Golden Ticket Picks Taryn Kern and Peja Goold Among Nine Released as AUSL Teams Set 2027 Rosters

Two players from the 2026 Golden Ticket class are off their AUSL rosters. The Chicago Bandits released infielder Taryn Kern, and the Oklahoma City Spark released pitcher Peja Goold, as teams began setting their 2027 rosters on Tuesday, Oct. 13.

Five teams released nine players in all. Each of the nine can join the Reserve Player Pool and is eligible for the AUSL Allocation Draft this winter.

How the offseason works

Players who are offered contracts re-sign over the next month. That group includes players from the 2026 rosters and the provisional selections from the 2026 AUSL College Draft. Players who are not offered a contract are released.

Reserve Pool players who played in 2026 and were not provisional selections cannot sign contracts during this window. They can choose to be eligible for the Allocation Draft instead.

Bandits: Kern and Clements

The Bandits took Kern in the second round of the May 4 College Draft, 11th overall. The Stanford graduate played 20 regular-season games as a rookie and hit .220 with nine hits, 10 runs, one home run and seven RBIs. She played first base, left field and right field and fielded .976. In the postseason she went 2-for-10 for the runner-up Bandits.

Outfielder Jessica Clements was also released. She hit .286 in 35 at-bats over 24 games in her first AUSL season and did not make an error in any of the three outfield spots.

Spark: Goold, Lee and Jenkins

Goold was the Spark’s second pick in the College Draft, 10th overall. She went 1-1 with a 14.61 ERA in 7.2 innings as a rookie.

Utility player Haley Lee and catcher Grace Jenkins were also released. Lee, a fifth-round pick in the 2025 Allocation Draft, started 17 games and hit .130. Jenkins began the year on a 30-day Reserve Pool contract, signed for the rest of the season on June 24 and hit .178.

The Spark expect catcher Kinzie Hansen McKinzie back as their starter in 2027 after the birth of her first child. Infielder Jessi Warren will not return. The team said she wants to explore other softball opportunities and be closer to family.

Volts, Talons and Cascade

The Texas Volts released outfielder Jaydyn Goodwin, who joined the team as an Available Player after her career at Georgia. She hit .200 in 50 at-bats over 21 games. The Volts now have two openings, with Sierra Romero having retired at the end of the 2026 season.

The Utah Talons, the 2026 champions, released infielder Rachel Becker and pitcher Dallas Escobedo Magee. Becker, mostly a second baseman, hit .172 in 20 appearances. Escobedo Magee signed with Utah on April 2 and posted a 4.94 ERA in 11.1 innings.

The Portland Cascade released infielder Kennedy Powell after her rookie year. The former Texas A&M and UCLA player hit .255 in 22 games and played second base, third base and right field.

First players back

The Carolina Blaze re-signed infielder Aubrey Leach, who played all 25 regular-season games and scored 17 runs. The Spark brought back Sydney McKinney, who hit .370 with a .414 on-base percentage in 15 games. More signings will come over the next month.