SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Talons are already headed to the AUSL Championship Series, and now two of the team’s biggest stars are taking home some hardware.
Montana Fouts was named the Athletes Unlimited Softball League Pitcher of the Year, while Bri Ellis earned the league’s inaugural Comeback Player of the Year award as the AUSL announced its season honors Friday.
The Talons ace also led the league with seven complete games and tossed a shutout in Utah’s 3-0 win over the Carolina Blaze on June 26th. Fouts made league history earlier in the season, setting an AUSL single-game record with 12 strikeouts against the Texas Volts on June 18th. She was also named to the All-League team.
Fouts becomes the second straight Utah pitcher to win the award after Georgina Corrick was named the league’s Pitcher of the Year during the AUSL’s inaugural season in 2025.
For Ellis, the honor comes after a major turnaround from her first professional season. In 2026, Ellis returned as one of the AUSL’s most dangerous hitters. She led Utah in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS and home runs. Ellis recorded 18 hits, five home runs, four doubles and 13 RBIs in 18 games. Her resurgence earned her the first Comeback Player of the Year award in AUSL history.
Fouts and Ellis weren’t the only Talons recognized. Outfielder Jadelyn Allchin also earned All-League honors. Utah finished the regular season 16-9 and clinched the No. 1 seed in the AUSL Championship, earning a direct trip to the Championship Series. The Talons will face the Chicago Bandits, who advanced out of the Play-In Game against the Portland Cascade.
