2022 AUX Softball: How to watch, game schedule, athlete roster and more

By Lisa AntonucciJun 13, 2022, 9:26 AM EDT

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A new, two-week softball competition by Athletes Unlimited – called AUX Softball (pronounced A-U-X) – opens Monday, with two weeks of play at San Diego State University. The new series, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of Title IX on June 23 and runs through June 25, was created as an expansion of Athletes Unlimited Softball and is designed to provide more playing opportunities and compensation to athletes, as well as more viewing options for softball fans.

AUX Softball will feature 42 athletes playing 18 games (divided into three six-game series) at the SDSU Softball Stadium. The more traditional Athletes Unlimited softball tournament will also be held this summer, from July 25 through August 28.

Similar to Athletes Unlimited’s other leagues, AUX Softball features innovative scoring that allows individual players to earn points based on both team wins and individual performance. At the end of the two-week season, the player with the most points will be crowned the individual champion. Additionally, team lineups will change after each six-game series, with the top three athletes in the standings serving as captains and drafting their teams for the next series.

Read on for details regarding schedule, how to watch, player roster, format and more for the inaugural AUX Softball series.

Schedule for the 2022 AUX Softball series

AUX Softball: SERIES 1, June 13-15

Date	Time (all times ET)	Game No. / Teams	Network
Monday, June 13	6 p.m.	Game 1: Team Orange vs. Team Gold	ESPNU
Monday, June 13	8:30 p.m.	Game 2: Team Blue vs. Team Gold	ESPN
Tuesday, June 14	7 p.m.	Game 3: Team Blue vs. Team Orange	ESPNU
Tuesday, June 14	9:30 p.m.	Game 4: Team Gold vs. Team Orange	ESPNU
Wednesday, June 15	8 p.m.	Game 5: Team Gold vs. Team Blue	ESPN2
Wednesday, June 15	10:30 p.m.	Game 6: Team Orange vs. Team Blue	ESPN2

AUX Softball: SERIES 2, June 18-20

Date	Time (all times ET)	Game No. / Teams	Network
Saturday, June 18	3:30 p.m.	Game 7: Team Orange vs. Team Gold	ESPNU
Saturday, June 18	6 p.m.	Game 8: Team Blue vs. Team Gold	ESPNU
Sunday, June 19	3:30 p.m.	Game 9: Team Blue vs. Team Orange	ESPNU
Sunday, June 19	6 p.m.	Game 10: Team Gold vs. Team Orange	ESPNU
Monday, June 20	7 p.m.	Game 11: Team Gold vs. Team Blue	ESPN2
Monday, June 20	9:30 p.m.	Game 12: Team Orange vs. Team Blue	ESPN2

AUX Softball: SERIES 3, June 23-25

Date	Time (all times ET)	Game No. / Teams	Network
Thursday, June 23	7 p.m.	Game 13: Team Orange vs. Team Gold	ESPNU
Thursday, June 23	9:30 p.m.	Game 14: Team Blue vs. Team Gold	ESPNU
Friday, June 24	7 p.m.	Game 15: Team Blue vs. Team Orange	ESPNU
Friday, June 24	9:30 p.m.	Game 16: Team Gold vs. Team Orange	ESPNU
Saturday, June 25	7 p.m.	Game 17: Team Gold vs. Team Blue	ESPNU
Saturday, June 25	9:30 p.m.	Game 18: Team Orange vs. Team Blue	ESPNU

How to watch the 2022 AUX Softball series

For viewers located in the United States, all 18 games of AUX Softball at SDSU Softball Stadium will be broadcast across the ESPN network of channels. One game will appear on ESPN, four games will be on ESPN2 and 13 games on ESPNU. Check out the AUX Softball schedule page for specific listings for each game.

For viewers outside the U.S., check back with the schedule page for more “where to watch” details.

Who’s playing in the 2022 AUX Softball series?

The AUX Softball roster will showcase 42 athletes playing 18 games at the SDSU Softball Stadium in San Diego, Calif. The two-week tournament, which runs from June 13-25, will feature 11 Olympians from four countries, and includes three draftees who recently finished their college careers. Draftees include former San Diego State pitcher Maggie Balint, who begins her professional career on the same field she called home in college, former USF pitcher Georgina Corrick and Arkansas corner infielder Danielle Gibson.

