Texas softball's Reese Atwood, Leighann Goode get picked in AUSL College Draft

Texas softball players Reese Atwood and Leighann Goode expect to play another month or so in their final collegiate season, but both seniors found out their professional fate after getting picked in Monday’s Athletes Unlimited Softball League draft.

Atwood, a four-year starting catcher who is the Longhorns’ all-time leader in home runs and RBIs, went to the Carolina Blaze with the seventh overall pick and the first pick of the second round. Goode, a versatile infielder who’s started at both shortstop and second base for Texas, went one pick later to the Round Rock-based Texas Volts.

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Seventeen collegiate seniors received a coveted “golden ticket” from the AUSL last month, which meant they would get selected in this year’s draft by one of the league's six teams. Tennessee pitcher Karlyn Pickens went No. 1 overall to the Blaze while Texas Tech pitcher NiJaree Canady went with the second overall pick to the Volts.

Atwood, Goode and their Texas teammates finished the regular season with a 39-10 record and a fourth-place finish in the SEC. They’ll begin the postseason this week at the SEC Tournament before likely serving as hosts of a regional and super regional rounds. The Longhorns hope to return to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City for the third straight season and defend their national championship.