Athletes Unlimited Week 2 Recap

Athletes Unlimited Softball wrapped up another exciting weekend of softball action at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois. The six games had a little bit of everything.

Cat Osterman's teams remained perfect, adding three more wins to the three wins from the first week of play. Osterman pitched two gems, including a 2-1 nail-biter to end the week.

Team Ocasio had a solid week, but just couldn't beat Osterman. Despite losing two of three, Team Hayward had the biggest offensive explosion, scoring 13 runs in their second game. Team Show went 0-3, but lost two tight games.

Week 2 final results are
September 5
Team Ocasio (Purple) beat Team Show (Orange) 6-4
Team Team Osterman (Gold) beat Team Hayward (Blue) 5-2
September 6
Team Hayward (Blue) beat Team Show (Orange) 13-5
Team Osterman (Gold) beat Team Ocasio (Purple) 5-4
September 7
Team Ocasio (Purple) beat Team Hayward (Blue) 9-5
Team Osterman (Gold) beat Team Show (Orange) 2-1

Standings
Team Osterman (Gold) 3-0
Team Ocasio (Purple) 2-1
Team Hayward (Blue) 1-2
Team Show (Orange( 0-3

Week 3 Captains
Cat Osterman, Aleshia Ocasio, Janie Reed and DJ Sanders

Overall, scores were down from last week. It's too small of a sample size to call any trend. Last week, there was more offense, with teams scoring a total of 74 runs, while this week, 61 runs were scored.

Going into Week Three, one question is a main topic of discussion. Will Osterman ever lose? She's running away with overall points. She'll be captain again. As a captain, it is important to have a dominating pitcher and Osterman immediately starts off with the best, herself.

In the media session, I asked Osterman about the pressures and duties of being the captain. Would she like to just be a player for once? Of course, knowing her, I could have guessed that answer. She loves it. She even stated she is having as much fun as ever. Competitors like Osterman are never “just players” regardless of captain tiles.

One part of Athletes Unlimited that doesn't get enough exposure is the athletes playing for various causes they chose. Part of the financial aspect of the league involves players earning bonuses which go to these chosen causes. In the media sessions, I asked the athletes to discuss their chosen causes.

As seemingly everything else with Athletes Unlimited, this is a unique situation. I know of no other professional sports league where the players earn money for their charities. Many athletes have charitable causes, but there is no other league that does it like Athletes Unlimited. The next time someone mentions the greed of athletes, feel free to mention Athletes Unlimited.

We see the athletes' passion on the field every game, but this was an opportunity to see their passion for a given cause. As you will hear, some athletes are playing for local organizations, which others are playing for world-wide organizations.

In media sessions all weekend, I asked players about their chosen causes. Hannah Flippen, Nerissa Myers, Morgan Howe, Erika Piancastelli, Jessica Warren, Nadia Taylor, Janie Reed, DJ Sanders and Cat Osterman discussed their chosen causes. As I wrote, the causes are varied, but the emotions in these athletes. In a league for and by the athletes, this is something they decided to do to give back. It's a part of the league that deserves more exposure.

On a rainy Tuesday, Athletes Unlimited held their Week 3 draft. The #1 pick was Gwen Svekis...again. For the second straight week, Team Gold captain Cat Osterman selected her catcher with the first pick. For the third straight week, Osterman and Svekis will be battery mates, a pairing that holds a 6-0 record in two weeks of play.

Team Orange captain Aleshia Ocasio chose pitcher Haylie Wagner with the second pick of the draft, setting up a nice 1-2 pitching combination. Team Blue captain Janie Reed also took a pitcher, Danielle O'Toole, as did Team Purple captain DJ Sanders with Samantha Sow.

Pitchers Osterman and Ocasio selected only one pitcher among their first five picks. When the captain is already a stud pitcher, there is less need to add pitching depth. Outfielders Reed and Sanders picked two each.

Ocasio picked catcher Erika Piancastelli with her second pick. Sanders took catcher Amanda Chidester with her third pick. Reed waited until the fifth round to take catcher Taylor Edwards.

Another interesting note from the draft saw the Pendley sisters joining different teams for the first time. Shelby went to Team Osterman in Round 8, and Nicole was selected by Team Ocasio in Round 10.

It is hard to pick against Osterman, but Team Ocasio looks to have built the best challenger. Still, until I see Osterman lose, I have to stay on board. I see Osterman continuing her roll on the mound and her role as captain. Team Gold will come out on top in a close race.

Week 3 starts on Saturday, September 12 at noon with Team Ocasio facing Team Sanders. Game 2 starts at 2:30 with Team Reed and Team Sanders battling. Sunday features games at noon and 3 pm. Week 3 ends on Monday with games at 3 pm and 7 pm. Games are televised on ESPN or CBS Sports Network channels. Check your local listings or AUProSports.com for updated info.