Number	Name	Position	Height	Bat/Throw	Residence	School (year graduated)	2021 finish
11	Aliyah Andrews	OF	5-8	L/R	Baton Rouge, La.	LSU ’21	8
97	Caylan Arnold	RHP	5-7	R/R	Maryville, Tenn.	Florida State ’21	–
31	Maggie Balint	RHP	5-8	R/R	Landenberg, Pa.	San Diego State ’22	–
22	Sis Bates	MIF	5-4	L/R	Seattle, Wash.	Washington ’20	9
4	Amanda Chidester	CIF	5-9	R/R	Bluffdale, Utah	Michigan ’12	2
20	Caleigh Clifton	MIF	5-8	R/R	Wayne, Okla.	Oklahoma ’19	29
48	Georgina Corrick	RHP	6-0	R/R	Port Charlotte, Fla.	South Florida ’22	–
40	Alyssa Denham	RHP	6-1	R/R	League City, Texas	Arizona ’21	18
99	Kamalani Dung	RHP	5-8	R/R	Kapolei, Hawaii	California ’19	–
44	Carrie Eberle	RHP	6-0	R/R	Clearwater Beach, Fla.	Oklahoma State ’20	4
12	Taylor Edwards	C	5-7	R/R	Omaha, Neb.	Nebraska ’14	54
73	Rachele Fico	RHP	5-7	L/R	Oxford, Conn.	LSU ’13	–
70	Andrea Filler	MIF	5-10	R/R	Evanston, Ill.	Northwestern ’16	–
52	Sam Fischer	CIF	5-11	R/R	Phoenix, Ariz.	Loyola Marymount ’12	49
68	Courtney Gano	CIF	5-9	R/R	Seattle, Wash.	Washington ’16	50
00	Rachel Garcia	RHP	5-6	R/R	Lancaster, Calif.	UCLA ’20	–
5	Danielle Gibson	CIF	6-0	L/R	Fayetteville, Ark.	Arkansas ’22	–
98	Maddi Hackbarth	C	5-8	R/R	Tempe, Ariz.	Arizona State ’21	–
14	Aly Harrell	DP	5-7	L/L	Huntington, W.Va.	Marshall ’22	–
1	Victoria Hayward	OF	5-7	L/L	San Diego, Calif.	Washington ’14	40
24	Jazmyn Jackson	OF	5-7	L/R	Oakland, Calif.	California ’19	32
77	Sydney Littlejohn Watkins	P	6-1	R/R	Newberry, Fla.	Alabama ’17	–
23	Amanda Lorenz	OF	5-5	L/L	Gainesville, Fla.	Florida ’19	11
28	Haylie McCleney	OF	5-4	L/L	Fort Pierce, Fla.	Alabama ’16	12
15	Dejah Mulipola	C	5-8	R/R	Garden Grove, Calif.	Arizona ’21	18
3	Danielle O’Toole	P	5-8	R/L	Chino, Calif.	Arizona ’17	–
8	Aleshia Ocasio	P	5-9	L/R	St. Cloud, Fla.	Florida ’18	1
13	Sashel Palacios	C	5-3	L/R	Chula Vista, Calif.	Arizona State ’17	47
47	Lilli Piper	CIF	5-10	R/R	Akron, Ohio	Ohio State ’19	13
10	Abby Ramirez	MIF	5-4	S/R	Chicago, Ill.	Michigan ’17	–
35	Nicole Rangel-Mendes	OF	5-7	L/L	Norman, Okla.	Oklahoma ’21	–
6	Shannon Rhodes	OF	5-6	R/R	Fort Worth, Texas	Texas ’21	–
41	Jordan Roberts	C	5-7	R/R	Lake City, Fla.	Florida ’20	21
32	Sierra Romero	MIF	5-5	R/R	Rockledge, Fla.	Michigan ’16	–
2	Sydney Romero	MIF	5-7	R/R	Norman, Okla.	Oklahoma ’19	48
37	DJ Sanders	DP	5-9	R/R	Columbus, Miss.	Oregon ’20	15
21	Gwen Svekis	C	5-9	R/R	Omaha, Neb.	Oregon ’18	10
88	Nadia Taylor	DP	5-8	R/R	Leander, Texas	Texas ’12	26
29	Tori Vidales	CIF	5-8	R/R	Deer Park, Texas	Texas A&M ’18	16
17	Haylie Wagner	P	5-7	R/L	Traverse City, Mich.	Michigan ’15	18
25	Megan Wiggins	OF	5-5	L/R	Winder, Ga.	Georgia ’11	35
18	Morgan Zerkle	OF	5-8	L/R	Oxford, Ohio	Marshall ’17	6

What’s the format for the 2022 AUX Softball series?

