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The 2026 AUSL season opens Tuesday with three games. The league will feature six teams this season.
The Carolina Blaze will host Portland Cascade on opening day in a game that has three players on roster with ties to Tennessee softball.
First pitch between Carolina and Portland is slated for 5 p.m. EDT at Smith Family Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.
Former Lady Vols' pitcher Karlyn Pickens and Tennessee director of player development Aubrey Leach, a former Lady Vol, are both on the Blaze's 2026 roster, while former Tennessee pitcher Payton Gottshall plays for the Cascade.
Pickens was the No. 1 overall selection in the 2026 AUSL college draft on May 4. She recently graduated from Tennessee and helped the Lady Vols advance to a second consecutive appearance in the semifinals of the NCAA Women's College World Series. She is a two-time SEC Pitcher of the Year and a three-time All-America performer.
Leach played for the Lady Vols from 2016-19 and was an All-America infielder. She joined Tennessee's coaching staff as a graduate assistant in 2021 and was promoted to director of player development in 2024.
Gottshall played for the Lady Vols from 2023-24 after transferring from Bowling Green. She was an All-American, an All-SEC and All-MAC player during her college career.
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This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Three former Lady Vols on 2026 AUSL rosters for season opener
Continue reading...
The Carolina Blaze will host Portland Cascade on opening day in a game that has three players on roster with ties to Tennessee softball.
First pitch between Carolina and Portland is slated for 5 p.m. EDT at Smith Family Stadium in Durham, North Carolina.
Former Lady Vols' pitcher Karlyn Pickens and Tennessee director of player development Aubrey Leach, a former Lady Vol, are both on the Blaze's 2026 roster, while former Tennessee pitcher Payton Gottshall plays for the Cascade.
Pickens was the No. 1 overall selection in the 2026 AUSL college draft on May 4. She recently graduated from Tennessee and helped the Lady Vols advance to a second consecutive appearance in the semifinals of the NCAA Women's College World Series. She is a two-time SEC Pitcher of the Year and a three-time All-America performer.
Leach played for the Lady Vols from 2016-19 and was an All-America infielder. She joined Tennessee's coaching staff as a graduate assistant in 2021 and was promoted to director of player development in 2024.
Gottshall played for the Lady Vols from 2023-24 after transferring from Bowling Green. She was an All-American, an All-SEC and All-MAC player during her college career.
Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Three former Lady Vols on 2026 AUSL rosters for season opener
Continue reading...
