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Gwen Svekis Says Athletes Unlimited Has Given Softball a Future

Softball catcher Gwen Svekis / JWS
Softball catcher Gwen Svekis / JWS

Gwen Svekis is a professional softball catcher who recently competed in the inaugural season of Athletes Unlimited softball. A graduate of the University of Oregon, Svekis led the Ducks to three College World Series appearances and was named the NFCA Catcher of the Year. Below, she spoke with Just Women’s Sports about her first season with Athletes Unlimited and what it means for the future of softball. 

Looking back at your first season with AU, what are your overall thoughts on how it went?

We thought it was going to be super dramatic and high stress. What we found was we created a culture off the field within the 56 athletes that fostered the exact opposite. It was no drama. It was a super empowering environment off the field, which I think made it extremely enjoyable on the field with the rotating teams. It was pretty easy to gel immediately because it really, really felt like one gigantic 56 person team rather than just a bunch of random groups of people thrown together. That was a huge takeaway. I think the other thing is just, it’s so exciting to see the future of our sport. Now there’s a group of us that talk almost every day. And it’s hard for us to watch baseball or college softball games or travel ball games without thinking through the Athletes Unlimited point system, which is really cool. We were watching a baseball game after the season ended, and we were like, “Oh my God, that was a 70 point hit.” It’s been really cool just to sort of feel like we truly did revolutionize our sport and we’re just so excited for the future and what it has to hold.

What surprised you about the scoring system?

I was surprised at how well it went for our first year. I was expecting a few more hiccups, a few more outliers within the ranks. I think what we found is it truly did work itself out. Is it perfect? No, I think we definitely will make some tweaks to it at some point, but I think overall for the first year, it was surprising how successful it was. I know on social media, there’s a lot of chit-chat about things that need to be changed. But I think from within our system, we don’t feel like it needs to be that much different.

Did you find yourself thinking about the point system as you were playing or was it an afterthought? 

For me, it was mostly an afterthought and that was for a few reasons. I didn’t want to think about it during the season. I went into the season thinking I can’t get caught thinking about the point system or I will plummet. It’s the same way in normal softball. If you get caught thinking about your stats, you’re not going to do well. So I tried not to think about it. I would check at the beginning of every week and be like, “Wow, I dropped X amount of spots this week. I need to really get it together.” In that way, I thought about it, but I would not be mid-game and be like, “Oh my God, I need 10 points here to jump X, Y, and Z.”

You placed in the top 5 leaderboard at the end of it all. What did that mean to end up there? 

I thought it was super rewarding, especially because I had won a lot of games being on Cat Osterman’s teams the whole time. But it was nice to feel like at the end I did well enough to get myself where I was rather than just being Cat’s catcher the whole time. It was nice to have a breakout final week and to feel like I earned that spot for my defensive play.

You mentioned Cat — she obviously proved she is still the GOAT despite her age. And you and her obviously had amazing chemistry. Throughout the six weeks, she picked you first in the draft a number of times. Can you speak to what it was like to play with her and why you think you worked so well together?

For starters, the eight year old in me was just so ecstatic about it. I think it was just so cool because I was tasked with trying to get Cat in the league at first. I called her giving her the first sales pitch. And when she signed up, I was like, “Okay, I want to play with someone as elite as she is.” I wanted to pick her brain, and so when we got together the first week, I was like, “Hey, I want to catch your bullpen.” I think that set the tone for our relationship.

Then straight out of the gates, we were super successful together. Some of that’s just Cat being Cat, but I also think she was immediately comfortable with me behind the plate. And then after that, we quickly got to the point where I probably didn’t even have to call pitches, and we still would have thrown a successful game together, which is every battery’s dream.

AU has already announced a 2021 season. Will you return next year?

If I get offered another contract, yes, I will be playing next year. It’s cool. I’m on the player executive committee. We recruited all the players for this year and we’re starting the recruitment for next year. It’s really cool being in the conversations and re-going through it. Now there’s obviously a lot of hype backing us. Before, we were trying to convince people to take the leap of faith without really knowing what we were doing. And now there’s a lot of hype and there’s a lot of excitement.

It’s awesome that college players now have something to look forward to.