AUX Softball features the same rules as the Athletes Unlimited Softball Championship Season, but with only two weeks of competition split into three series (18 games total). Individual players earn points based on team wins and individual performance, with points awarded on every play, and the player with the most points at the end of the two-week season will be crowned champion. Additionally, team lineups will change after each six-game series (three series total), with the top three athletes in the standings serving as captains and drafting their teams for the next series.

How is AUX Softball scored?

Win points are all about the team performance, and they can be accumulated during individual innings and for overall game wins. Each inning is worth +10 points, and overall games are worth +50 points. If an inning is tied, the points roll over to the subsequent inning. If a game goes to extra innings, no player earns individual points and no additional win points are earned for innings (only those that have rolled over). For example, if all seven innings were tied and the game took nine innings to decide a winner, only 70 points, plus win points, would be awarded.

Game MVPs: After each game, players and members of The Unlimited Club will vote for three players they feel had standout performances. MVP points will be added to players’ individual totals, with points awarded as follows:

MVP 1: +60 points
MVP 2: +40 points
MVP 3: +20 points

Individual Stats: Position players and pitchers will earn points based on their performance. A player’s points determine their ranking, which will be used each week for the draft. Pitchers earn +4 points for every out, and they lose -10 points for each earned run allowed. The breakdown for individual offensive points is as follows:

Single: +10 points
Double: +20 points
Triple: +30 points
Home run: +40 points
Stolen base: +10 points
Caught stealing: -10 points
Base on balls: +8 points
HBP: +8 points
Sacrifice fly/bunt: +10

How are AUX Softball teams drafted?

After the last game of every series, the top three points getters will be named team captains. Each captain will be assigned to a team color based on their standing. Team rankings by color are as follows:

No. 1: Gold
No. 2: Orange
No. 3: Blue

Team captains can consult with anyone they want prior to the opening of the draft, including Athletes Unlimited staff, former coaches and teammates. During the draft itself, team captains are allowed up to two minutes per pick. Once a player is selected, their captain may consult them for further decisions. Once all 42 players have been selected to a team, rosters are set for the next series.

2023 LPGA Drive On Championship: How to watch, who’s playing in season’s first full-field event

By Lisa AntonucciMar 21, 2023, 4:43 PM EDT

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The LPGA Tour makes its return to the Arizona desert this week at the 2023 LPGA Drive On Championship at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club. The season’s first full-field event features eight of the world’s top 10 players plus a slew of fresh faces as this year’s rookie class gets its first taste of competition as tour members.

This week’s event features 144 players (plus two Monday qualifiers) competing for the $1.75 million prize purse in a 72-hole tournament that will implement the LPGA’s new cutline policy for the first time. Beginning this week, the 36-hole cut will change from the top 70 players and ties to the top 65 and ties advancing to weekend action. The LPGA says it hopes to “establish a faster pace of play” with the change.”

Arizona last hosted the LPGA for the 2019 Bank of Hope Founders Cup at Wildfire Golf Club, where Jin Young Ko earned her first of four LPGA titles that season. The tour last played at Superstition Mountain in the Safeway International from 2004 to 2008, where Hall of Famers Annika Sorenstam (2004, 2005) and Lorena Ochoa (2007, 2008) each won twice, and Juli Inkster won in 2006.

The tournament marks the first of four events over the next five weeks (taking off the week of the Masters, April 7-10) and kicks off the crescendo that’s building to the LPGA’s first major of the season, The Chevron Championship, April 20-23 in its new location at The Woodlands, Texas. The 72-hole LPGA Drive On Championship features 144 players, in addition to two Monday qualifiers, who will compete for a $1.75 million purse.

How to watch the 2023 LPGA Drive On Championship

You can watch the 2023 LPGA Drive On Championship on Golf Channel, Peacock, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. Check out the complete TV and streaming schedule:

Thursday, March 23: 9-11 p.m. ET, Golf Channel
Friday, March 24: 9-11 p.m. ET, Golf Channel
Saturday, March 25: 6-10 p.m. ET, live stream; 7-9 p.m. ET, Golf Channel
Sunday, March 26: 6-10 p.m. ET, live stream; 7-9 p.m. ET, Golf Channel

Who’s playing in the 2023 LPGA Drive On Championship

Sitting out this week are world No. 1 Lydia Ko and No. 5 Minjee Lee, but No. 2 Nelly Korda and No. 3 Jin Young Ko are back in action following Ko’s return to the winner’s circle two weeks ago in Singapore, where she held off Korda by two strokes. Also in the field this week are:

