Anissa Urtez Goes No. 1, But Premium on Pitching in Week 4 Athletes Unlimited Draft
Top StoriesNo lead was safe in Week 3 of Athletes Unlimited, so perhaps it’s no surprise that a quartet of very familiar captains loaded up on pitching early and often in the Week 4 draft.
In an AU first, all four captains retained their roles in successive weeks. Not only that, but Dejah Mulipola, Haylie McCleney, Sahvanna Jaquish and Amanda Chidester don’t even need to get used to new colors. They finished in the exact same order atop the leaderboard as they began the week.
Chidester selected Urtez with her first pick for the third time this season, perhaps no surprise given that Urtez is one of the best two-way players in the league and Chidester’s fiancee. But the run on pitching began immediately thereafter, with Team Jaquish selecting Rachel Garcia, Team McCleney selecting Danielle O’Toole and Team Mulipola selecting Taylor McQuillin.
Jaquish was the first captain to switch things up from Week 3, opting for Garcia ahead of O’Toole after making the opposite decision a week earlier.
Five more pitchers came off the board by the time the draft reached the first pick of the fourth round: Alyssa Denham and Carrie Eberle by Team Chidester, Peyton St. George by Team Jaquish, Mariah Mazon by Team McCleney and Odicci Alexander by Team Mulipola.
In theory, the captains could have agreed beforehand to simpy run it back with the same rosters as Week 3. They didn’t do that, but there are some distinctly familiar rosters for Week 4.
Team McCleney has the most continuity, with seven players who were on the Week 3 roster.
Team Jaquish got the biggest makeover, with just four holdovers, including the captain.
Among other notable draft results:
- Reigning champion Aleshia Ocasio slipped to the eighth round, but the league designated her as active but receiving treatment for an unspecified physical issue. Ocasio was in uniform for Sunday’s Week 3 finale but didn’t pitch.
- Perhaps not surprisingly, McCleney likes her outfielders. A week ago, she completed her outfield with two of her first five picks. This week, she got it done even quicker by selecting Lorenz in the second round and Shannon Rhodes in the fourth round.
- Rhodes is one of the biggest movers this season, climbing from No. 36 in the Week 1 draft to No. 14 this week. But that’s not the biggest jump among Team McCleney draftees. Mariah Mazon went No. 11 on Monday, quite a jump from No. 43 in Week 1.
- Players can only be placed on a roster at their listed position, which means Jaquish has to include herself as a catcher despite playing mostly at third base. Perhaps that’s why she waited until the 12th round to take her first official corner infielder, as late as was possible. She used her three final picks to fill that slot with Hayley Busby, Alysen Febrey and Courtney Gano.
The four leading scorers in Week 4 will serve as captains and draft teams for Week 5.
Below are the draft results, full rosters, schedule and broadcast details for Week 4.
(All photos courtesy Jade Hewitt/Athletes Unlimited)
Team Mulipola (Gold)
| Player | Position | AU Rank | Stat Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor McQuillin | P | 53 | 8 |
| Odicci Alexander | P | 26 | 58 |
| Shannon Saile | P | 55 | -8 |
| Gretta Cecchetti | P | 51 | -18 |
| Dejah Mulipola | C | 1 | 364 |
| Erika Piancastelli | C | 11 | 188 |
| Lilli Piper | CI | 38 | 86 |
| DJ Sanders | CI | 15 | 118 |
| Aly Harrell | CI | 49 | 24 |
| Hannah Flippen | MI | 5 | 280 |
| Sydney Romero | MI | 29 | 214 |
| Janae Jefferson | MI | 47 | 108 |
| Victoria Hayward | OF | 8 | 266 |
| Jazmyn Jackson | OF | 22 | 134 |
| K. Stokes-O'Connor | OF | 24 | 46 |
Team McCleney (Orange)
| Player | Position | AU Rank | Stat Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danielle O'Toole | P | 10 | 160 |
| Mariah Mazon | P | 48 | 86 |
| S. Littlejohn Watkins | P | 27 | 82 |
| Danielle Watson | P | 59 | -36 |
| Sashel Palacios | C | 43 | 94 |
