Movers of AUSL Series 2: Landry leaps, Palacios takes top spot

Series Two of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League All-Star Cup saw dominance from Baylee Klingler and her squad, keeping her in the captain role for Series Three and bringing along two teammates into the top three.

Team Klingler not only won both games, but swept the win points on Friday and Saturday, catapulting the entire team up the leaderboard. These are the stars that made moves to the top.

Mover of the Week: Sam Landry
Portland Cascade pitcher Sam Landry not only made the biggest lead on the leaderboard, shifting up 29 spots, but also the most crucial: shifting from 32nd place into third to become a first-time captain. Landry threw 4.2 scoreless innings against Team Ricketts in Friday night’s opener, racking up 56 stat points and earning MVP 1 honors for an additional 60 points. This makes her the Mover of the Week and highest-earning athlete in Series Two.

Landry allowed just two hits with three strikeouts in the outing. She has a 0.00 ERA so far in the All-Star Cup; next she’ll lead a team for the first time in the unique format.

A New No. 1: Sharlize Palacios
Now at the top of the leaderboard is Utah Talons catcher Sharlize Palacios, who had a key swing on Saturday. Palacios blasted a home run over the left-field wall against Team Brown for 40 stat points and locked her in to MVP 1 honors (+60 points), as the two-run blast was enough to win the game. She also recorded a walk for an additional 10 stat points.

Like Landry, Palacios is also a first-time captain. She was only able to draft one fellow Talon to her team in corner infielder Bri Ellis; all the other athletes from the 2026 Championship squad were picked up early.

Out to repeat her success: Baylee Klingler
Carolina Blaze infielder Baylee Klingler showed off her drafting and leadership skills in Series Two, putting together a squad that won both games and didn’t relinquish a single inning win point. That success helped her teammates make positive moves on the leaderboard and sustained her in the top three overall. Now in second place, Klingler will be a captain again in Series Three.

She was able to keep six teammates from last week on the roster, most importantly Chicago Bandits pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl. Kilfoyl appeared in both games for Team Klingler in Series Two, throwing 4.0 total innings without an earned run. She surrendered only two hits and had three K’s. She sits in fourth place overall on the leaderboard.

Tune in
Team Palacios and Team Landry begin the week on Friday, Aug. 21, at Parkway Bank Sports Complex with a 6 p.m. CT first pitch.

Team Landry takes on Team Klingler on Saturday before the final matchup on Sunday with Team Klingler and Team Palacios.

The AUSL All-Star Cup is a four-series season from Aug. 8-30 in which 45 professional softball players compete to become the individual champion utilizing Athletes Unlimited’s innovative format. Teams are hand-picked by the top athletes on the leaderboard each series.