If you were a fly on the wall in the clubhouse for the Talons of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, you’d have heard a lot of chatter about writing a book. Throughout the two months of the professional softball league’s season, that’s exactly what they were doing: developing chapters of this Utah team’s story to build up to what every writer hopes for, a happy ending.
The league’s defending champions did just that on Sunday at Davis Diamond in College Station, Texas, sweeping the Chicago Bandits in a best-of-three series to capture their second straight title. So far in the two-year existence of the young league, which is backed by MLB and led by commissioner Kim Ng, the Talons have cemented an early legacy as a dynasty. In that case, they’re not just writing a story with a happy ending — they’re adding to softball’s history books.
After the 2-1 win Saturday over the Bandits, whom the Talons also faced in last year’s championship victory, 2026 Pitcher of the Year and league strikeout leader Montana Fouts fanned four batters in a 6-1 complete-game clincher on Sunday.
Last year, Fouts won a pitchers’ duel, as the matchup was scoreless until former Talon and current Oklahoma City Spark star Sydney Romero hit the decisive solo homer in the sixth inning. This time around wasn’t as strenuous thanks to some run support.
Once Jadelyn Allchin, a former UCLA standout and Utah’s regular-season leader in hits (26), runs (19) and RBIs (17), launched a two-run homer to right just 11 pitches into Game 2, the Talons never looked back. Two more runs were tacked on in the fourth after veteran Hannah Flippen scored from second on a throwing error before Allchin, who was named AUSL Championship Most Valuable Player, tacked on another RBI with a double.
Comeback Player of the Year Bri Ellis essentially sealed the deal in the fifth with a solo shot that soared over the Texas A&M stadium’s massive scoreboard, rounding out an impressive sophomore season that saw her return to her former Arkansas-like form after a difficult rookie season.
“I think the difference between last year and this year, bouncing back from injury, is just her love for softball has really carried her through,” said Fouts before the championship series. “She has really stepped into who she is and who we all know that she has been. There was never a doubt in my mind.”
Sahvannah Jaquish capped the Talons’ scoring — and what has been a red-hot July for the veteran — with a 253-foot homer in the sixth.
The Bandits put together a rally in the bottom of the seventh, spoiling Fouts’ shutout performance as Skylar Wallace laced an RBI single into left to bring home Keirstin Roose. That was all Chicago could muster, however.
Though the Bandits were the AUSL’s top offensive team throughout the regular season, leading the league in average (.304), OBP (.394), hits (221) and RBIs (137), among other categories, they were held to just 12 hits — none of which were of the extra-base variety — in the two games. Chicago also tallied just one walk in the two-game set. Hitter of the Year Sami Williams’ bat was silenced at the hands of the Talons’ aces — Georgina Corrick also tossed a complete-game gem in Game 1 — going hitless in Chicago’s revenge effort.
While the traditional aspect of the AUSL season has come to a close with the Talons once again on top, the league’s All-Star Cup will take place from Aug. 8-30 at the Bandits’ home stadium in Rosemont, Ill. The Cup features teams of the league’s top performers from the regular season, who then compete in series with captains based on a point-system leaderboard.
The champion Talons will be represented by Fouts, Allchin, Corrick, Ellis, Flippen, Jayda Coleman, Sharlize Palacios and Jordan Woolery in the All-Star Cup.
Throughout the regular season, the AUSL averaged 198,000 viewers, up 183 percent vs. this time last year. With softball seeing continued audience growth during the Women’s College World Series, college regular season and now the AUSL, expectations are rising as the sport will make its return to the Olympics at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
“It’s so awesome to see these communities come together and support women’s sports and having young fans in the stands that can dream of being professional softball players and play in an environment that gets rowdy and loud,” said Flippen. “I’m so excited for what next year is going to look like, and the next 10 years.”
