All things considered, the AUSL is a league on the rise given the sellouts across the country last year. On Monday, the league held its annual College Draft as it was all about the circle in the first three selections. The No. 1 overall pick was a surprise to few as the Carolina Blaze took Karlyn Pickens out of the University of Tennessee.
Pickens has been nothing short of elite in her collegiate career with the Volunteers. She has four perfect games, two no-hitters, and two game with 15 strikeouts on the resume. Also, the dominant right-hander will be over three hours away from her hometown of Weaverville, North Carolina. The Blaze will play their home games in Durham this season.
Following the selection of Pickens, Texas Tech star NiJaree Canady went No. 2 to the Texas Volts, staying in the Lone Star State. USA Today recently named Canady Big 12 Player of the Year and Big 12 Conference Co-Pitcher of the Year. She is the only Red Raiders player in program history to have three no-hitters. Furthermore, the standout righty tossed a perfect game earlier this month.
Durham, meet your No. 1 pick 👑
— carolina blaze | ausl (@AUSL_Blaze) May 4, 2026
with the first pick in the 2026 AUSL College draft, we select @Vol_Softball pitcher, @PickensKarlyn 💖 pic.twitter.com/afvvC1hC3S
NiJaree Canady is a trailblazer that has redefined what’s possible for college softball
— TEXAS VOLTS | AUSL (@AUSL_Volts) May 4, 2026
After making history with the Red Raiders, @CanadyNijaree has been drafted to the Volts with the second overall pick in the AUSL College Draft.@TexasTechSB | @theAUSLofficial pic.twitter.com/cOBS3C04vw
Finally, the Oklahoma City Spark drafted Belmont left-hander Maya Johnson with the third pick in the draft. Johnson leads all of Division I Softball with a 0.72 ERA and in complete games with 27.
𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐃: Maya Johnson to OKC⚡️
— Oklahoma City Spark | AUSL (@ausl_spark) May 4, 2026
🥎Left-handed pitcher
📍Belmont University
A Top-25 Finalist for @usasoftball Player of the Year, Johnson currently holds the best ERA in the nation (0.72) after recently achieving 1000 career strikeouts. pic.twitter.com/jprDsP4VEL
Below are the remaining three picks in the first round of the AUSL Draft:
| Pick | Player | Team | College | Position |
| 4 | Megan Grant | Portland Cascade | UCLA | Utility |
| 5 | Jocelyn Erickson | Chicago Bandits | University of Florida | Catcher |
| 6 | Jordan Woolery | Utah Talons | UCLA | Infielder |
Fans will get to all of the players taken in the draft next month when the sophomore season gets underway.
How To Watch The AUSL This Season
Without question, there will be no excuses not being able to watch the AUSL beginning this June. You can watch the action across the networks and platforms of ESPN, CBS Sports, and MLB Network. 20 games will be on the CBS Sports Network. Moreover, the MLB Network will grow its coverage to 11 live games this upcoming season.
What’s more, games will be free by way of MLB.TV and streaming on MLB.com, spanning the reach in North America and internationally. All in all, over 90 games will be broadcast. Additionally, 51 of those games will be on the aforementioned ESPN networks. In this case, it is the most of any women’s professional league this year.
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