From Velcro to Stitches: Jadelyn Allchin’s Path Through the AUSL Reserve Pool
In the rapidly evolving world of professional softball, the journey from hopeful to professional is rarely linear. For Jadelyn Allchin, that path wound through uncertainty, grit, and the often invisible but foundational reserve pool of the AUSL. Her story is a blueprint for resilience in a league where opportunity and preparation meet in unpredictable ways.
What Is the AUSL Reserve Pool?
The AUSL launched its inaugural season in 2025 as the premier professional women’s softball league in the United States, featuring elite talent, national broadcast partnerships with ESPN, and a clearer post-college pathway for players.
In addition to its traditional draft and roster structure, the AUSL operates with a reserve pool — a group of players who are eligible to be called upon when teams need immediate reinforcements. These calls can happen with little notice, often due to injury, international play, or roster availability issues.
As Allchin explained during her Out of Left Field appearance, reserve pool players are essentially on standby all season:
“We’re basically on call throughout the whole summer in case someone needs to miss a game.”
When teams activate a reserve player, the expectation is immediate availability:
“You need to report basically within 24 hours of, ‘Hey, so-and-so just got hurt, can you be here and play tomorrow?’”
While not every reserve player ultimately appears in games, the system exists to protect competitive integrity and roster continuity. And for players willing to stay ready, it can become a gateway to a full professional contract.
Draft Night and the Reality of Not Being Picked
Coming out of a strong collegiate career at Washington and UCLA, Allchin entered the AUSL draft realistic about her chances. She watched the entire draft, knowing there were no guarantees.
When her name wasn’t called, she was forced to confront a difficult truth:
“I’m thinking I’m not playing this summer.”
For many athletes, that moment would have marked the end. For Allchin, it became a pivot point. Because she had signed into the league structure, she remained eligible for the reserve pool — and within days, her phone rang.
Life Inside the Reserve Pool
Allchin was contacted by the Talons when they needed a temporary replacement while Maya Brady was overseas. She accepted immediately, knowing the role came with no long-term assurances.
She understood exactly where she stood:
“I know my role and this is her position over mine regardless, because I’m just the filler.”
The experience required mental flexibility. One day she was preparing as if she might not see the field; the next, she was executing in pressure moments against some of the best competition in the world.
Despite the uncertainty, Allchin leaned into the challenge:
"I love being in the pressure moments.”
That mindset defined her season.
Playing Through Pain and Proving Value
While navigating the instability of reserve status, Allchin also played through a chipped rib for nearly two months — an injury she didn’t initially know she had. She suited up anyway.
Her performance spoke for itself. After initially expecting to be sidelined, she appeared in 21 games for the Talons. That's a pretty substantial contribution for someone who began the year without a guaranteed spot.
Even when her temporary assignment ended, she remained with the team in a support role, fully invested in their success.
“Velcro to Stitches”
One of the most striking symbols of Allchin’s journey was literal.
As a reserve player, her name was attached to the back of her jersey with Velcro, making it removable at any time. It became an internal joke, but also a constant reminder of her status.
She named the season’s theme herself:
“My theme that whole last season was Velcro to stitches.”
Every day, that Velcro served as a reminder that her position wasn’t permanent.
But she also believed that if she stayed ready, it wouldn’t always be that way.
Draft Day, Again
When the next AUSL draft arrived, Allchin watched from a small pizza parlor (the one she went to after softball games growing up) surrounded by family. This time, the outcome changed.
She was drafted by the Talons — the same team she had spent the previous summer grinding for without a contract.
The Velcro was gone. Her name was stitched.
Allchin’s path illustrates the often unseen layer of professional softball — where opportunity exists, but nothing is promised. The AUSL reserve pool is not a consolation prize; it is a proving ground.
Her story shows what happens when preparation meets persistence.
As she said herself:
“If you think you’re done and you know you’re not, that means you’re not.”
For younger players watching the league grow, that message matters. Not every professional career starts on draft night. Some begin on standby — waiting for a call, trusting the work, and betting on yourself until the stitches finally replace the Velcro.