Coaches, Competitors, Culture Setters: The Women Building Softball From the Inside Out

There’s no off switch in the AUSL.

Many of the league’s athletes — like Aubrey Leach and Morgan Zerkle — split their time between two demanding roles: coaching and developing college athletes by spring, then suiting up to compete at the pro level in summer.

Leach, Director of Player Development at Tennessee and current AUSL infielder, sees the overlap daily. She spends most of the year mentoring college athletes — then turns around and becomes a player again.

“We’re talking to our student-athletes every day about the work, the effort, the sacrifices it takes,” she says. “So on the flip side, that’s us this summer — choosing to keep playing, making those same sacrifices. It’s total practice what you preach.”

And it goes both ways.

“The competitiveness, the knowledge, the different philosophies you pick up in this league — we get to take that back with us. That’s huge.”

Zerkle, a coach at Marshall University and current AUSL outfielder, echoed the same sentiment in an interview with Bruce Miles:

“I think both go hand in hand. To have both perspectives and being able to switch your brain from one to the next… as a player, I can understand my coaches more. And as a coach, I know what my athletes go through.”

The Growing List of Player-Coaches

Leach and Zerkle are far from alone. Across the AUSL, players are taking on coaching roles in college programs, travel ball, and development positions — often while still in the prime of their playing careers.

Here’s a look at just some of the AUSL athletes who currently serve or have recently served on coaching staffs:

• Aubrey Leach – Director of Player Development, University of Tennessee
• Morgan Zerkle – Assistant Coach, Marshall University
• Keilani Ricketts – Assistant Coach, University of the Pacific (2025); Mid-America Christian University (2024)
• Kayla Kowalik – Assistant Coach, Texas Tech (Named Sept. 3, 2024)
• Kalei Harding – Graduate Manager, Mercer University (2025 season)
• Victoria Hayward – Head Coach, University of Nevada (2024); Assistant Coach, University of Washington
• Sahvanna Jaquish – Assistant Coach, Colorado State (2023)
• Sydney Romero – Assistant Coach, Oregon (2023–); previously at Duke and Oklahoma
• Jadelyn Allchin – Assistant Coach, Michigan State University (2025)
• Mariah Lopez – Graduate Assistant Coach, University of Arkansas (2025)
• Sierra Sacco – Graduate Assistant (future role), Mississippi State University
• Kelsey Stewart-Hunter – Assistant Coach, Ohio State University (2024)
• Amanda Lorenz – Volunteer Assistant Coach, University of Florida (2021–2022)
• Rachel Garcia – Volunteer Assistant Coach, San Diego State (2022)
• Mariah Mazon – Assistant Coach, Academy of Art (2024); formerly at Holy Names University
• Ciara Briggs – Graduate Assistant Coach, LSU (2025)
• Taylor McQuillin – Assistant Coach, Southern Utah University (2024)
• Odicci Alexander – Assistant Coach, Howard University (2023)
• Bubba Nickles-Camarena – Assistant Coach, UCLA (Named full-time Oct. 2, 2024)
• Danielle Gibson Whorton – Assistant Coach, Arkansas (2024); previously at Georgia
• Mia Davidson – Graduate Assistant Coach, Mississippi State (2023)
• Sydney McKinney – Assistant Coach, Marshall University (2023)
• Delanie Wisz – Assistant Coach, Nevada (2024); previously at San Diego State
• Erin Coffel – Graduate Assistant Coach, University of Florida
• Mary Iakopo – Director of Player Development, Arizona State

It’s a long list, and growing, as more athletes embrace the chance to lead at every level of the game.

They Look Up to Each Other, Too

Even among current AUSL players, mentorship runs deep.

In several player bios, athletes have openly shared that they model their game after other women in the league, highlighting the influence of their peers as both role models and teammates.

In a league built on collaboration, many of the players on today’s field once grew up watching and studying the same ones they now share a dugout with.

That dynamic makes the AUSL a rare space: one where teaching, learning, and playing all happen at the same time.

Coaching the Present, Playing for the Future

The AUSL hasn’t just embraced that mindset — it’s built into the league’s foundation.

In addition to the player-coaches competing on the field, the league has intentionally brought in softball legends to lead each team from the top down. Former college and pro greats serve as general managers and head coaches for the league’s four inaugural teams.

2025 AUSL Coaching & GM Staff:

• Bandits
  • GM: Jenny Dalton‑Hill – Holds NCAA Division I record for career RBIs (328) and runs scored (293); 3× Women’s College World Series champion with Arizona (1993, 1994, 1996)
  • Head Coach: Stacey Nuveman‑Deniz – 3× Olympic medalist: gold in 2000, 2004; silver in 2008; former Team USA player and collegiate coach
• Blaze
  • GM: Dana Sorensen – Threw five no-hitters and two perfect games at Stanford. A former USA Softball elite team member (2005)
  • Head Coach: Alisa Goler – star infielder at Georgia—3× All‑American and program’s career walk leader (184)
• Talons
  • GM: Lisa Fernandez – UCLA legend: 3× Olympic gold medalist (1996, 2000, 2004); currently Associate Head Coach at UCLA
  • Head Coach: Howard Dobson – LSU’s associate head coach (hitting), entering his 14th season in 2025
• Volts
  • GM: Cat Osterman – 4× All‑American, Olympic gold medalist (2004) and two‑time silver medalist (2008, 2020)
  • Head Coach: Kelly Kretschman – Olympic gold (2004) + silver (2008) medalist; longstanding collegiate coach (Maryland, Texas State), US national team coach

Their presence sets the tone — leadership is the expectation.

Coaches Who Change Everything

This summer, the AUSL announced its first in-season impact partnership with Coach Across America and their “She Changes the Game” initiative — a national effort to grow and sustain girls’ participation in sports by increasing the number of women coaches in youth athletics.

As part of the campaign:

• AUSL athletes will share their own coaching journeys
• Fans will be invited to support through local engagement and in-stadium activations
• VIP gameday experiences will be hosted for women coaches in AUSL markets

It’s another example of how the AUSL isn’t just building a league, it’s building a movement around mentorship and leadership.

The Impact That Lasts

Coaches hold so much influence — far beyond the field.

I’ve had coaches who marked me for life. Coaches who said the right thing at the right time, in the right tone — and unlocked something in me. Who made me believe in myself without bounds. Who shaped not just my game, but my character, my leadership, and the way I show up in the world.

And I’ve had coaches who stripped all of that away.

I’ve spoken to so many athletes who’ve had the same experiences. Who carry both the scars and the fuel from the people who once led them.

It’s worth highlighting the empathy, the care, the “I see you” energy that AUSL players can offer when they coach. They’ve been there. Some are still there. They’re not just coaching the game — they’re coaching with understanding. And that kind of leadership makes all the difference.

The AUSL isn’t just putting softball on a bigger stage — it’s putting leadership at the center of it.

Its athletes aren’t only showing what it looks like to play at the highest level. They’re showing what it means to give back, to guide, and to grow the game from within.

Coaching changes people. It shapes confidence. It rewrites belief systems. It builds — or breaks — love for the game.

These women know that. They've lived it. And now, as mentors, teammates, coaches, and culture-setters, they’re creating the version of softball many wish they'd seen.

They’re not just leading from the front.
They’re leading from the inside out.