No. 4 Atthaya Thitikul
No. 6 Lexi Thompson
No. 7 Brooke Henderson
No. 8 In Gee Chun
No. 9 Hyo-Joo Kim
No. 10 Nasa Hataoka
2022 major winners Ashleigh Buhai, Jennifer Kupcho, Chun, Henderson

Rookies and Epson Tour graduates making their first starts as LPGA members include 20-year-old Lucy Li, a two-time Epson Tour winner who might be best known for playing the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open as an 11-year-old; South Korea’s Hae Ran Ryu, who took medalist honors at LPGA Q-Series; and 18-year-old Alexa Pano, who finished tied for 21st at Q School to earn her card but might be best known from her role in the 2013 Netflix documentary, “The Short Game.”

Past winners, history of the Drive On Championship

The Drive On Championship was initially created as a series of LPGA events that marked the tour’s back-to-competition efforts following the pandemic. Each tournament used the “Drive On” slogan in support of the tour’s resilience, beginning with the first series event in July 2020 at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, where Danielle Kang won by one stroke over Celine Boutier. The second event, held in October 2020, replaced the three stops originally scheduled in Asia, and was held at Reynolds Lake Oconee Great Waters Course in Greensboro, Georgia. Ally McDonald captured her career first LPGA title by one stroke over Kang.

The last two “Drive On” events were staged in Florida, at Golden Ocala Golf Club (Ocala) in March 2021 and at Crown Colony Golf Club (Fort Myers) in February 2022. Austin Ernst cruised to her third career title at the 2021 edition, beating Jennifer Kupcho by five shots. The 2022 tournament marked a fresh start for the event (no longer including results or records from the 2020 and 2021 events), where Leona Maguire became the first Irish winner on tour with her victory in 2022.

Last year at the Drive On Championship

Ireland’s Leona Maguire gifted her mom and early birthday present with her first career win at the 2022 LPGA Drive On Championship. A 27-year-old Maguire, a standout at Duke and former No. 1 amateur, carded a final-round 67 to finish at 18-under 198 and won the 54-hole event by three strokes over Lexi Thompson. She became the first woman from Ireland to win on tour, and her 198 tied her career-best 54-hole score.

More about Superstition Mountain

Superstition Mountain’s Prospector Golf Course opened in 1998 and was a combined design effort by Jack Nicklaus and his son Gary. The course plays as a par-72 and stretches to 7,225 yards in length, with the women playing it at 6,526 yards. The course was home of the LPGA Safeway International from 2004-08, and was recently selected by Golfweek as one of the “Top 100 Residential Courses.”

Of note, Superstition Mountain is a female-owned facility, originally purchased in 2009 by Susan Hladky and her husband James, who died in 2011. Hladky has made a point of opening her courses to women and college players, twice hosting U.S. Women’s Open qualifying and the site of a 2025 NCAA women’s regional tournament. She’s also given membership to eight LPGA players, who play out of the club: Carlota Ciganda, Mina Harigae, Dana Finkelstein, Jaclyn Lee, Charlotte Thomas, Caroline Inglis, Jennifer Kupcho and Brianna Do.

MORE FROM ON HER TURF: 2023 March Madness — Utah Utes engineer dramatic turnaround for third-ever Sweet 16 appearance

2023 March Madness: Utah Utes engineer dramatic turnaround for third-ever Sweet 16 appearance

By Lisa AntonucciMar 19, 2023, 11:27 PM EDT

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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The No. 2-seeded Utah (27-4) women’s basketball team held off a pesky 10th-seeded Princeton squad on Sunday, winning 63-56 to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championships for the first time since 2005-06 and just the third time in the program’s history.

“I’m proud of our team,” said eighth-year head coach Lynne Roberts after the second-round win at Utah’s Hunstman Center. “We set out to do this a year ago. We lost in this game at University of Texas and the goal was to be able to host (this year) so that we could have that home-court advantage and it made a difference.”

Utah’s fourth-year junior Alissa Pili backed up her recent second-team All-American honor with another 20-plus-point performance, scoring 28 on 8-for 13 shooting with 10 rebounds and going 11-for 13 on free throws. Sophomore forward Jenna Johnson added 15 points and six rebounds.

