The Athletes Unlimited Softball League announced an update to the opening captains for the 2026 AUSL All-Star Cup after Kayla Kowalik became unavailable to participate in the four-week competition.
Rachel Garcia will now serve as the Team 1 captain, while Keilani Ricketts will lead Team 2, and Georgina Corrick has been elevated to captain Team 3 for the opening series, which begins Saturday, Aug. 8 at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois.
Jayda Coleman also became unavailable to compete in the All-Star Cup. Replacement players for Kowalik and Coleman will be Bubba Nickles-Camarena (Oklahoma City Spark) and Michaela Edenfield (Texas Volts).
The opening captains will draft their teams before the first series of competition. Throughout the All-Star Cup, teams will be redrafted after each series as the top three players on the individual leaderboard earn captain honors for the following week.
Rachel Garcia takes over Team 1
Garcia moves into the top captain role after originally being slated to lead Team 1. The Texas Volts right-hander finished second in the 2025 AUSL All-Star Cup standings with 1,448 leaderboard points, becoming just the second athlete in Athletes Unlimited history to earn four career medalist finishes.
During the 2026 AUSL regular season, Garcia made 12 appearances in the circle, striking out 52 batters over 44.1 innings. She also contributed offensively with five hits and four RBIs.
Keilani Ricketts shifts to Team 2
Ricketts was originally set to captain Team 3, and now assumes leadership of Team 2.
The veteran left-hander earned the first AU medal of her career with a third-place finish in the 2025 All-Star Cup after posting a 2-0 record and 1.56 ERA. During the 2026 AUSL season, Ricketts appeared in 17 games for the Carolina Blaze, recording a 3.88 ERA with 26 strikeouts across 39.2 innings.
Georgina Corrick elevated to Team 3 captain
Corrick joins the opening group of captains after finishing sixth in the 2025 AUSL All-Star Cup standings with 1,096 leaderboard points. She tied for the league lead with four victories while posting a 2.33 ERA and leading all pitchers with 39 strikeouts.
The Utah Talons ace is coming off another standout AUSL campaign after helping guide the defending champions to the 2026 league title. Corrick compiled a league-best 2.04 ERA during the 2025 regular season and earned AUSL Pitcher of the Year honors. She is also a longtime member of the Great Britain National Team, helping the program capture a silver medal at the 2024 WBSC European Championship.
What Comes Next
The 2026 AUSL All-Star Cup runs Aug. 8-30 at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois. Throughout the four-week competition, players earn individual leaderboard points through team success, statistical performance and MVP voting. At the conclusion of each series, the top three players in the standings will become the next captains and draft new teams for the following series.
