Anissa Urtez Leads Familiar First-Round Faces in Week 3 Athletes Unlimited Draft
Top StoriesOlympians dominated the first round of the Week 3 Athletes Unlimited draft, but Team USA alumni had to wait their turn.
Team Chidester and Team Jaquish selected former Mexico teammates Anissa Urtez and Danielle O’Toole with the No. 1 and No. 2 picks, respectively. Former Team USA teammates Rachel Garcia and Hannah Flippen (an Olympic alternate) came off the board with the final two picks to Team McCleney and Team Mulipola, respectively.
There are ample connection points between the captains and their top picks. Chidester and Urtez are engaged, with the former Michigan star also selecting the former Utah standout in the first round of the Week 1 draft. Meanwhile, McCleney and Mulipola played plenty of USA games alongside Garcia and Flippen over the years.
Urtez, O’Toole and Garcia have all been selected in the first round of every draft this season.
With the draft order reversed in the second round, Team Mulipola selected reigning champion Aleshia Ocasio with the fifth pick. Outfielders Amanda Lorenz and Bubba Nickles went sixth and seventh to Team McCleney and Team Jaquish, respectively. Team Chidester wrapped up the second round by selecting catcher Erika Piancastelli.
A captain the first two weeks and the overall leader entering play Saturday, Carrie Eberle endured a difficult final day of Week 2 and slipped out of the captaincies. She was selected by new overall leader Mulipola with the first pick of the fourth round.
Week 3 was the first draft in AU history without a pitcher as a captain. Pitchers won the first two AU titles, as well as the inaugural AUX title.
Among other highlights from the Week 3 draft:
- Chidester was the last captain to select a pitcher in Week 1, waiting until the fourth round to take rookie Peyton St. George. She took the same approach in her return to general manager duties, passing on pitching while her peers made pitchers three of the first five picks overall. In fact, Teams Mulipola and Jaquish each had two pitchers before Chidester took Alyssa Denham.
- Chidester went back-to-back with pitchers, taking former Canadian Olympian Sara Groenewegen at No. 17, one pick after Denham. Groenewegen didn’t pitch in Week 2. Denham (2.69 in 12 IP) and Groenewegen (0.00 in 5 IP) have the league’s lowest ERAs.
- Taylor Edwards and Shannon Rhodes lasted until the ninth round of the Week 1 draft. They had shorter waits Monday, going back-to-back at the end of the third round. Edwards went from No. 26 in Week 1 to No. 11 in Week 3, while Rhodes climbed from No. 28 to No. 12.
- Peyton St. George was the first true rookie off the board for the second week in a row. A week after going No. 18 overall, the former Duke standout was selected No. 15 by Team Jaquish.
- Odicci Alexander had the longest wait along players ranked in the top 10. She went No. 28 to Team Mulipola. Although she’s pitched just 8.2 innings to this point, Alexander is one of three players with a league-high 520 win points.
- Among the top 10 players ranked purely by the individual stat points accumulated, Morgan Zerkle was the draft’s biggest bargain at No. 25 to Team Chidester. Zerkle ranks 10th in stat points and fourth among outfielders. She’s hitting .333 with a .991 OPS.
The four leading scorers in Week 3 will serve as captains and draft teams for Week 4.
Below are the draft results, full rosters, schedule and broadcast details for Week 3.
(Photos courtesy Jade Hewitt/Athletes Unlimited)
Team Mulipola (Gold)
| Player | Position | AU Rank | Stat Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aleshia Ocasio | P | 9 | 234 |
| Carrie Eberle | P | 6 | 130 |
| Odicci Alexander | P | 10 | 64 |
| Gretta Cecchetti | P | 42 | -18 |
| Dejah Mulipola | C | 1 | 226 |
| Jordan Roberts | C | 58 | 28 |
| Lilli Piper | CI | 36 | 28 |
| Hayley Busby | CI | 51 | 40 |
| Alysen Febrey | CI | 30 | 64 |
| Hannah Flippen | MI | 7 | 182 |
| Andrea Filler | MI | 16 | 86 |
| Janae Jefferson | MI | 39 | 58 |
| Shannon Rhodes | OF | 17 | 186 |
| Jazmyn Jackson | OF | 11 | 96 |
| Aliyah Andrews | OF | 57 | 40 |
Team McCleney (Orange)
