Golden Ticket Recipients
17 Drafted
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Catcher · Florida
2024 NFCA Division I Player of the Year; two-time Rawlings Gold Glove winner
R1 · Chicago Bandits11
12
13
14
Second base · UCLA
Consensus First-Team All-American; 2023 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year
R1 · Utah Talons15
16
17
Where to Watch
ESPNESPN2ABC
50 regular-season games on ESPN & ESPN2. Championship Game 1 on ABC — first AUSL game ever on broadcast TV. Season opens June 9.
Full broadcast schedule →About the 2026 AUSL Draft
The 2026 Athletes Unlimited Softball League college draft was held May 4, 2026, on ESPN2. The Carolina Blaze selected Tennessee right-hander Karlyn Pickens with the No. 1 overall pick.
All 17 Golden Ticket players were selected across four rounds. The six AUSL teams — Chicago Bandits, Carolina Blaze, Oklahoma City Spark, Portland Cascade, Texas Volts, and Utah Talons — will open their inaugural six-team season on June 9, 2026. See the full schedule for game-by-game broadcast details.