Corner infielders Vidales, Fischer & Piper sign
With Athletes Unlimited Softball season approaching, the roster continues to expand as new and returning players sign. A trio of corner infielders – Tori Vidales, Sam Fischer and Lilli Piper – are all inked to play in the upcoming 2023 AUX and Championship Seasons.
They fill three out of nine slots for the first and third base positions in the league. Each athlete has been a staple with AU as it enters year four.
Vidales is predominantly a first baseman and is currently on the Softball Player Executive Committee.
In her three Championship Seasons with the league, she holds a career .380 batting average, .459 on-base percentage, and a .715 slugging record. She’s one of only five athletes in the league’s history to have a four-hit game. Twice she’s finished a season in the Top 10 on the leaderboard, ranking No. 8 overall in 2020 and No .10 in 2022.
Vidales competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and is a Texas native. In the off-season, she works as a softball analyst for the SEC Network.
TORI TO THE MOOOOON 🚀@vidalestori | 📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/4WsdRVHjVn
— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) August 26, 2022
Fischer is also a member of the Softball PEC and currently serves as the committee’s chairperson. She’s coming off her best year yet with the league after stellar performances at AUX and Championship season.
At AUX, Fischer finished in eighth place on the leaderboard, batting .375 and starting all 12 games. She drove in a league-high 11 runs in San Diego. Fischer then carried that momentum into Championship season for the highest leaderboard ranking of her AU career at seventh overall. Along with her career-best 1,562 points, she ranked third in the league with 1,160 win points, started all 15 games, and hit .277 with 13 hits, including two doubles and three home runs.
"That was really cold and it's all in my pants" – @samfischer52
2 Home Runs = a well deserved Gatorade bath for Sam Fischer 🥶@savannaecollins | #BeUnlimited pic.twitter.com/uTIkNbmsto
— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) August 13, 2022
2022 was Piper’s best year defensively, earning All-Defensive Team honors as a corner infielder. She was featured on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays twice, once during AUX and another time at No.6 since during championship season.
You’re looking at the #️⃣6️⃣ play on #SCTop10 😎
LET’S GO, @PiperSwiper 😤 https://t.co/RWO3QMhjEn
— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) August 22, 2022
Piper’s best leaderboard finish was her second year in the league when she finished ranked 13th on the leaderboard. She was a two-sport athlete at Akron playing softball and basketball before transferring to Ohio State to focus solely on softball.
Athletes Unlimited Softball returns with AUX on June 12.
Savanna Collins is the Digital Media Reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Twitter @savannaecollins.