| Player | Position | AU Rank | Stat Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rachel Garcia | P | 33 | 136 |
| Taylor McQuillin | P | 54 | 2 |
| Mariah Mazon | P | 46 | 58 |
| Danielle Watson | P | 60 | -36 |
| Taylor Edwards | C | 21 | 140 |
| Mia Davidson | C | 20 | 130 |
| Sydney Sherrill | CI | 50 | 20 |
| Danielle Gibson | CI | 45 | 18 |
| Courtney Gano | CI | 55 | 18 |
| Sis Bates | MI | 31 | 50 |
| Sierra Romero | MI | 48 | 44 |
| Caleigh Clifton | MI | 52 | 30 |
| Haylie McCleney | OF | 2 | 228 |
| Amanda Lorenz | OF | 44 | 104 |
| Victoria Hayward | OF | 12 | 156 |
Team Jaquish (Blue)
| Player | Position | AU Rank | Stat Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Danielle O'Toole | P | 19 | 94 |
| Peyton St. George | P | 29 | 56 |
| S. Littlejohn Watkins | P | 27 | 64 |
| Shannon Saile | P | 56 | 12 |
| Sahvanna Jaquish | C | 3 | 228 |
| Sashel Palacios | C | 47 | 66 |
| Tori Vidales | CI | 53 | 126 |
| Nadia Taylor | CI | 32 | 48 |
| DJ Sanders | CI | 26 | 28 |
| Sydney Romero | MI | 40 | 110 |
| Aubrey Leach | MI | 23 | 68 |
| Kelsey Harshman | MI | 28 | 122 |
| Bubba Nickles | OF | 5 | 208 |
| Megan Wiggins | OF | 49 | 56 |
| Nicole Rangel Mendes | OF | 25 | 0 |
Team Chidester (Purple)
| Player | Position | AU Rank | Stat Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alyssa Denham | P | 24 | 106 |
| Sara Groenewegen | P | 38 | 60 |
| Haylie Wagner | P | 22 | 50 |
| Maggie Balint | P | 43 | 38 |
| Erika Piancastelli | C | 8 | 154 |
| Gwen Svekis | C | 34 | 102 |
| Amanda Chidester | CI | 4 | 228 |
| Sam Fischer | CI | 13 | 58 |
| Aly Harrell | CI | 41 | 24 |
| Anissa Urtez | MI | 14 | 178 |
| Abby Ramirez | MI | 35 | 20 |
| Rylee Bayless | MI | 37 | 0 |
| Morgan Zerkle | OF | 18 | 162 |
| K. Stokes-O'Connor | OF | 15 | 36 |
| Rachel Lewis | OF | 59 | 44 |
Week 3 Draft Results
Round One
- Chidester: Anissa Urtez, MI
- Jaquish: Danielle O’Toole, P
- McCleney: Rachel Garcia, P
- Mulipola: Hannah Flippen, MI
Round Two
- Mulipola: Aleshia Ocasio, P
- McCleney: Amanda Lorenz, OF
- Jaquish: Bubba Nickles, OF
- Chidester: Erika Piancastelli, C
Round Three
- Chidester: Gwen Svekis, C
- Jaquish: Sydney Romero, MI
- McCleney: Taylor Edwards, C
- Mulipola: Shannon Rhodes, OF
Round Four
- Mulipola: Carrie Eberle, P
- McCleney: Sis Bates, MI
- Jaquish: Peyton St. George, P
- Chidester: Alyssa Denham, P
Round Five
- Chidester: Sara Groenewegen, P
- Jaquish: Tori Vidales, CI
- McCleney: Victoria Hayward, OF
- Mulipola: Andrea Filler MI
Round Six
- Mulipola: Jazmyn Jackson, OF
- McCleney: Taylor McQuillin, P
- Jaquish: Aubrey Leach, MI
- Chidester: Sam Fischer, CI
Round Seven
- Chidester: Morgan Zerkle, OF
- Jaquish: Kelsey Harshman, MI
- McCleney: Sierra Romero, MI
- Mulipola: Odicci Alexander, P
Round Eight
- Mulipola: Lilli Piper, CI
- McCleney: Mariah Mazon, P
- Jaquish: Megan Wiggins, OF
- Chidester: Haylie Wagner, P
Round Nine
- Chidester: Abby Ramirez, MI
- Jaquish: Sashel Palacios, C
- McCleney: Mia Davidson, C
- Mulipola: Janae Jefferson, MI
Round 10
- Mulipola: Aliyah Andrews, OF
- McCleney: Sydney Sherrill, CI
- Jaquish: Sydney Littlejohn Watkins, P
- Chidester: Kiki Stokes-O’Connor, OF
Round 11
- Chidester: Maggie Balint, P
- Jaquish: Nadia Taylor, CI
- McCleney: Danielle Gibson, CI
- Mulipola: Hayley Busby, CI
Round 12
- Mulipola: Alysen Febrey, CI
- McCleney: Caleigh Clifton, MI
- Jaquish: DJ Sanders, CI
- Chidester: Aly Harrell, CI
Round 13
- Chidester: Rachel Lewis, OF
- Jaquish: Shannon Saile, P
- McCleney: Danielle Watson p
- Mulipola: Jordan Roberts, C
Round 14
- Mulipola: Gretta Cecchetti, P
- McCleney: Courtney Gano, CI
- Jaquish: Nicole Rangel-Mendes, OF
- Chidester: Rylee Bayless, MI
Week 3 Schedule
Friday
- Team Jaquish vs. Team McCleney, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+
- Team Mulipola vs. Team Chidester, 9 p.m. ET, ESPNU
Saturday
- Team Chidester vs. Team McCleney, 6 p.m. ET, ESPNU
- Team Mulipola vs. Team Jaquish, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU
Sunday
- Team Chidester vs. Team Jaquish, 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+
- Team Mulipola vs. Team McCleney, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN+