Patty Gasso continues to win both on the field and off. The Oklahoma softball coach signed a record contract extension after winning her sixth title with the Sooners.

Gasso’s extension keeps her with Oklahoma through 2028 and raises her salary to $1.625 million annually, the university announced Thursday at its Board of Regents meeting.

With the contract, she remains the highest-paid college coach in softball and now is tied for the second-highest paid coach across softball or baseball with Ole Miss baseball coach Mike Bianco.

Just Vanderbilt’s Tim Corbin makes more, with an annual salary of more than $2 million.

The salary represents a significant increase from her previous contract extension, signed in 2017, which was worth more than $1 million.

Gasso’s base salary, which will be paid by the university, is $300,000 – an increase from $280,000. An additional $825,000 will come from private funds. That number will increase every year by $50,000 and already represents an increase of $130,000 from her previous contract.

Additionally, Gasso will receive a stay bonus of $200,000 as well as a retirement fund of $300,000 that will increase in July 2023 to $400,000. If the Sooners win the national championship – as they have in each of the past two seasons – Gasso will receive an additional $150,000.

“She’s the queen,” OU athletic director Joe Castiglione told Tulsa World. “Not just for softball. She is one of the remarkable coaches of our time.

“Her record is extraordinary and the level of success is virtually unprecedented. It’s the continued positioning to keep our softball program at the very top and led by one of the great coaches of our time, not just in the sport.”

The extension for Gasso is a mark of increasing investment in women’s softball.

Texas’ Mike White received a raise this year following the team’s Women’s College World Series run to the tune of $625,000 annually, while Lonni Alameda of Florida State recently signed an extension worth $550,000 annually, and her pay will increase by $25,000 each year through 2029.

Dejah Mulipola’s Athletes Unlimited title represents the start of a new chapter for the California native.

After graduating from Arizona in 2021 and helping Team USA to a silver medal in Tokyo, Mulipola felt lost. Then came her breakout 2022 Athletes Unlimited season.

The star catcher finished tied for 18th as a rookie in the 2021 AU season, then tied for third in the two-week AUX competition in June. To start this season, she burst out of the game, earning captainship during Week 2.

Mulipola continued to surge ahead of her competition. She ended the season at the top of the league in the batting average (.432), on-base percentage (.569), slugging percentage (1.182), home runs (9), RBIs (19), and stat points (632), making her the first-ever triple-crown winner in Athletes Unlimited history.

“After the Olympics walking away with the silver medal left a salty taste in my mouth. Then graduating from college and kind of refiguring out my identity it was a low point for me, you know, finishing those two chapters,” Mulipola told Just Women’s Sports. “So to finally be here and find success in softball and to find who I was outside of softball has done a lot for me personally on and off the field. It’s so freeing and it’s so fun.”

Entering the final game of the season, Mulipola trailed pitcher Alyssa Denham by 184 points on the league leaderboard. True to herself, Mulipola tried to focus on attitude rather than outcome heading into the game.

“I didn’t want to be result-oriented,” Mulipola said, “because at the end of the day that wasn’t going to be what gave me joy and it wasn’t going to be something that gave others joy on my team.”

The results, however, swung in Mulipola’s favor.

The 24-year-old capped off her historic AU run with a thrilling finale, blasting a home run to secure her team the win and herself the 2022 championship in her final matchup of the season.

“I just felt so overwhelmed with emotion that I started tearing up,” Mulipola recalls of her trip around the bases. “And when I got to home I actually started crying and everyone was just genuinely celebrating me and when they saw me crying, they started crying too. So a couple of us were actually crying in the dugout.”

The catcher’s crown makes her the first position player to win a softball title. Cat Osterman won the first in 2020, and Aleshia Ocasio won in 2021.

“Being a catcher, you never really get credit,” Mulipola said. “So it was pretty neat to be the first non-pitcher to be able to win.”

While sad to call it a wrap on the 2022 campaign, Mulipola already is looking forward to next year’s AU competition. Heralding the elite level of the league, Mulipola hopes she can continue to grow the game both through her stellar performance on the field and as an ambassador off it.

Michigan softball coach Carol Hutchins announced her retirement Wednesday after 38 seasons at the helm for the Wolverines.

Hutchins ends her career as the winningest coach in NCAA softball history. Through 39 seasons — her tenure at Michigan plus one season at Ferris State — she compiled 1,707 victories and a career winning percentage of .755.

“I want to begin by expressing that today I am filled with pride, love, humility and gratitude,” Hutchins said. “I have served as the head coach of Michigan softball for 38 years, and I am incredibly grateful to the university for this opportunity of a lifetime. I will forever bleed blue.

“I am most thankful for the relationships that this sport has given me. I want to express my respect for and admiration to all of my coaching colleagues and rivals, as the competition has made softball one of the greatest sports in college athletics.”

A member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Hutchins helped guide Michigan to a NCAA championship in 2005, making it the first program east of the Mississippi River to capture a national title.

Under Hutchins, the Wolverines won 22 Big Ten championships, 10 Big Ten tournament titles and made 29 trips to the NCAA tournament — 12 of which resulted in Women’s College World Series appearances.

“As a coach, my greatest joy and the ultimate reward has not been measured in wins and championships,” she said, thanking all of the student athletes and people who had joined her during her tenure. “Success is measured by the many, many people who fill your life.

“For today, goodbye. For tomorrow, good luck. And forever, go Blue!”

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel called Hutchinson a “force.”

“Words can not adequately describe my appreciation for all that Carol Hutchins has done for the University of Michigan, the sport of softball, nor for the impact she has had on the lives of countless young people,” Manuel said in a statement. “I also cannot succinctly articulate my personal sadness at her decision to retire from coaching while being so happy that Hutch can enjoy life beyond the game. Hutch is a force who elevated not only the sport of softball but generations of female athletes as a staunch advocate of equality.

“She has been a tireless fundraiser for societal causes, including the American Cancer Society, and I know that she will continue to impact lives beyond the game of softball. Carol Hutchins is a legend.”

For the first time in Athletes Unlimited Softball history, it’s unlikely that a pitcher will be crowned champion.

In 2020, veteran pitcher Cat Osterman ran away with the inaugural AU trophy. The next year, right-hander Aleshia Ocasio won it by over 300 points. And in June’s shortened AUX season, Danielle O’Toole edged out fellow pitcher Rachel Garcia for the title.

O’Toole has put up a good fight during the league’s third season, currently in fifth place with 1,226 points, 236 points shy of the leader, catcher Dejah Mulipolah. Alyssa Denham, in third place with 1,316 points, is the only other pitcher in the top 10. Infielder Amanda Chidester (second, 1,364 points) and outfielder Haylie McCleney (fourth, 1,316 points) are the next-closest to first with one week remaining in the season.

Each season, in addition to a Defender of the Year award, AU names just one champion based on who finishes atop the leaderboard. But for most of the athletes, Athletes Unlimited has always been about more than the hardware. It’s an opportunity for them to compete with some of the top players in their sport and continue their softball careers.

Garcia is in her first year with Athletes Unlimited. The pitcher took last year off after winning a silver medal with Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics. Though she’s currently in 26th with 962 points and off pace for the title, she’s been one of the best pitchers to step into the circle this season. Her 3.00 ERA through 39 innings is third-best among pitchers with over 30 innings pitched, behind O’Toole’s 3.03 ERA through 34 IP and Denham’s 1.62 ERA through 34 IP.

“You’re facing the best hitters in the nation,” Garcia told Just Women’s Sports. “You’re facing people who are veterans of the game, so you have to be a little bit more smart. It’s more like a mind game at this point. I came out during AUX only throwing two pitches and being able to get away with it. Now I’m out here and I had to put other pitches into my arsenal.”

While her pitching has kept her competitive in the standings this season, Garcia says she’s more focused on other areas of the game, like her pitch count. The leaderboard, in fact, has been the last thing on her mind.

“I want my team to win. That’s what’s important to me,” she said. “I don’t personally like to look at the leaderboard. I like to look more at my pitching, how it’s rolling … because I feel like, for me as a person, [the leaderboard is] something that I think is more of a distraction than anything.”

Many of AU’s athletes are still trying to learn the rules of accumulating individual points and applying them to their performances.

Players can earn points for every element of the game, with a base of 10 points for plays like a single, a stolen base and a drawn walk. Doubles amount to 20 points, triples 30 and home runs 40. Points can also be lost, such as when a player gets caught stealing. Pitchers earn four points for each out and lose 10 for each run allowed.

Players also earn 10 points for each inning won and 50 points for a game victory. MVP points are also up for grabs among those who have standout performances.

“I feel like each week it’s just a different challenge. You kind of learn the game in a different way,” shortstop Sydney Romero said of the points system.

“Being able to pay attention to [the individual points] and winning each inning — really taking the game inning by inning because each inning literally matters — has helped me personally because you have to pay attention literally to each inning, and you can’t miss a beat in between.”

“You pay more attention to detail,” added infielder Sierra Romero, Sydney’s sister. “So even if your team is losing, you’re thinking, ‘OK, as a team, how can we win this inning to get everybody points?’ You’re still thinking about the team aspect of it. Every single inning matters, and what’s cool is even if you are losing right now, if we can win this inning, we got ourselves some points, and we might even take the lead.”

Sydney Romero, in 21st place entering the final three games of the AU season, didn’t always have an optimistic perspective of the leaderboard. Coming from a standout career at Oklahoma, where she won two College World Series, and the National Pro Fastpitch league, she had to learn how to approach the new rules in her two years with AU.

“Last year, I could not look at the point system. It would drive me nuts knowing where I was at on the leaderboard,” she said. “But this year, I actually like to pay attention to it and look at it because I feel like I have a better understanding. And it doesn’t make me that mad anymore.”

Of course, Sydney says she still wants to compete and move up the leaderboard, though her sentiment isn’t shared across the league. Sierra, for one, has a laser focus on winning each time she steps onto the field.

“I might know the basic stuff, but I couldn’t tell you where anybody’s at on the leaderboard ever,” she said. “I am a perfectionist [about hitting], but for me I’ve just noticed that not paying attention to the leaderboard has helped me and I’m just focusing on winning games. I think the one time I looked at it was last year when Sydney showed me.”

AU’s first-ever champion took a holistic approach from the start. Osterman has since retired, but her message continues to resonate with current players.

“At the end of the day, does [our performance] make or break where we end in the standings? Yes,” the softball legend said last year of the Athletes Unlimited leaderboard. “But does it make or break our careers? No, not at all.”

Emma Hruby is an Associate Editor at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @EHruby.

Dejah Mulipola finished atop the Athletes Unlimited leaderboard for the third straight week, which puts her in prime position heading into the final stretch.

The catcher led her team to a 3-0 win Sunday over Team McCleney to claim the golden jerseys for her team for championship week. Amanda Chidester, Alyssa Denham and Haylie McCleney will serve as the three other captains for the final week of the Athletes Unlimited Softball season.

Stellar pitching from Shannon Saile and Taylor McQuillin anchored Team Mulipola in Sunday’s victory, with McQuillin earning MVP 1 honors after conceding one hit over five innings while throwing five strikeouts. She relieved Saile, who claimed the MVP 3 nod for her strikeout and three walks.

Mulipola powered her team on offense, scoring twice while knocking in a homer in the sixth inning for MVP 2 accolades.

“Credit to all four of our pitchers… Everybody is going to have their moment to shine and when their name was called, they did what they needed to do,” said Mulipola of Saile and McQuillin. “Big shoutout to them for holding it down for our hitting lineup to come through, and we did today.”

Chidester preserved her second-place spot on the AU leaderboard Sunday by powering her team to a 1-0 victory over Team Jaquish.

Alyssa Denham played hero from the mound, allowing no hits through 5.2 innings before Morgan Zerkle smashed a double to left-center field. The tidy pitching performance earned Denham MVP 1 honors, as well as 120 win points and 84 stat points.

Kelsey Harshman claimed MVP 2 accolades after blasting the lone run of the game, hitting a double to right center field in the sixth inning.

Though Team Jaquish was on the losing side Sunday, pitcher Rachel Garcia walked away with MVP 3 points, allowing only one hit and notching a season-high nine strikeouts.

The final Athletes Unlimited draft of the year kicks off at 5 p.m. Monday on YouTube.

Sydney and Sierra Romero have enjoyed getting to play on the same field again through Athletes Unlimited Softball.

After growing up in an athletic family — younger sister Sophia is an outfielder at Vista Murrieta High School and brother Mikey was a first-round draft choice of the Boston Red Sox this year — the sisters separated in college. Sierra, 28, went off to the University of Michigan, where she became the first player in NCAA history to record 300 runs, 300 hits and 300 RBIs and left as the NCAA’s all-time leader in career grand slams (11) and runs (302). Sydney, 25, starred at Oklahoma, winning two NCAA championships in 2016 and ‘17 and finishing as the Sooners’ all-time leader in at-bats (853) and second in hits (320).

The two reunited on the USSSA Pride in 2019, but Sierra was injured while Sydney earned All-NPF honors during the Pride’s run to a championship. Now, a year after Sydney joined Athletes Unlimited for her first season, she and Sierra are finally back on the softball diamond together with two weeks left in the 2022 AU campaign.

“I feel like AU has provided just such a professional background when it comes to being a professional athlete,” Sydney says. “I think it’s really important just for the future of softball, specifically because they’re hearing us out and they’re applying it to the next year.”

Sierra is grateful to be back playing after spending over a year rehabbing ACL and meniscus injuries. Used to having Michigan’s athletic resources at her fingertips in college, Sierra sought out treatment on her own and ended up having three different surgeries to repair her knee.

“I was kind of going in blind,” she says. “I had to do it all by myself. That was definitely the hardest part just because I didn’t know what I was looking for.”

She put the knee to the test earlier this summer during AUX, Athletes Unlimited’s shortened softball season in San Diego, just over an hour’s drive from the Romero family’s hometown of Murrieta, Calif.

“We just so happened to get drafted to the same team for the first weekend at AUX, which was just luck,” Sierra says. “I feel like it’s a full-circle moment, just being able to come back, play with her and be around her 24/7.”

Sierra and Sydney, after enjoying remarkably successful college careers, have leaned on each other through the challenges of the often unreliable and unsustainable professional and international softball landscape. As dual Mexican-American citizens, they both tried out for the Mexican national softball team ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, with Sydney representing the team during its run to fourth place.

For Sierra, in her seventh year as a pro, Athletes Unlimited has reignited her love of the game. Having briefly contemplated retirement before the season, she no longer plans to do so this year.

“I feel like I’ve seen it at a lot of different levels and stages. After joining AU this year for the first time, I definitely think that we’re on the right path,” Sierra says.

Still, professional softball salaries don’t typically allow for year-round dedication to the sport. In the fall, Sydney will start as an assistant softball coach at Duke University after spending two seasons as a student assistant at her alma mater.

“I couldn’t think of a better place to honestly start out, going out there and meeting Coach [Marissa] Young and meeting the girls,” she says. “Taking this route, I think, is not only helping me as a coach, but helping me as an athlete myself. Being able to continue to play softball and play Athletes Unlimited for the five weeks in the summer, and then going into my coaching job it works out perfectly. I feel like it’s a dream job. I’m living in the best of both worlds.”

Before that, she and Sierra will finish out the Athletes Unlimited regular season. Sydney currently ranks 29th with 704 points, while Sierra sits in 42nd with 618 points. Sydney is also tied for third with nine runs on the season, two behind league leader Haylie McCleney. Sierra has four runs off six hits so far and, in the infield, has recorded 15 assists, 15 putouts and three double plays.

Both admit they are very competitive, especially in the batter’s box. But that doesn’t mean they’ve taken the same approach to AU’s unique points system.

“I don’t know the point system because I don’t look at it. I couldn’t tell you where anybody’s at on the leaderboard ever,” Sierra says. “My focus is just winning. And I feel like if I keep that mindset, then everything will fall into place.”

Sydney, meanwhile, has learned how not to let the leaderboard affect her mindset. Instead, she views each week as a different challenge.

“It makes you appreciate the little things a little bit more in the game, and really put the game into perspective,” she says, heading into Week 4 of the five-week season. “Because all of these things mean something like, a walk means something, a hit by pitch. Those little things that we kind of take for granted, in a game they all matter.”

Emma Hruby is an Associate Editor at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @EHruby.

Odicci Alexander is taking her talents to the coaching ranks, joining Howard University softball as the newest assistant coach for the Bison.

The former James Madison standout rose to fame during the 2021 Women’s College World Series as she led the unranked Dukes to the semifinals. She is currently in the midst of her second season with Athletes Unlimited.

