an Athletes Unlimited season, it’s usually clear who the champion will be.
Cat Osterman and Aleshia Ocasio separated themselves so much in previous seasons that there was no question that they would be crowned by the final game. AUX has proven to be different.
Tenth place is separated from first by just 156 points, a margin that can be made up in a single ballgame.
We’ve seen hitters like Fischer and Dejah Mulipola hang out around the #1 spot for most of the season but O’Toole emerging as a star in the circle could continue the streak of hurlers being Athletes Unlimited Champions.
Accurate predictions would be near impossible to make for who will win or even finish in the top three but if the past two weeks have taught us anything, win points will be paramount.
Tune In
Series 3 action begins Thursday, June 23 with Team Zerkle vs. Team O’Toole at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ESPNU followed by Team Fischer vs. Team O’Toole at 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT on ESPNU.
Click here for the full schedule of upcoming games and more details.
— Savanna Collins, Digital Media Reporter at Athletes Unlimited. Twitter: @savannaecollins.