That’s been something that’s been really exciting for us because, like I said at the beginning,  it’s just so exciting to know there’s a future for our sport. The NPF [National Pro Fastpitch], we’ve survived 17 years, but I use the word “survived.” We haven’t thrived. It’s just players that aren’t ready to hang it up or that love the game and want to pay it forward to the next generation. Now, I truly feel like there’s another opportunity on the horizon that could really, really be a professional environment for these young players.

I talked to a college team yesterday and I’m looking around at the freshmen thinking, “God, I hope what we’re doing right now makes it so that you guys can play professionally one day and actually truly make it an option to play rather than playing just because you don’t know what’s next.”

I heard that you are continuing to work with AU on the business side as a player coordinator during the February volleyball season. What will that look like?

I’ve been involved with Athletes Unlimited since last October. That’s when I signed on as a player, became a part of the player executive committee, and then I was consulting for them for the whole year. Right when I finished my master’s degree, I reached out and said, “Hey, listen. This is what I want to do. I want to dive into this full-time.” I went through an interview process and got hired on as the manager of player care and coordination across all sports under Athletes Unlimited. I’ve been building the volleyball league, and am now involved in our lacrosse league, handling player relations.

What are your other softball plans for the rest of the year until next season?

I work remotely, so I’m moving to Colorado with my former college roommate. I’m excited to have that quality of life, be in that environment, be able to go hiking and be outdoors. And then I’ll just be training, and then I will be in Nashville for the volleyball season. I’ll go move for that, be there for the duration of that, and then just start training again. Hopefully there’s an NPF season to supplement Athletes Unlimited. I haven’t really thought very long and hard about that and what that looks like for me, but I’ll definitely be training because I definitely plan to play in Athletes Unlimited next year.

Report: WSL Champs Chelsea Target Angel City Star Alyssa Thompson

Angel City forward Alyssa Thompson eyes play across the pitch during a 2025 NWSL match.
WSL titan Chelsea FC is reportedly interested in signing USWNT and Angel City winger Alyssa Thompson as soon as possible. (Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)

Chelsea FC is once again looking across the pond to bolster their roster, with the six-time reigning WSL champions reportedly aiming to make a deal with NWSL side Angel City to acquire ACFC and USWNT forward Alyssa Thompson, per The Guardian this week.

Though the two clubs have yet to reach terms, Chelsea would need to have the deal signed before the WSL transfer window closes next Thursday.

Any agreement for Chelsea to snag Thompson from Angel City will likely feature yet another historic transfer fee, with cost projections topping former Tigres UANL star Lizbeth Ovalle's record $1.5 million transfer to the Orlando Pride earlier this month.

The 20-year-old phenom is currently under contract with ACFC through the 2028 season after inking a three-year extension this past January.

With six goals and two assists in her 16 regular-season appearances in 2025 so far, the 2023 NWSL Draft No. 1 pick is trailing only rookie Riley Tiernan's seven goals on this year's Angel City scoresheet.

Should the transfer go through, Thompson would be the third ACFC player in a week to be moving to the UK, with the NWSL club transferring defender Alanna Kennedy and midfielder Katie Zelem to the newly WSL-promoted London City Lionesses on Wednesday.

As for Chelsea, the Blues have been a major player in recruiting US players over the last few seasons, with Thompson potentially joining her USWNT teammates Catarina Macario and Naomi Girma in suiting up for the WSL side's upcoming 2025/26 season.

Four-Time Grand Slam Champ Naomi Osaka Extends US Open Comeback Run

Tennis star Naomi Osaka reacts to her second-round victory at the 2025 US Open.
World No. 24 Naomi Osaka is through to the third round of the US Open for the first time since 2021. (Robert Prange/Getty Images)

Two-time US Open champion Naomi Osaka is looking like her old self this week, as the world No. 24 advanced to the 2025 New York Grand Slam's third round for the first time since 2021 with a straight-set win over the US's No. 47 Hailey Baptiste on Thursday.

"I don't make it my business to know anymore, I kind of just leave it up in the air," said the fan favorite following questions about a possible fifth Grand Slam title run. "I've trained really hard. I practiced really hard. If it happens, it happens."

