Oklahoma’s Ailana Agbayani Named 16th AUSL Golden Ticket Recipient

Oklahoma senior second baseman Ailana Agbayani was named the 16th recipient of an AUSL Golden Ticket on Friday, securing a first-round guaranteed selection in the 2026 AUSL College Draft on May 4.

Agbayani, the 2025 Rawlings Gold Glove winner at second base and a member of the 2025 SEC All-Defensive Team, brings one of the most polished pro-ready defensive profiles in this year’s class.

A Career Senior Season at Oklahoma

Through Friday’s game against No. 11 Georgia, Agbayani was hitting .409 with a .526 on-base percentage and .609 slugging in her senior season for the Sooners — the biggest offensive year of her career. Earlier in April, she was named Softball America Defender of the Week, and her .526 OBP ranks among the top marks in the SEC.

Agbayani is OU’s everyday second baseman and one of the lineup anchors for an Oklahoma program that has held a national ranking throughout the spring and is positioned for a deep postseason run. She wears jersey No. 50.

A Gold Glove Defensive Profile

Agbayani’s defensive resume is the headline of her draft case. As a junior in 2025, she fielded .989 at second base, claimed the Rawlings Gold Glove at her position, and was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team in her first conference season. The same campaign added an NFCA Midwest All-Region Third Team selection, an SEC Player of the Week nod on April 29, and the Softball America Star of the Week honor.

The defense is the trait that translates fastest to the pro level. AUSL infields are built on premium glove-work, and a Gold Glove second baseman with SEC range and reliable arm strength projects to step into a starting middle-infield job from day one.

From BYU to Oklahoma: A Cross-Conference Path

Agbayani started her college career at BYU, where she was named the 2023 WCC Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-WCC First Team honors as a freshman. She also pitched briefly that season, taking WCC Pitcher of the Week honors on April 3, 2023. As a sophomore in 2024, she added an NFCA All-Region Second Team selection and was named to the All-Big 12 First Team in BYU’s first year as a Big 12 member.

Agbayani transferred to Oklahoma ahead of the 2025 season and made the leap from the Big 12 to the SEC look effortless — arriving as a Gold Glove defender and finishing as one of the program’s most decorated transfers in recent memory.

Where She Fits in the Golden Ticket Class

Agbayani is the 16th of 17 Golden Tickets the AUSL is awarding ahead of the 2026 College Draft. The final recipient is scheduled to be announced Saturday. Each Golden Ticket guarantees the player a selection in the early rounds of the draft, which is broadcast live on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET on May 4 from a primetime studio show with Commissioner Kim Ng announcing the picks.

The class already includes Leighann Goode and Reese Atwood from Texas, Karlyn Pickens from Tennessee, Sydney Stewart from Arizona, Dakota Kennedy from Arkansas, Kenzie Brown from Arizona State, Taryn Kern from Stanford, NiJaree Canady from Texas Tech, and additional picks from Belmont, Florida, UCLA, and Oregon.

A native of Mililani, Hawai’i, Agbayani is the daughter of former MLB outfielder Benny Agbayani.

About the AUSL

The Athletes Unlimited Softball League is a professional softball league featuring six teams across major U.S. markets. Commissioner Kim Ng leads the league, which airs 50 games a year on ESPN and ABC. The 2026 season begins June 9.