The Portland Cascade finished its inaugural Athletes Unlimited Softball League season 14-11, earning the No. 3 seed before falling 6-5 to the Chicago Bandits in an 11-inning play-in game. It was a promising start for the first-year franchise, but General Manager Jami Lobpries isn’t ready to give the expansion franchise an A just yet.
“Maybe we’ll go B-minus because I want to leave room for growth,” Lobpries said. “Obviously, offensively was probably lower than that, but I expect that to get a lot better, which is great. I think that comes with maturity there.”
For Lobpries, success was never just about the record.
“Honestly, even if we hadn’t made it to the postseason, I still would have thought the season was a success, and that’s because going in we talked about two things,” she explained. “One was putting a competitive product, just being competitive, giving something fun to watch to compete for championships. And the second part of that was the growth of pro softball.”
Building a Culture With Grit and Personality
When assembling Portland’s inaugural roster, Lobpries looked for athletes with something to prove, including players left unprotected by their previous teams or returning from injuries.
“I thought we would be a gritty team,” she said. “I thought we’d be a team where everybody has a story. Some of them weren’t protected by their original team. I had a couple that were coming off injuries from the season before.”
From team meals to line dancing at spring training, Lobpries and head coach Tairia Flowers prioritized relationships that could withstand adversity.
“Softball is a sport of failure,” Lobpries said. “We’re going to hit lows individually and as a team throughout the season, where it just gets really hard. And the one thing you can go back to is culture.”
That foundation was tested when Portland suffered three consecutive run-rule losses midseason.
“We had a team meeting and just went back to the roots, to the culture,” she said. “That’s why it’s so important because that’s what you can live by and look each other in the eye and hold each other accountable to those standards that we set. And sure enough, after that, we went on a little bit of a run.”
Veterans Sis Bates and Tori Vidales helped lead the clubhouse, while younger players, including Korbe Otis, Kendra Falby, Kenzie Brown and Sydney Stewart, stepped into important roles.
Finding Ways to Win
Portland finished near the bottom of the league offensively but relied on its pitching staff and defense to remain competitive.
“Offensively, we needed to figure out ways to get on base,” Lobpries explained. “And honestly, the goal started out as how do we get five runs, and then it kind of became, can we get to four, or can we get to three, and we’ll figure out ways to win.”
With younger hitters adjusting to an expanded professional strike zone and facing elite pitching, Lobpries saw room for improvement.
“Mentally handling more failure, redefining success, that takes some maturity,” she said. “And I think if you look at our team offensively, the last couple of weeks of the season, including that 11-inning game against the Bandits, we were starting to hit our peak there. We were really starting to grow offensively, but it takes time for sure, especially with those younger hitters.”
Megan Grant provided a bright spot with 10 home runs, 22 RBIs and All-AUSL honors. Lobpries, who has known Grant since she was 16, praised her ability to adjust to professional pitching.
“She didn’t get pitched to as much in college, and now they’re coming at her,” Lobpries said. “You could watch her adjustment go through, and I mean, shoot, she still hit 10 home runs, right? And I’m really excited about the future of professional Megan Grant.”
The team’s defense also improved, with several standout plays in the postseason loss to Chicago.
“That’s what wins, right? We gotta pitch, and we gotta play defense, and I think that goes back into that identity that we have too, kind of that grittiness,” Lobpries explained.
Learning From a Postseason Heartbreak
Portland’s season ended July 23 in the longest game in AUSL history. Despite the loss, Lobpries was encouraged by how the team spent its final night together.
“I know the players said they stayed up all night just hanging out as a team before they all had to fly home the next day, which also makes me proud that after a tough loss, that’s who you want to be with,” Lobpries said. “But I’m hoping there’s that little bit of hunger now in their offseason training, and now we can come in day one even more inspired.”
Taking the Next Step in 2027
As a first-time AUSL general manager, Lobpries relied on advice from fellow GMs and commissioner Kim Ng while learning the demands of the job.
One of her priorities for 2027 is to prepare earlier with a coaching staff that came together shortly before training camp last season.
“I didn’t have a coaching staff until literally right before spring training,” she explained. “I want to get our coaching staff secured and tap in with our coaching staff with the players. So it’s not just me in the offseason. That’s something that I’d like to get ahead of and do differently.”
The Cascade also enter Year 2 with an established fan base, something Lobpries appreciates after her own professional playing career.
“I played professionally for four years, and I think there were times when there was like, I don’t know, 20 people in the stands,” she recalled. “So to see them come out … for me, obviously I love it for the Cascade, but I think more importantly I love it for professional softball and AUSL and just the way that they embrace us as their team.”
As Portland prepares for 2027, Lobpries hopes to preserve the culture while seeing greater confidence on the field.
“I hope the culture is consistent. I hope the energy of our team stays the same. But I hope we look a year older, just a little bit more confident,” she said. “Our team, it’s funny, we are the fun team, but they’re highly competitive…We had this bad taste in our mouth at how the season ended, and we’re excited, with a little bit of chip on our shoulder going into this new year.”
Siera Jones is the digital media reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Instagram and X @sieraajones.