AUX Softball Series 2 is done and dusted, with two new captains emerging while another surged to the top of the leaderboard. 

Results:

Saturday, June 18

• Team Fischer 8, Team Mulipola 4
• Team Fischer 3, Team Gibson 2

Sunday, June 19

• Team Mulipola 8, Team Gibson 7
• Team Fischer 7, Team Mulipola 3

Monday, June 20

• Team Fischer 3, Team Gibson 0
• Team Mulipola 5, Team Gibson 0

Recap:

Very few from the first week remain amongst the top 10 in the league’s leaderboard. Sam Fischer is one of them, with the week two captain climbing from third to first in the standings with 988 points. Fischer earned 522 points on the week, propelled by the fact that her team was the only team to go undefeated on the weekend.

On top of drafting well, Fischer had a particularly good game against Team Mulipola on Sunday, notching three hits during five at-bats and securing one run in the team’s 12-5 victory.

Morgan Zerkle was another big piece of Team Fischer over the weekend, resulting in her climbing the leaderboard to third. She had four total hits across two games on Friday, resulting in two runs and three RBIs — her first of the series. But her softball savvy will be tested this week as she’ll draft a team for the first time after climbing to third with 950 points. A two-season Athletes Unlimited veteran who has twice finished amongst the top 10 in the league, she’s got the format down and could be one to watch as AUX heads into its final week.

Danielle O’Toole emerged as the weekend’s best pitcher, with her ERA now at 1.62 through 17 innings pitched. She now sits second on the leaderboard, just 10 points behind Fischer in first, with 978 points. Fellow pitcher Georgina Corrick sits right behind her as the league’s second-best pitcher through two series of play with a 1.68 ERA through 16 innings pitched. Also making a stamp was Mariah Mazon, who pitched her first professional start on Monday and earned MVP 1 honors for her performance.

Fischer, O’Toole and Zerkle will all draft this week as just Fischer is the lone carryover in the captaincy from Week 2. But as AUX heads into its final week, the leaderboard is once again tight. Just 38 points separates the top three, while 156 points separates the top 10.

Defensive Play of the Week:

One of Sis Bates’ many good plays of the week. Don’t ever let it be said that Bates doesn’t know how to hustle.

This is your daily reminder that @SisBates22 is REALLY good 🤯#SCTop10 | 📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/8NzqJ9ZRGy

— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) June 21, 2022

Offensive Play of the Week:

Sashel Palacios went yard on Sunday to hit the first grand slam in AUX Softball history.

The FIRST in AUX Softball history...

Another look at @seashel_13 's GRAND SLAM from the first game of the day 😱#BeUnlimited | #AUX pic.twitter.com/WpphlplcGP

— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) June 20, 2022

Series 3 Schedule:

Thursday, June 23

• Team Zerkle vs. Team O’Toole @ 7 p.m. on ESPNU
• Team Fischer vs. Team O’Toole @ 9:30 p.m. on ESPNU

Friday, June 24

• Team Fischer vs. Team Zerkle @ 7 p.m. on ESPNU
• Team O’Toole vs. Team Zerkle @ 9:30 p.m. on ESPNU

Saturday, June 25

• Team O’Toole vs. Team Fischer @ 7 p.m. on ESPNU
• Team Zerkle vs. Team Fischer @ 9:30 p.m. on ESPNU

*All times are ET

Cameron Brink already has her rookie of the year pick for the upcoming WNBA season, and it’s Indiana-bound star Caitlin Clark. 

In the latest edition of Kelley on the Street, host Kelley O'Hara caught up with Brink in New York hours before the Stanford phenom went No. 2 overall to the Los Angeles Sparks at the 2024 WNBA Draft. When O’Hara asked who would win the WNBA's rookie of the year, she answered without pause.

"Caitlin Clark," she said, while a fan commented that she thought Brink would take home the award. Brink later added that the extra foul granted to WNBA players will be "good for me."

"I hope it’s me," Charisma Osborne, who was later drafted by the Phoenix Mercury, said when asked her ROY prediction. "But, I don’t know — we’ll see."

Watch more of Kelley on the Street:

Maria Sanchez issued a statement on Thursday, confirming recent reports that she has requested a trade from the Houston Dash. 

In it, she revealed that the club has been aware of the request "since late March."

"This has all taken a toll and isn’t an easy thing to talk about, but I want to confirm that I’ve requested an immediate trade," she wrote. "My expectations and reasons have been clear. I trust that my current club’s management will honor my decision in a timely manner and proceed with accepting a trade."

