Arizona softball: Catcher Sydney Stewart drafted by AUSL’s Portland Cascade
Stewart is the 8th player who spent at least 2 years in Tucson to join the AUSL
Arizona's Sydney Stewart reacts to hitting a home run against Texas Tech during a Big 12 Conference softball game, Saturday, March 14, 2026, at Rocky Johnson Field. | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images When college softball players receive their “golden tickets” on their home fields, they know they will be drafted into the AUSL. They just don’t know where.
Arizona All-American catcher Sydney Stewart found out where on Monday evening during the 2026 AUSL College Draft . She was taken midway through the second round by the expansion Portland Cascade as the ninth overall pick. Our newest ProCat 🥹 @sydneyyystewart @AUSL_Cascade pic.
twitter. com/5mc0hbiBBq — Arizona Softball (@ArizonaSoftball) May 5, 2026 The AUSL played its first season last year as a four-team league that traveled to different cities around the country. This year, they will go to a more traditional format with six teams anchored to their own home cities.
The Carolina Blaze, Texas Volts, Chicago Bandits, and Utah Talons were joined by the Cascade and the Oklahoma City Spark. The Spark have operated as part of previous leagues and as an independent organization, but they joined the AUSL for the 2026 season. The draft had three total rounds, but the Cascade were the only franchise to select a player in all four.