Former Duke Softball Standout Named AUSL Rookie of the Year

Credit: AUSL

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON www.si.com/onsi/softball

In the inaugural season of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL), Ana Gold has been named Rookie of the Year. 

The second Golden Ticket recipient and an AUSL College Draft selection by the Blaze, Gold didn’t skip a beat when transitioning from a college athlete to a professional. Although the season hasn’t been the greatest for the Blaze, she’s certainly been a bright light on the highlight reels during the dark times. 

The infielder dominated in batting average with a .394 and a .704 slugging percentage. Over 71 at-bats, she’s collected an on-base slugging percentage of 1.153, which is fourth among qualified hitters. With 17 RBIs, she is the only AUSL player this season, aside from Erin Coffel, to rip more than one triple. 

On defense, she’s just as grand. Though she played third base at Duke for most of her career, she saw plenty of action at shortstop her senior year. She’s been able to utilize both positions for the Blaze and has made just one error, holding a .986 fielding percentage. 

“Everything just feels like it’s clicking right now,” Gold told Benjamin Rosenberg, the Blaze beat reporter. “I’m seeing the ball [well], getting my swings off. You can’t think about every single pitch the pitcher has when you’re up at bat. You have to really look for a strike and get your swing off, and that’s helped me a lot.”

While being named Rookie of the Year, she also makes the All-Defensive team, joining other Blaze teammates like Baylee Klingler and fellow rookie, Korbe Otis.

All of these outstanding numbers for Gold come from her experiences with the Blue Devils. Reaching the program’s first-ever NCAA Super Regional during her freshman year, earning a top-8 seed as a sophomore and making it to the Women’s College World Series as a junior in 2024 set her up to succeed in the professional landscape. 

Though her 18 strikeouts are the most in the league, she is constantly adapting. Her first AUSL home run came in clutch to end a run-rule win for the Bandits, and she has hit four more in the second half of the season. A two-homer night came recently on Tuesday night, which solidified the win over the Bandits. 

Though the Blaze are out of the postseason and Gold’s rookie year comes to a close, there will be plenty more of these highlight-reel-worthy plays and impressive numbers at the plate if she continues to battle like this in the years to come.