| Mia Davidson | C | 18 | 192 |
| Sam Fischer | CI | 7 | 146 |
| Danielle Gibson | CI | 31 | 108 |
| Nadia Taylor | CI | 36 | 56 |
| Aubrey Leach | MI | 20 | 128 |
| Caleigh Clifton | MI | 50 | 46 |
| Rylee Bayless | MI | 46 | 8 |
| Haylie McCleney | OF | 2 | 326 |
| Amanda Lorenz | OF | 33 | 200 |
| Shannon Rhodes | OF | 14 | 304 |
Team Jaquish (Blue)
| Player | Position | AU Rank | Stat Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rachel Garcia | P | 23 | 222 |
| Peyton St. George | P | 35 | 44 |
| Haylie Wagner | P | 37 | 0 |
| Sara Groenewegen | P | 41 | 90 |
| Sahvanna Jaquish | C | 3 | 322 |
| Taylor Edwards | C | 21 | 208 |
| Hayley Busby | CI | 56 | 66 |
| Alysen Febrey | CI | 44 | 72 |
| Courtney Gano | CI | 54 | 18 |
| Sis Bates | MI | 34 | 86 |
| Sierra Romero | MI | 42 | 128 |
| Andrea Filler | MI | 30 | 112 |
| Bubba Nickles | OF | 6 | 254 |
| Morgan Zerkle | OF | 16 | 228 |
| Megan Wiggins | OF | 45 | 110 |
Team Chidester (Purple)
| Player | Position | AU Rank | Stat Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alyssa Denham | P | 13 | 188 |
| Carrie Eberle | P | 9 | 198 |
| Aleshia Ocasio | P | 19 | 272 |
| Maggie Balint | P | 39 | 38 |
| Gwen Svekis | C | 32 | 150 |
| Jordan Roberts | C | 60 | 36 |
| Amanda Chidester | CI | 4 | 312 |
| Tori Vidales | CI | 40 | 234 |
| Sydney Sherrill | CI | 52 | 20 |
| Anissa Urtez | MI | 17 | 218 |
| Kelsey Harshman | MI | 12 | 258 |
| Abby Ramirez | MI | 25 | 80 |
| Aliyah Andrew | OF | 57 | 100 |
| N. Rangel-Mendes | OF | 28 | 0 |
| Rachel Lewis | OF | 58 | 44 |
Week 4 Draft Results
Round One
- Chidester: Anissa Urtez, MI
- Jaquish: Rachel Garcia, P
- McCleney: Danielle O’Toole, P
- Mulipola: Taylor McQuillin, P
Round Two
- Mulipola: Hannah Flippen, MI
- McCleney: Amanda Lorenz, OF
- Jaquish: Bubba Nickles, OF
- Chidester: Alyssa Denham, P
Round Three
- Chidester: Carrie Eberle, P
- Jaquish: Peyton St. George, P
- McCleney: Mariah Mazon, P
- Mulipola: Victoria Hayward, OF
Round Four
- Mulipola: Odicci Alexander, P
- McCleney: Shannon Rhodes, OF
- Jaquish: Taylor Edwards, C
- Chidester: Gwen Svekis, C
Round Five
- Chidester: Kelsey Harshman, MI
- Jaquish: Sis Bates, MI
- McCleney: Sam Fischer, CI
- Mulipola: Sydney Romero, MI
Round Six
- Mulipola: Erika Piancastelli, C
- McCleney: Aubrey Leach, MI
- Jaquish: Morgan Zerkle, OF
- Chidester: Aliyah Andrews, OF
Round Seven
- Chidester: Tori Vidales, CI
- Jaquish: Sierra Romero, MI
- McCleney: Danielle Gibson, CI
- Mulipola: Lilli Piper, CI
Round Eight
- Mulipola: Jazmyn Jackson, OF
- McCleney: Sashel Palacios, C
- Jaquish: Megan Wiggins, OF
- Chidester: Aleshia Ocasio, P
Round Nine
- Chidester: Maggie Balint, P
- Jaquish: Haylie Wagner, P
- McCleney: Sydney Littlejohn Watkins, P
- Mulipola: Shannon Saile, P
Round 10
- Mulipola: DJ Sanders, CI
- McCleney: Caleigh Clifton, MI
- Jaquish: Andrea Filler, MI
- Chidester: Abby Ramirez, MI
Round 11
- Chidester: Nicole Rangel-Mendes, OF
- Jaquish: Sara Groenewegen, P
- McCleney: Mia Davidson, C
- Mulipola: Janae Jefferson, MI
Round 12
- Mulipola: Greta Cecchetti, P
- McCleney: Nadia Taylor, CI
- Jaquish: Hayley Busby, CI
- Chidester: Sydney Sherrill, CI
Round 13
- Chidester: Rachel Lewis, OF
- Jaquish: Alysen Febrey, CI
- McCleney: Danielle Watson, P
- Mulipola: Kiki Stokes-O’Connor, OF
Round 14
- Mulipola: Aly Harrell, CI
- McCleney: Rylee Bayless, MI
- Jaquish: Courtney Gano, CI
- Chidester: Jordan Roberts, C
Week 4 Schedule
Friday
- Team Jaquish vs. Team McCleney, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+
- Team Chidester vs. Team Mulipola, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN+
Saturday
- Team Chidester vs. Team McCleney, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN2
- Team Jaquish vs. Team Mulipola, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Sunday
- Team Chidester vs. Team Jaquish, 2 p.m. ET, ESPN2
- Team McCleney vs. Team Mulipola, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2