Notable Players to Collect
Topps is dropping a dedicated Athletes Unlimited softball card set, which features some of the best softball players in the world. Need a primer on a few of the top players to collect? The following five athletes are making waves and turning heads on and off the field.
Odicci Alexander
Righty pitcher Odicci Alexander was the 2023 AU Softball champion, finishing atop the individual leaderboard (see more on AU’s unique scoring method here) with 1,994 points. Heading into her fourth year of AU softball, Alexander seems locked and loaded for another strong campaign.
In the 2023 Championship season, Alexander tied for the league lead in appearances by a pitcher, taking the field in 13 of 15 possible games. Across 42 innings pitched, Alexander fanned 42 hitters — exactly a batter an inning. Opponents batted only .196 against her, and she completed her campaign with a 2.15 ERA.
As a college player, Alexander led James Madison to its first-ever Women’s College World Series in 2021, making it as far as the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Oklahoma. She won Softball America Pitcher of the Year that season and earned a spot on the WCWS All-Tournament Team.
Megan Faraimo
23-year-old right-hander Megan Faraimo won AU Softball Rookie of the Year in 2023, and she hopes to build on her debut with another strong campaign in 2024. Last year, Faraimo tossed the second-most innings across AU, with 53 innings pitched. She threw two complete games (the rest of the league combined threw only one other complete game), and one was a dominant shutout.
Before the AU season kicks off, Faraimo has been playing pro ball for the Toyota Red Terriers in Japan. And other than her upcoming Topps debut, Faraimo’s most cherished piece of sports memorabilia is a softball she got autographed by Cat Osterman — she got it back when she was a youth player.
Off the field, Faraimo collects vinyl. She started with a few disco records from family members and has since built upon it with new purchases. Faraimo cited Jamaican reggae star Gregory Isaacs as an artist whose music she loves to spin.
Sydney Romero
For infielder Sydney Romero, AU softball is a family affair. Her older sister, Sierra, is also an AU softball player. Since Sierra played her college ball at Michigan and Sydney played for Oklahoma, AU gave them the opportunity to play together for the first time since high school, and the pair is making the most of it. Romero recalls that the first AUX season took place in San Diego, near her hometown of Murrieta, and her extended family came out to every game to cheer on her and her sister.
In 2023, Romero finished tied for third in AU with three home runs in 15 games and tied for second with 11 RBIs. The year prior, she finished the season with an astounding .412 batting average, leading all players with eight doubles.
Alyssa Denham
Having finished second place on the leaderboard the past two Championship seasons, right-handed pitcher Alyssa Denham is the first-ever AU player to repeat as a medalist — but she has her sights set higher than silver in 2024. This season, Denham looks primed to compete for the title once more.
Though she’s not known for putting up strikeout numbers like many of her hard-throwing peers, Denham is a crafty pitcher who gives up very few walks and induces soft contact for outs. Denham led AU pitchers in two major categories in 2023: wins, with seven, and earned run average, with a 1.51 ERA in 2023.
Denham has appreciated how her athletic career has given her the opportunity to meet other athletes, both within AU and outside of the organization. One of the athletes Denham has gotten to know well is Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo—she’s got an autographed baseball from him that stands out in her collection.
Megan Wiggins
An OG of AU, Wiggins has been around since the inaugural season in 2020. She had her best finish in 2023 AUX, where she placed fifth on the leaderboard and finished as one of only six players with more than 1,000 individual points. Across the 10-game season, Wiggins batted .286 with 10 runs and seven RBIs.
Off the field, Wiggins is well-known for a few business interests — some relating to softball, some not. She is the owner of the Peaches, a collegiate team that plays summer ball in the Scenic City Collegiate League in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She’s also the founder of the Peaches Foundation, a non-profit that aims to empower girls and women through softball. And then away from the field, Wiggins is an antique enthusiast. She has her own business — Olive Branch Antiques & Decor, based in Monroe, Georgia — and posts on her Instagram about some of her favorite finds.
