Jaydyn Goodwin, a four-year University of Georgia outfielder and the most prolific hitter on the program’s 2026 roster, has signed with the Athletes Unlimited Softball League’s Texas Volts for the upcoming season, the league announced May 31. She becomes the first Bulldog ever to join an AUSL club, joining a roster in Round Rock, Texas built around World Series veterans and the sport’s newest college stars.
The timing is the part worth slowing down on. Goodwin lands in the league during the exact summer the AUSL trades its first-year travelling format for permanent home cities, turning a one-outfielder transaction into a small data point about where elite college softball talent goes next.
Goodwin’s Georgia Résumé Earned the Call
Goodwin spent four seasons in Athens and left with a hitting line most programs build a lineup card around. She closed her career as a .349 hitter, and her 200-plus base hits were the most of any player on the 2026 Georgia team.
Her final season carried the hardware to match. Goodwin was named first team All-Southeastern Conference, first team All-South Region, and third team All-American, a sweep of selectors that put her among the most decorated bats in the league.
- .349 career batting average across four seasons in Athens
- 38 home runs as a Bulldog
- 152 RBI driven in over her career
- 200+ hits, tops on Georgia’s 2026 roster
Power and contact rarely sit in the same player at that volume, which is what makes the profile a clean fit for a professional roster. The full sheet is laid out on Georgia’s 2026 softball roster page for Jaydyn Goodwin, including her two-way value in the outfield.
A First Bulldog Through the AUSL Door
No Georgia player had signed with an AUSL side before this. That detail matters more than a trivia line, because the league is in the business of stocking six rosters with proven college production, and the SEC is its richest supply.
Goodwin’s senior campaign ended at the Knoxville Super Regional, where Georgia fell to Tennessee and closed the year a win short of the Women’s College World Series. For readers tracking how that run finished, the buildup is covered in our look at the Tennessee and Georgia Super Regional matchup.
The pro call came fast after that. Within roughly ten days of her college season ending, Goodwin had a contract, a city, and a June 9 opener waiting. The speed says something about how aggressively the league is recruiting once the NCAA bracket clears.
Cat Osterman’s Volts Are Stockpiling Star Power
The Texas Volts are run by general manager Cat Osterman, the two-time Olympic medalist and one of the most recognizable pitchers in the sport’s history. Osterman framed the signing as a scouting conviction rather than a roster patch.
We put eyes on Jaydyn a little while back, and every time our staff watched, she had a big moment. We needed to fill some big shoes in the outfield, and the way she plays, her skills and her obvious love for the game, she fits the mold. We are excited to see her impact on both sides of the ball.
Osterman, Volts general manager, said that in the league’s announcement of the signing. The endorsement carries weight given the company Goodwin is keeping in Round Rock.
The Volts roster, listed on the club’s official Texas Volts team page, mixes established pros such as Amanda Lorenz, Rachel Garcia, and Sierra Romero with this year’s headline college draftee, Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady. Dropping a third-team All-American outfielder into that group is less about depth and more about matching the talent tier the franchise is chasing. Goodwin will compete for outfield innings at Dell Diamond, the Round Rock ballpark the Volts share with minor league baseball.
The League’s Leap From Four Cities to Six
The bigger story sits one level above the signing. The Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL, a professional women’s softball circuit) was founded in 2024 and played its inaugural season in 2025 as a touring property, with the Utah Talons crowned the first champions. For 2026 the league expanded from four teams to six and gave every club a permanent home city.
That shift, detailed in the AUSL’s announcement of permanent home cities for all six clubs, moves the league away from a barnstorming model toward something closer to a conventional sports league with local fan bases. Here is how the six teams line up for the season.
| Team | Home City | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Texas Volts | Round Rock, Texas | Dell Diamond |
| Utah Talons | Salt Lake City | Dumke Family Stadium, University of Utah |
| Chicago Bandits | Rosemont, Illinois | The Stadium, Parkway Bank Sports Complex |
| Carolina Blaze | Durham, North Carolina | Smith Family Stadium, Duke University |
| Oklahoma City Spark | Oklahoma City | Tom Heath Field, Oklahoma Christian University |
| Portland Cascade | Hillsboro, Oregon | Hillsboro Ballpark |
The two newcomers, the Oklahoma City Spark and the Portland Cascade, entered through an expansion draft. Commissioner Kim Ng, the former Miami Marlins general manager who now runs the league, has described the new markets as test cases for how far professional softball can grow.
A Permanent League Changes the Math for College Stars
For a player leaving college, a touring league and a city-based league are very different career bets. A permanent roster in a fixed market offers a clearer path to a recurring paycheck, a local following, and a season that looks like a job rather than a summer tour.
That is why Goodwin’s signing is a useful marker. When the most decorated bat on a national-seed-adjacent SEC roster signs almost immediately after her college season ends, it suggests the supply of college talent and the league’s demand for it are starting to lock together. The governing body’s full 2026 AUSL schedule and host-city breakdown shows a 25-game slate per team, enough volume to function as a genuine professional season rather than a showcase.
There is a recruiting echo for Georgia, too. A program that can now point to a player going pro in a stable league has a new pitch on the trail, and the next Bulldog to sign will not be the first. The pipeline only matters if the league at the other end of it survives, and a six-city footprint is the strongest signal yet that it intends to.
What Awaits Goodwin When the Season Opens June 9
The Volts do not ease into it. Texas opens the regular season June 9 in Oklahoma City against the Spark in a three-game series, then plays out a slate that runs through July 20.
- June 9: Season opener at the Oklahoma City Spark, the first of a three-game series
- Through July 20: A 25-game regular season of two- and three-game series across the six clubs
- Postseason: A play-in between the second and third seeds, with the top seed earning a bye into a best-of-three championship at a neutral site
Goodwin will spend that stretch fighting for outfield reps on a roster stacked with national-team names. If her college season was any guide, the swing that produced 38 home runs in Athens travels.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Jaydyn Goodwin?
Jaydyn Goodwin is a four-year University of Georgia softball outfielder who finished her college career as a .349 hitter with 38 home runs, 152 RBI, and more than 200 hits. In 2026 she earned first team All-SEC, first team All-South Region, and third team All-American honors before signing with the professional Texas Volts.
What is the Athletes Unlimited Softball League?
The AUSL is a professional women’s softball league founded in 2024 that played its first season in 2025. For 2026 it expanded to six city-based teams: the Texas Volts, Utah Talons, Chicago Bandits, Carolina Blaze, Oklahoma City Spark, and Portland Cascade. Commissioner Kim Ng, a former Major League Baseball general manager, leads the league.
When does the Texas Volts 2026 season start?
The Volts open their 2026 regular season on June 9 with a three-game road series at the Oklahoma City Spark. The full AUSL regular season runs through July 20, with each team playing a 25-game schedule before the postseason.
Where do the Texas Volts play home games?
The Texas Volts are based at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas, a ballpark the franchise calls home under the league’s new permanent city model. The venue drew strong support during the league’s first season of games in the area.
Is Goodwin the first Georgia player in the AUSL?
Yes. Goodwin is the first University of Georgia softball player to sign with an AUSL club, making her signing a milestone for the Bulldog program as the league builds out its six-team rosters with proven collegiate talent.
