Maya Brady, the UCLA standout and niece of Tom Brady, was selected as the No. 1 overall pick by the Oklahoma City Spark in the 2025 AUSL Expansion Draft. The draft, which began on Monday night, aims to build rosters for two new teams joining the Athletes Unlimited Softball League in 2026. With the second pick, the Cascade chose pitcher Sam Landry.
The Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) is expanding for the 2026 season, adding the Oklahoma City Spark and Cascade to the existing Bandits, Blaze, Talons, and Volts. This growth follows a successful inaugural year, highlighted by the Talons claiming the first AUSL title and the Bandits' player earning the inaugural MVP award.
In the expansion draft that started Monday night, the Spark won a coin toss for the top selection and used it to draft 24-year-old Maya Brady. Brady, a shortstop/outfielder who played for the Talons in 2025, missed the season's first month due to a hamstring injury but impressed upon return. She reached base in her initial 10 plate appearances—going 7-for-7 with three walks—and finished with a .500 average over 22 at-bats.
Brady's college career at UCLA was stellar, including Pac-12 Player of the Year honors in 2023 and 2024, a .456 batting average to win the 2023 Pac-12 title, two USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year finalist nods (2023-24), three NFCA First Team All-American selections (2021, 2023, 2024), four All-Pac-12 honors, and the 2020 Softball America Freshman of the Year award. Known for her versatility on defense and power hitting, she represents a cornerstone for the new franchise.
The Cascade followed by selecting Sam Landry, a pitcher from the 2025 Volts who played collegiately at Oklahoma. Speculation had pointed to the Spark taking Landry due to the local tie, but the Cascade moved first.
This draft sets the stage for the expanded league's future competitions.