After taking her lumps on the WTA Tour since returning from pregnancy in 2024, the 2025 US Open marks Osaka's first seeded entry into a major tournament since 2022 — and she appears to be embracing her competitive boost in style, complete with eye-catching outfits and a matching Labubu.

The 27-year-old Japanese national next faces No. 18 Daria Kasatkina in the pair's third career meeting, with Osaka getting the best of the Australian in both previous matchups — most recently at the 2024 Italian Open.

Should Osaka advance to Sunday's Round of 16, she could be on a collision course toward a date with No. 3 Coco Gauff, after the US star advanced past her own emotionally challenging second-round battle on Thursday.

How to watch Naomi Osaka at the 2025 US Open

With times still to be announced, Osaka will next battle Kasatkina during the second day of 2025 US Open third-round play on Saturday.

Live coverage of the New York Grand Slam airs across ESPN platforms.

Kansas City Current Rides 10-Match Unbeaten Streak Toward Team-First NWSL Shield

Kansas City Current players embrace forward Temwa Chawinga after her goal during a 2025 NWSL match.
The No. 1 Kansas City Current enter the weekend on a 10-match unbeaten streak. (Amanda Loman/NWSL via Getty Images)

The No. 1 Kansas City Current have been unstoppable this season, riding a 10-match unbeaten streak into Saturday's game against the No. 9 North Carolina Courage and inching closer to claiming a franchise-first NWSL Shield.

The Current's dominant 12-point advantage over the No. 2 Washington Spirit marks the league's largest top-table margin since the Courage finished 15 points ahead in 2018.

Even more, Kansas City tops the NWSL in goals scored (34) while also registering the fewest goals allowed (10), entering the league's 18th weekend of play with a record-tying five consecutive shutouts.

After coming in fourth in 2024, the Current's defense has continued to improve under manager Vlatko Andonovski, while another MVP-level year from star forward Temwa Chawinga has bolstered Kansas City's offense.

Chawinga currently leads the 2025 NWSL Golden Boot race with 11 goals through 17 games, while sitting in the league's Top 3 for both shots and shots on goal.

"I think because we have such a powerful offense, the defensive things, maybe people don't notice as much," Kansas City forward Michelle Cooper said earlier this week. "I think something absolutely important to us is our entire back line and the commitment to get little touches in, to take [advantage] of angles, and block shots."

How to watch the Kansas City Current this weekend

No. 1 Kansas City will host No. 9 North Carolina — one of just two teams to defeat the Current all season — at 7:30 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage airing on ION.

Injury-laden New York Liberty Strive to Maintain WNBA Standings Foothold

New York Liberty forward Isabelle Harrison celebrates a play with her teammates during a 2025 WNBA game.
The New York Liberty will continue their hunt to secure a 2025 WNBA Playoffs spot against the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday. (Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty Images)

The No. 5 New York Liberty are creeping back up the ladder, as the defending WNBA champions continued reversing their recent skid with Thursday's 89-63 win over the No. 10 Washington Mystics — all while the race to the 2025 WNBA Playoffs reaches its boiling point.

While Washington rookie Sonia Citron's 18 points led the game, New York pulled together a true team effort to secure Thursday's victory, with five Liberty players scoring double-digits — including a season-high 16 points off the bench from forward Isabelle Harrison in her return from concussion protocol.

"We're not looking at the other teams at this point," Liberty forward Emma Meesseman said after the game. "We're just looking at ourselves, to maybe send a message to ourselves."

Despite that focus, New York is still contending with injury woes that have overshadowed much of the Liberty's season, taking Thursday's court without starters Sabrina Ionescu (toe), Jonquel Jones (illness), and Natasha Cloud (nose), while leaning on recently returned forward Breanna Stewart.

"We need to win the rest of our games," acknowledged Stewart, with the team gearing up for visits to the No. 4 Phoenix Mercury, No. 8 Golden State Valkyries, and No. 7 Seattle Storm over the next week. "We need to go and be road warriors."

The Liberty will have their hands full against the Mercury this weekend, with Phoenix coming in hot off a three-game winning streak with postseason-clinching top-of-mind.

"It's like a playoff matchup," Stewart added. "It's a big game, big implications, and [we're] not shying away from that."

How to watch the New York Liberty this weekend

No. 4 Phoenix will host No. 5 New York at 10 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage airing on NBA TV.

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