There’s been a lot of talk this weekend about how the Utes’ previous few seasons have ended – beginning with a rough 14-17 season that was cut short in 2020 due to the pandemic, followed by an abysmal 5-16 record in 2020-21. But the tide turned last year, as Utah rebounded with a 21-12 season that ended with a 78-56 loss to Texas in Austin in the second round of the NCAA tournament one year ago.

So, what changed?

“Last year, everyone was new to the NCAA tournament, so I think everyone was just experiencing it for the first time,” mused Johnson. “Losing in the second round last year, we’re definitely a lot hungrier this year, and then obviously hosting in Salt Lake, it’s fun just being in your own environment, to be around your own fans. I think it gives us an elevated level of confidence, both knowing what it’s like to play in this tournament and also getting to be at home.”

“Yeah, freshman year was kind of rough,” added third-year sophomore Kennady McQueen, who chipped in nine points Sunday. “We did experience losing a lot. … Coach Roberts, she said we are not going to have another season like that. We all stood behind her — the people that stayed — and brought in great people like starting last year with Jenna and Gi (Gianna Kneepkens) and people like that who have had a huge impact in helping us to where we are today. …

“When you get together a group of people that have the same goal in mind and will do make anything to make it happen, I think that’s where we have seen our success rate going up. This past offseason, we just kept getting better, and of course, the addition of the Alissa Pili really helped. When you bring a group of girls that have the same dream and same goal at the end of the year and doesn’t care about personal stats more than winning, I think we get the season that we have today, and it prepares us for deep run in March.”

In particular, McQueen believe it was Utah’s improvement in their defense that was crucial to the turnaround. “Everyone knows how good we are on offense, but if we can’t get stops, it doesn’t matter how good you are on offense,” she said. “So that’s just been a key the whole past off-season and all of this season — just getting better on defense.”

MORE FROM ON HER TURF: Alissa Pili revives her love of basketball with record season at Utah

Roberts credits their defensive improvement with a “philosophical mindset change,” explaining, “We worked on [defense] a lot differently, a lot more intentionally. Strategically we made some changes of how we are going to defend, and I won’t bore you with that. But there was a lot, just different things because you have to play to your strengths. You can’t be a run-and-jump pressing team if you don’t have the depth and athletes to do it. You can’t be a zone team if you are not super big. You have to figure out what fits your personnel, and so that’s what we did.”

There’s also the undeniable impact of Pili, a transfer from USC who has found her stride as a Ute, where she recently was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year.

“She kind of is the straw that stirs the drink for us right now,” Roberts said regarding the 21-year-old Alaska native. “She’s a nightmare to defend because she can shoot the three, and she’s also really athletic and mobile, so it doesn’t matter who we are playing. I think you have to gameplan for her. But then with her three-point shooting, you know, you have to pick your poison.”

But Roberts also gave plenty of kudos to Johnson, whom she describes as “phenomenal.”

“She’s 19 going on 40,” Roberts said of Johnson. “She’s the most mature, even-keeled consistent player we have. What I love about her is she is who she is. She’s confident in who she is. She knows who she is. She also is incredibly busy off the court.

“We were talking as we were getting ready to watch film, just shooting the breeze a bunch of us, we were talking about movies. And she was like, Oh, I don’t watch movies. Why not? I don’t have time. I get bored. What do you mean you don’t have time? Do you watch shows? No, I don’t ever watch TV. It is because she is doing all of these other extracurricular activities.”

As for guiding the Utes to becoming a championship program, Roberts still sees it as an uphill battle – but one that she and her players are ready for.

“I always use the analogy of pushing the boulder up the hill,” she said. “And doing things for the first time, you have to have that mindset. You have to keep pushing. It’s been incredibly fun to see the support, and I think the swell is a perfect word for it. Most importantly, our players feel it.

“This is why you play, right? And it means so much. I know I say it over and over, but this is not going to be a flash-in-the-pan [season]. This isn’t going to be a ‘Oh, remember that year they had such an incredible year?’ We are going to keep doing it.”

Schedule for the 2022 AUX Softball series

AUX Softball: SERIES 1, June 13-15

AUX Softball: SERIES 2, June 18-20

AUX Softball: SERIES 3, June 23-25

How to watch the 2022 AUX Softball series

Who’s playing in the 2022 AUX Softball series?

What’s the format for the 2022 AUX Softball series?

How is AUX Softball scored?

How are AUX Softball teams drafted?

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How to watch the 2023 LPGA Drive On Championship

Who’s playing in the 2023 LPGA Drive On Championship

Past winners, history of the Drive On Championship

Last year at the Drive On Championship

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