Aug. 26, 2024 14:49 PM EST

Amanda Lorenz Wins Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball Individual Championship

By CLIFF BRUNT
AP Sports Writer
FILE - Florida's Amanda Lorenz hits a lead-off single in the first inning of an NCAA softball game against Illinois State on Feb.23, 2019 in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough, file) Gary McCullough, ASSOCIATED PRESS
FILE - Florida's Amanda Lorenz hits a lead-off single in the first inning of an NCAA softball game against Illinois State on Feb.23, 2019 in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough, file)

Amanda Lorenz hopes winning the Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball individual championship is a definitive step towards achieving her dream.

Lorenz, who played her college softball at Florida, tied for the league lead with a .373 batting average and had a .569 slugging percentage. The outfielder hopes her success in this format will give her a spot in the inaugural Athletes Unlimited Softball League next year, where she can continue to prove she’s among the best in a traditional team format.

She'd like to succeed there and then move toward her ultimate goal — to play for Team USA at the 2028 Olympics.

“It’s definitely on my radar," she said. “My ultimate goal is to play in 2028 with the U.S. team. That’s going to be my priority moving forward.”

She hopes her successful season, then finding steady action in the next few years, puts her in position.

“I think just continuing to play against the best competition and trying to get better every year and elevate my game — I think that definitely would help," she said.

Lorenz took the lead for good during week three of the five-week season. She scored 1800 points to finish ahead of runner-up Lexi Kilfoyl, third-place finisher Aleshia Ocasio and fourth-placed Georgina Corrick in the 60-player league that concluded on Sunday in Rosemont, Illinois.

Kilfoyl was the Rookie of the Year, months after pitching for Oklahoma State in the Women’s College World Series. She threw two complete-game shutouts and finished with a 7-3 record. She led the league with a 2.23 ERA.

Ocasio, who won the championship in 2021, went 5-2 with a 2.51 ERA.

Aliyah Andrews was Defensive Player of the Year. Other all-defense players are Ocasio, catcher Sashel Palacios, corner infielders Tori Vidales and Baylee Klingler, middle infielders Aubrey Leach and Hannah Flippen, outfielders Bubba Nickles and Haylie McCleney and utility player Erin Coffel.

This is the final season under the current format. Next season, Athletes Unlimited will start its Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL). Play will begin in June 2025 with four teams playing 30-game seasons in a traditional format. The AUX season — a shortened version of the individual championship format — will be renamed the AUSL Champions Cup and be played after the AUSL season.

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