"I’m eager to refocus and dive back into what I love most: playing football," she concluded.

Thank you, everyone, for the outpouring of kindness and support. pic.twitter.com/gcnN7dhCJU

— Maria Sanchez (@Maria17_7) April 19, 2024

Reports of Sanchez's trade request first surfaced on ESPN last week, and were later confirmed by multiple sources. 

In December of last year, Sanchez signed a three-year contract with the Dash valued at $1.5 million including bonuses and an option year. It was the largest contract in NWSL history at the time — a figure that would be eclipsed by multiple contracts in the following months. 

Sanchez spent the offseason as a restricted free agent, meaning that Houston could match any other team's offer to retain her rights. Should the Dash trade Sanchez, her current contract terms would remain intact, limiting potential buyers to teams able to afford to take on an inking of that size.

The Dash has yet to address the trade, instead reiterating to ESPN that Sanchez is "under contract, a choice she made in free agency at the end of 2023." 

Both the NWSL trade window and transfer window close tonight, April 19th, at 12 a.m. ET. The window will stay closed through the next 11 regular season games, reopening on August 1st, 2024.

The four-time league champion Seattle Storm unveiled their new practice facility on Thursday, with Storm co-owner Lisa Brummel dubbing Interbay's Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance the team’s "new home."

"It's just such a special space," Brummel told Fox 13 Seattle. "I think when the players get here, it's gonna be overwhelming."

The sprawling 50,000-square-foot, $64 million property is just the second designated practice facility to be designed and built expressly for a WNBA team, with the Storm further noting that 85% of all design and engineering team members involved in the project's construction were women and people of color. The finished product holds two professional indoor courts, two 3x3 outdoor courts, a state-of-the-art locker room, and players' lounge, plus designated areas for strength and conditioning, kitchen, dining, and nutrition, and recovery. 

"This facility reflects our commitment to providing our athletes an exceptional environment that supports their growth, health, and performance," said Storm co-owner Ginny Gilder in an official team release. "It’s built for women, by women, embodying our dedication to leading the way in professional women’s sports."

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For their part, the team can't wait to make the faciilty their own.

"It's amazing," Storm guard Jewell Loyd told Fox 13. "Not having to drive everywhere around, knowing you have access anytime of the day to get into the gym, to workout." 

Head coach Noelle Quinn said she predicts the team is "never going to leave this building."

"Which is a good thing for me," she continued. "You talk about having an edge in performance. We want our athletes to not only perform on the court, but get whatever they need."

All of the Storm's staff and operations will now live under one roof, and the team also has plans to launch a youth basketball program operating out of the building.

The Caitlin Clark effect is quickly making its mark on the big leagues, as WNBA host teams around the country rush to upgrade their Fever games to larger arenas in order to accommodate surging ticket sales.

With Clark mere weeks away from her Indiana Fever debut, both the Las Vegas Aces and Washington Mystics have officially relocated their scheduled home games with head coach Christie Sides' squad. On Thursday, the Mystics became the latest to adjust their plans, moving their June 7th matchup from Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southwest DC to the more centrally located — and much larger — Capital One Arena "due to unprecedented demand."

The Mystics home court's capacity taps out at 4,200, while Capital One Arena — home to the Wizards, Capitals, and Georgetown Hoya's Men's Basketball — can fit nearly five times that crowd at some 20,000 spectators.

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"The move to Capital One Arena will allow for additional fans in the stands as well as premium hospitality options, including Suites and the all-new all-inclusive courtside Hennessy Lofts," the team announced via Thursday's press release.

The Aces were one of the first teams to switch venues, aiming to take on the Indiana Fever in front of as many as 20,000 fans inside T-Mobile Arena on July 2nd. That’s a sizable a boost from their home venue, which holds just 12,000.

For those still planning to face the Fever in their home arenas, ticket prices have skyrocketed. Previously scheduled construction has already forced the LA Sparks to relocate their first five games — including their May 24th clash with the Fever — to Long Beach State's Walter Pyramid. The temporary venue is quite the downsize, holding just 4,000 in comparison to Crypto.com Arena's near-19,000. As of Friday, the get-in price for that game started around $400.

Despite fans launching a Change.org petition urging relocation, the Chicago Sky say they're unable to move their June 23rd Fever meeting from Wintrust Arena's 10,000-seat facility to the 23,500-seat United Center due to a concert. Tickets for that game start around $325 as of Friday.