May 30, 2024; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; UCLA Bruins shortstop Maya Brady (7) gets ready for a play in the second inning against the Alabama Crimson Tide during a Women's College World Series softball game at Devon Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-Imagn Images Brett Rojo-Imagn Images

4 Bruins Win Inaugural AUSL Championship

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI | By Connor Moreno | Last updated Jul 29, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The inaugural Athletes Unlimited Softball league (AUSL) came to an end as the Talons won the championship Sunday, led by four former UCLA Bruins Softball standouts.

Maya Brady, Megan Faraimo, Sharlize Palacios and general manager Lisa Fernandez all helped the Talons win the first-ever championship.

Seven total UCLA alumnae were participating in the inaugural season. Joining Brady, Faraimo, Palacios and Fernandez were Bubba Nickles-Camarena and Delanie Wisz for the Bandits, and Rachel Garcia for the Volts. Stacey Nuveman-Deniz was also the Bandits' head coach, meaning the AUSL finals were riddled with Bruins.

How The Bruins Did

UCLA Athletics detailed how these alumni did in the matchup:

"Brady made her mark in Game 1 by scoring the Talons' second run after reaching on a hit-by-pitch. Faraimo closed out the contest with two strikeouts against the four batters she faced in the seventh to earn a save.

"Oklahoma alumna Sydney Romero drove in the only run of Game 2 with a solo homer in the top of the sixth inning. Palacios, playing behind the dish, caught the final out of Montana Fouts' complete-game effort.

"Brady finished her first AUSL season with a .500 batting average (11-for-22), one home run and five RBIs in limited action. Palacios hit .278 (20-for-72) with three doubles, one home run, one triple and seven RBIs. Faraimo concluded her second AUSL season with a 3-1 record, 4.80 ERA and 40 strikeouts over 42.1 innings and 14 games (six starts).

"Launched in June 2025, the AUSL is a professional women's softball league featuring four teams – the Bandits, Blaze, Talons and Volts – playing a 24-game season in a traditional format. Athletes Unlimited previously ran four-week events and crowned individual champions based on a scoring system that awards players for on-field production the past four years.

The AUSL is ran by former Miami Marlins general manager and trailblazing sports executive Kim Ng, who is serving as league commissioner."

Brady was possibly the most notable UCLA name in the AUSL. In her career with the Bruins, she was a two-time Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2023 and 2024, two-time USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Finalist, Pac-12 Batting Champion in 2023 and a three-time NFCA All-American.

This article first appeared on UCLA Bruins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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