2026 AUSL Primer: Carolina Blaze

AUSL Opening Day is around the corner as the season kicks off on June 9. Softball America will preview each team and what to expect from around the country in year two of the league. We take a look at how the Blaze builds up their roster.

Carolina Blaze Roster

Blaze Coaching Staff

• Head Coach Kara Dill
• Associate Head Coach Lindsay Leftwich
• Assistant Coach Brittany Cervantes
• Assistant Coach Kyler Holton
• Coordinator Lisa Maulden

Blaze Active Roster

• RHP Aleshia Ocasio
• RHP Jala Wright
• RHP Emma Lemley
• RHP/UTIL Devyn Netz
• RHP Karlyn Pickens
• LHP Keilani Ricketts
• C Reese Atwood
• C/UTIL Kayla Kowalik
• IF Aubrey Leach
• IF Alyssa Brito
• IF Jenna Laird
• IF Ana Gold
• OF McKenzie Clark
• OF Dakota Kennedy
• UTIL Valerie Cagle

Reserve Pool Players

• UTIL Karli Spaid

Inactive Players

• UTIL Baylee Klingler

Carolina Blaze Pitching

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The Blaze have to be better in the circle this season after finishing last. That’s where No. 1 overall pick Karlyn Pickens comes in. Pickens should help stabilize the Blaze pitching staff, much as they had hoped Carley Hoover would before she missed most of the season with an injury. If Pickens is able to lead the staff, depending on when she joins the team following the Women’s College World Series, the rest of the group can settle into more defined roles.

Keilani Ricketts, Aleshia Ocasio, Jala Wright, Devyn Netz, and Emma Lemley all have the talent to make the staff stronger as a whole. Ricketts and Ocasio have performed at a high level in the past, so there should be confidence in a bounce-back season from both. Lemley had to learn the professional game quickly, leading the Blaze in innings pitched despite posting a 5.60 ERA. Wright brings experience from other professional levels and is another player returning to Duke’s Smith Family Stadium.

Carolina Blaze Lineup

The core of the Blaze’s offensive production comes from Ana Gold, Aubrey Leach, and Baylee Klingler. Gold, the reigning AUSL Rookie of the Year, led the Blaze in batting average (.373) and home runs (5), while driving in 17 runs across 23 starts. Leach, a standout defender, posted a .368 batting average and a .467 on-base percentage while adding seven doubles. Klingler, who is finishing her season in Japan, led the team with 19 RBIs despite playing only 20 games compared to the 24 played by most of her teammates. She batted .357 with six doubles and three home runs.

Kayla Kowalik also put up solid numbers for the Blaze, posting a .779 OPS. She is coming off the 2025 AUSL All-Star Cup championship after batting .486 with 11 RBIs. Alyssa Brito joins the Blaze after spending her professional career with the Spark. McKenzie Clark and Devyn Netz combined for seven home runs last season, while Reese Atwood’s bat should provide another boost to the lineup.

Defensively, projecting where everyone will play is more difficult. The lack of outfield depth is glaring. Clark and Dakota Kennedy are the only true outfielders on the roster. Kennedy’s late-season injury at Arkansas could limit her availability in the field. Brito, Cagle, Klingler, and Kowalik have all played corner outfield positions. Brito, Gold, Klingler, and Jenna Laird can also handle the left side of the infield. The Blaze may also need to use a catcher from the reserve pool, as both Atwood and Kowalik will be finishing the Women’s College World Series Championship Series.

Carolina Blaze Projected Defensive Alignment

Editor’s Note: This projection is based on the team at full strength

C – Reese Atwood / Kayla Kowalik
1B – Devyn Netz / Valerie Cagle
2B – Aubrey Leach
SS – Ana Gold
3B – Alyssa Brito
LF – Valerie Cagle
CF – McKenzie Clark
RF – Baylee Klingler
DP – Devyn Netz / Reese Atwood / Kayla Kowalik