Fischer, O’Toole, Zerkle Emphasize Pitching in AUX Series Three Draft
Top StoriesWith the inaugural AUX championship on the line, all three team captains went for pitching in the opening round of the final draft – even the captain who knows a bit about pitching herself.
- In third place on the overall leaderboard, Morgan Zerkle selected rookie Georgina Corrick with the No. 1 pick in the Series Three draft. The former All-American has been impressive in her pro debut and owned the best ERA among available pitchers with double-digit innings.
- Team captain Danielle O’Toole, who owns the best ERA among all pitchers with double-digit innings, selected Rachel Garcia with the second overall pick. Garcia has battled walks in her pro debut but also ranks second in strikeouts among pitchers and has earned MVP points through her two-way abilities at the plate.
- On top of the leaderboard entering the final four games, Sam Fischer closed the first round by selected Sydney Littlejohn-Watkins, who has a 3.50 ERA and leads AUX with seven pitching appearances. With the forth overall pick, as the order reversed for the second round, Fischer tabbed outfielder Victoria Hayward as the first position player off the board. The Canadian Olympian leads AUX with a .548 average on 17 hits in eight games.
Team Zerkle ended up with four of the top seven players on the overall leaderboard, a list that doesn’t even include Corrick. In drafting Dejah Mulipola, Andrea Filler and Sydney Romero, Zerkle collected players ranked fourth, fifth and seventh in the race for the title.
Strategically, that means any of those players would need to outperform Zerkle in individual stats of MVP voting to pass her – they will all receive equal win points in Series Three.
Series Three begins Thursday with a doubleheader on the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Team Zerkle faces Team O’Toole in the opening game (ESPNU, 7 p.m. ET), before Team O’Toole stays on the field to face Team Fischer in the nightcap (ESPNU, 9:30 p.m. ET).
- Signed as a replacement last week when Maggie Balint was inactive, Mariah Mazon impressed enough in two appearances to go No. 16 overall in the draft to Team Fischer. Balint also returned to the draft pool for Series Three.
- DJ Sanders and rookie Danielle Gibson, a captain in Series Two, are listed as inactive for Series Three. No replacements have been named, meaning Team Zerkle, at least for now, has only 13 players.
Full rosters are below, along with draft position listed in parentheses. Positions listed are those assigned by AUX: corner infield, middle infield, catcher, outfield, designated player and pitcher. Players are not limited to the assigned positions.
Team Fischer
- Sam Fischer, CIF (captain)
- Sydney Littlejohn-Watkins, P (No. 3)
- Victoria Hayward, OF (No. 4)
- Sis Bates, MIF (No. 9)
- Rachele Fico, P (No. 10)
- Taylor Edwards, C, (No. 15)
- Mariah Mazon, P (No. 16)
- Megan Wiggins, OF (No. 21)
- Alyssa Denham, P (No. 22)
- Gwen Svekis, C (No 27)
- Aly Harrell, DP (No. 28)
- Courtney Gano, CIF (No. 33)
- Nicole Rangel-Mendes, OF (No. 34)
Team O’Toole
- Danielle O’Toole, P (captain)
- Rachel Garcia, P (No. 2)
- Sierra Romero, MIF (No. 5)
- Amanda Lorenz OF (No. 8)
- Caleigh Clifton, MIF (No. 11)
- Tori Vidales, CIF (No. 14)
- Carrie Eberle, P (No. 17)
- Amanda Chidester, CIF (No. 20)
- Sashel Palacios, C (No. 23)
- Aliyah Andrews, OF (No. 26)
- Caylan Arnold, P (No. 29)
- Jazmyn Jackson, OF (No. 32)
- Maggie Balint, P (No. 35)
- Abby Ramirez, MIF (No. 38)
Team Zerkle
- Morgan Zerkle, OF (captain)
- Georgina Corrick, P (No. 1)
- Haylie McCleney, OF (No. 6)
- Sydney Romero, MIF (No. 7)
- Aleshia Ocasio, P (No. 11)
- Dejah Mulipola, C (No. 12)
- Nadia Taylor, DP (No. 18)
- Andrea Filler, MIF (No. 19)
- Shannon Rhodes, OF (No. 24)
- Lilli Piper, CIF (No. 25)
- Haylie Wagner, P (No. 30)
- Jordan Roberts, C (No. 31)
- Kamalani Dung, P (No. 36)
- Maddi Hackbarth, C (No 37)
AUX Overall Leaderboard
| Player | Total Points | Stat Points | Win Points | MVP Points | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sam Fischer | 988 | 228 | 740 | 20 | 8 |
| 2. Danielle O'Toole | 978 | 168 | 710 | 100 | 8 |
| 3. Morgan Zerkle | 950 | 130 | 740 | 80 | 8 |
| 4. Dejah Mulipola | 948 | 198 | 570 | 180 | 8 |
| 5. Andrea Filler | 924 | 124 | 740 | 60 | 8 |
| 6. S. Littlejohn-Watkins | 906 | 126 | 740 | 40 | 8 |
| 7. Sydney Romero | 884 | 154 | 710 | 20 | 8 |
| 8. Victoria Hayward | 856 | 216 | 560 | 80 | 8 |
| 9. Amanda Chidester | 834 | 94 | 740 | 0 | 8 |
| 10. Taylor Edwards | 832 | 172 | 560 | 100 | 8 |