This post was updated July 14 at 9:53 p.m.

Softball looked for a professional league that could raise revenue at the highest level of competition.

Now it’s here.

Athletes Unlimited – a network of professional women’s sports leagues – created the AUX Softball event, which started in 2022. The league consists of 42 athletes who play in an 18-game season condensed into two weeks. The third season of the event was held in late June at Wilkins Stadium in Wichita, Kansas.

The AU Pro Softball league is different from most professional leagues, as teams are redrafted every week, and one player is crowned champion at the end of the season.

As the season progresses, a leaderboard is kept as players earn and lose points depending on their individual performance and team success. Players can earn points by winning a game or inning, making a positive play on the field or being voted one of a game’s top three MVPs by players and fans. Whoever sits atop the leaderboard after the two weeks is named champion.

Former UCLA softball utility Bubba Nickles topped the leaderboard this year – becoming the first Bruin to be named an AUX event champion.

Nickles finished her four years in Westwood with a career .357 batting average, 42 home runs – including 18 in 2019 – and 181 RBIs. She was also named a Softball America First Team All-American in 2019.

With two games left in the 2024 AUX season, Nickles trailed first place by almost 200 points. But after posting two hits, including a double, Nickles overtook power hitter Jocelyn Alo to take the 2024 AUX title by just six points.

Nickles finished the season with 1,344 points and was awarded 140 MVP points with three MVP 2 recognitions and one MVP 3 nod. She also ranked second behind Alo in home runs with five long balls.

The Merced local was not the only former Bruin standing on the podium.

Former Bruin infielder Delanie Wisz took home the bronze medal that same season.

Wisz finished third on the leaderboard with 1,288 points. She recorded 10 hits with four home runs and also led the league in walks with 10. She also garnered MVP points with an MVP 1 nod and Game Defensive MVP honors.

Former Bruin outfielder Jadelyn Allchin also found success in the AUX season. The Fountain Valley, California, local notched seven hits, four runs and an RBI.

Despite the conclusion of this year’s AUX event, the expansion of professional softball does not stop there.

The 2024 AU Softball Championship season will last five weeks and will feature 60 athletes. The season will commence at the end of July and showcase several former Bruins.

Recent graduates Maya Brady and Sharlize Palacios were drafted in the 2024 Pro Softball College Draft and will head to Rosemont, Illinois, for the upcoming season. Pitcher Megan Faraimo will also be joining her fellow Bruins in the Prairie State.