Aliyah Binford

Aliyah Binford is a 5-foot-9 professional softball pitcher from New Braunfels, Texas. She was acquired in the 4th Round of the 2026 Allocation Draft following a collegiate career at Ole Miss and Baylor.

Personal Life

Background: Has a Great Dane named Loki.

Hobbies: Enjoys swimming, traveling, reading, and being spontaneous. Favorite movie is The Cat in the Hat.

Family: Daughter of Gregory and Betty Binford.

Professional Experience

Athletes Unlimited Softball League (2025-)

2026 AUSL Regular Season (Texas Volts): Binford appeared in 20 total games during the 2026 season, contributing both as a pitcher and a hitter. In the circle, she set an AUSL single-season record after tying for the league lead with 17 appearances, including a league-best 16 relief outings. She also finished eight games, the most among all AUSL pitchers. Over 36.1 innings, she compiled a 2.89 earned run average with a 3-3 record, one save, and 21 strikeouts. As a hitter, Binford posted a .268 batting average with five home runs and 11 runs batted in across her 20 games, which included 16 starts. She totaled 15 hits, among them three doubles and a triple, and scored nine runs. On June 23, against Chicago, Binford became the first player in AUSL history to hit a home run and earn a win in the circle in the same game. She earned the win in relief by scattering three hits over 3.0 scoreless innings with three strikeouts, and at the plate she went 2-for-3 with two home runs and three runs batted in during the 6-2 victory. She earned another win over the Bandits on June 24, allowing two runs on two hits with three strikeouts in a 6-4 decision. On July 11, she threw the final inning to secure a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over Carolina. On July 17, at Portland, she earned a save by pitching 3.0 hitless innings. Offensively, Binford recorded two doubles with two runs scored and two runs batted in against Oklahoma City on June 11, and drove in two runs with a double against Utah on July 1.

2025 AUSL All-Star Cup: Compiled 642 leaderboard points, including 580 win points and 62 stat points. Saw action in seven total games with three starts. Registered one hit in 11 at-bats while scoring three runs. Compiled a 5.73 earned run average with a 1-1 record in three appearances in the circle. Allowed two runs on three hits with two strikeouts in 1.2 innings against Team Kilfoyl on August 3.

2025 AUSL Regular Season: Made seven total appearances for the Blaze after being selected from the Reserve Athlete Pool on July 3. Authored a 4.61 earned run average with a 1-1 record over six outings in the circle, including three starts. Compiled a .238 batting average with five hits, including two doubles. Earned first professional victory after throwing season-high 4.0 scoreless innings against the Bandits in relief on July 22.

Other Professional & International Experience (2026)

Mexican Softball League (2026): Played for Algodoneras del Union Laguna during the 2026 season. Ranked fourth in the league with seven home runs and a .647 slugging percentage. Stole eight bases, good for third place in the league, and tied for second with two saves.

College Experience: Baylor & Ole Miss (2020–2025)

Binford was a two-way standout at Baylor from 2020-24 who completed her career at Ole Miss during the 2025 campaign. Started 244-of-249 career games.

Career Statistics: Compiled a .303 career batting average with 31 home runs and 151 runs batted in. Posted a 51-28 record in the circle over 127 career appearances with a 3.15 ERA and 496 strikeouts in 533.0 total innings.

Senior Year (2025, Ole Miss): Led Ole Miss to its first NCAA Women’s College World Series appearance. Fashioned a .320 batting average with team-high 30 extra-base hits (15 doubles, three triples, 12 home runs). Set new Ole Miss single-season records for RBIs (55) and total bases (122). Compiled an 11-5 record in the circle with a 3.26 ERA over 122.1 innings.

Awards & Honors

All-Region: Second-Team NFCA All-South Region performer (2025) and two-time NFCA All-Region performer at Baylor.

All-Conference: Earned a pair of All-Big 12 Conference Second Team citations.

National Honors: Honored as 2024 Comeback Player of the Year by D1Softball. Named to Women’s College World Series All-Tournament Team (2025)