“I am so excited to have Odicci join our Bison family. Who she is, and what she represents is much deeper than softball,” Howard coach Tori Tyson said. “This a big deal for not just our team, but the entire DMV community, the MEAC and all HBCUs.

“Odicci will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to our program. I can’t wait for our athletes to learn from her. She has a real passion for developing pitchers and sharing the game and our bullpen and entire team and staff will benefit greatly from having her in our dugout.”

A native of Virginia, the pitcher finished the 2021 NCAA season with an 18-3 record in the circle. Alexander also posted a career .337 batting average and a total of 39 home runs – the fourth-most in program history.

Alexander’s most memorable moment as a Duke, though, came on defense. A diving play at home plate — which saw her charge a bunt, scoop it out of the air and lay out to tag a base runner — helped send JMU to the WCWS semifinals and earned a spot on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” Top 10.

Drafted by the USSSA Pride, she later opted to play for Athletes Unlimited. She also served as a volunteer assistant coach for the University of North Carolina in 2022.

“I am super excited and grateful for this opportunity, and to be a part of this Howard community with Coach Tyson. I am extremely thankful for the opportunities this sport has brought me,” Alexander said. “I can’t wait to be on campus with the girls and get to work.”

Alexander will join the team in September after playing professionally in Japan.

Southwest, represented by region winner Midway Little League out of Texas, came from behind Monday to clinch the Little League Softball World Series title with a 5-4 win over Mid-Atlantic, represented by Maryland.

The team fell behind 3-0 to Mid-Atlantic in the opening two frames but rallied with four runs in the fourth inning to take the lead.

Mid-Atlantic tied up the contest in the fifth, and the teams remained knotted 4-4 through the end of the sixth inning.

In a thrilling extra-innings finale, Southwest eked out the victory with a run in the top of the seventh.

Kaitlyn Lowe led Southwest with two RBIs, while pitcher Zaneria Hughes secured seven strikeouts to hold off Mid-Atlantic down the stretch.

“I was very excited for this game,” Huges told ESPN after the final. “When we started it, I knew there was something special with our team and that we were going to make it the whole way.”

The Texas-based squad took home the Little League trophy despite being the youngest team in the tournament.

Dejah Mulipola preserved her place atop the Athletes Unlimited leaderboard through the third week of competition. She boasts 1,094 points, 18 more than her nearest competitor Haylie McCleney, and will serve as a captain for a third straight week.

The catcher will be joined by McCleney, Sahvanna Jaquish and Amanda Chidester in the Week 4 captains lineup.

Mulipola leads the league with 13 runs batted in, and she is tied with Chidester for the lead with five home runs this season. McCleney, though, leads the league with 16 hits and 11 runs scored, and her team pulled off a 9-6 win over Mulipola’s team Sunday.

Danielle Gibson’s dominant performance pushed Team McCleney to victory. The corner infielder blasted her first home run of the season in the second inning and captured MVP 1 honors and 210 points for the game.

McCleney clinched MVP 2 recognition and 188 points by going 3-for-4 with two singles and a double. She got on the board in the seventh inning to help her team past Team Mulipola.

Though her side lost, Shannon Rhodes earned MVP 3 points after notching a pair of home runs to keep Team Mulipola competitive.

In Sunday’s other matchup, Team Jaquish posted a 12-8 win over Team Chidester for a 2-1 record in Week 3.

Abby Ramirez secured MVP 1 honors, recording three runs batted in for a game-high 170 leaderboard points. Chidester added two hits for her team, blasting a home run in her MVP 2 performance.

Sashel Palacios earned MVP 3 points despite her side’s loss, driving in three runs for Team Jaquish.

The Athletes Unlimited Week 4 draft is set for 5 p.m. ET  Monday on YouTube.

The Little League Softball World Series kicked off last Tuesday, marking the second year in a row that the event has graced the fields of Greenville, N.C.

For the first time, the competition featured 12 teams in a brand-new expanded bracket. A total of eight U.S. teams and four international teams fought for the title.

Four teams will battle it out Sunday for a place in the Little League Softball World Series final, with Southwest (Midway Little League), Southeast (Chesterfield Little League), Mid-Atlantic (Delmar Little League) and Asia-Pacific (Negros Occidental Little League) competing in the semifinals.

