Two Aggies Go Head-To-Head In First-Ever AUSL Championship Game

As the inaugural Athletes' Unlimited Softball League comes to an end this weekend, former Aggies Emiley Kennedy and Tori Vidales are playing for the championship. With Kennedy playing for the Bandits and Vidales playing for the Talons, an Aggie will be crowned a champion.

The first Aggie, Kennedy, is the Bandits rookie who made five starts this season with ten total appearances. Through 24.1 innings pitched, Kennedy sits at an 0-2 record, with a 5.47 ERA, and 14 strikeouts.

In both games where Kennedy picked up the loss, she wasn't on her A-game as she had ERAs of 8.40 and 17.50, both in games against the Volts. In these two matchups combined, Kennedy gave up a total of nine earned runs through 5.1 innings, and only recorded four strikeouts.

On the other side of the ball is Vidales, who graduated from Texas A&M in 2018. Vidales played and started in all 22 games for the Talons, batted a .268 to go along with one home run and 11 RBI.

Her most dominating performance came against the Volts, where she went 2-3, with two RBIs off of two hits, batting a .667 on the day. Vidales was also the first player to hit a home run in AUSL history, as the inaugural season kicked off on June 7.

With the Talons finishing first place overall with an impressive 18-6 record, the Bandits don't fall far behind as they post a 15-9 record. These two teams have met up for three different series this season, playing eight games total, as both teams picked up four games, shaping up for a great championship weekend.

An Aggie Will Make History

As the championship games approach in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, both the Bandits and the Talons look to make history as the first-ever AUSL champion. The exciting part for Aggie fans is that an Aggie is going to win it all.

With Kennedy graduating from Texas A&M in 2025 and Vidales in 2018, the two have never played with one another, but they both hold four games over the other's head. As the Talons and Bandits head into the weekend at an even .500 against one another, one team will land on top as the championship series is best two out of three.

The first game is set to take off on Saturday, July 26 at 2 p.m., followed by game two on Sunday, slated for an hour earlier at 1 p.m. If needed, the third and final game will be played at 6 p.m. for a winner-takes-all matchup.