LLSWS teams

Central: Daniel Boone Little League (Columbia, Mo.)

For the second straight year, Daniel Boone represents the Central Region. The team placed third last year and looks this year to become the first team from Missouri to win the tournament.

Mid-Atlantic: Delmar (Md.) Little League

A newcomer, Delmar recorded 48 runs across four games in the the first-ever Mid-Atlantic Region tournament. The defending state champion is the only team from Maryland to make it to the LLSWS.

Northwest: Issaquah (Wash.) Little League

Issaquah features a one-two punch in star pitchers Shaelyn Erickson and London White. The team went undefeated in its regional tournament to reach the LLSWS for the seventh time.

Southwest: Midway Little League (Hewitt, Texas)

A three-time LLSWS champion from Texas, Midway nearly missed the tournament after losing to Louisiana early in the Southwest Region tournament. The team rebounded in the championship game and aims to win the World Series once again.

North Carolina (Host): Pitt County Girls Softball Little League

Pitt County beat two-time LLWS champions Rowan to claim the first spot in Greenville in early July.

New England: Milford (Conn.) Little League

Another team with a dominant pitching duo, Milford went 4-0 in the first-ever New England Regional softball tournament. With 18 strikeouts over four victories, the team allowed just three earned runs.

Southeast: Chesterfield (Va.) Little League

This year’s appearance from Chesterfield marks the seventh time a team from Virginia will make the tournament. It’s the second-straight trip to the LLSWS for Chesterfield, which went 3-0 in the regional tournament, including a 4-3 against Rowan (N.C.) in the championship game.

West: La Verne (Calif.) Little League

The 22nd team from California to make the tournament, La Verne scored 30 runs in the West Region tournament and allowed just one. Pitcher Katie Coldiron has been outstanding in the circle, recording 44 strikeouts since the start of district tournament play.

Asia-Pacific: Negros Occidental Little League (Philippines)

The Asia-Pacific champion is trying to become the first team from its region to win the LLSWS.

Latin America: Guayama (Puerto Rico) Softball Little League

Guayama makes its first-ever appearance at the LLSWS and is the first Puerto Rican team to represent the Latin American Region since 2017.

Canada: St. Albert Softball Little League

The Canadian team did not drop a game in its regional championship run and has won 38 total gamest this season compared to just six losses. St. Albert logged two double-digit run games in the regional tournament.

Europe and Africa: Emilia Romagna Little League (Italy)

Emilia Romagna becomes the first Italian team in the tournament since 2019. The group is looking to be the first international team to win the tournament since 2001.

Full Schedule

Tuesday, Aug. 9

  • Mid-Atlantic 3, Central 1
  • Southwest 13, Northwest 4
  • West 9, North Carolina 2
  • Asia-Pacific 1, Canada 0

Wednesday, Aug. 10

  • Southwest 2, Latin America 0
  • Mid-Atlantic 2, New England 1
  • Asia Pacific 4, Europe-Africa 1
  • Southeast 6, West 1

Thursday, Aug. 11

  • Central 12, Europe-Africa 0 (Europe-Africa eliminated)
  • West 7, Northwest 1 (Northwest eliminated)
  • North Carolina 8, Latin America  (Latin America eliminated)
  • New England 4, Canada 0 (Canada eliminated)

Friday, Aug. 12

  • North Carolina 6, West 1 (West eliminated)
  • New England 8, Central Region 2 (Central Region eliminated)
  • Mid-Atlantic 2, Asia-Pacific 0
  • Southwest 1, Southeast 0

Saturday, Aug. 13

  • Asia-Pacific 1, New England 0 (New England eliminated)
  • Southeast 2, North Carolina 1  (North Carolina eliminated)

Sunday, Aug. 14

  • Semifinal: Southwest vs. Southeast @ 1 p.m. on ESPN
  • Semifinal: Mid-Atlantic vs. Asia-Pacific @ 4 p.m. on ESPN

Monday, Aug. 15

  • Third-place game: Game 19 loser vs. Game 20 loser @ 4 p.m. on ESPN
  • Final: Game 19 winner vs. Game 20 winner @ 7 p.m. on ESPN

All times listed in ET.