The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Softball Texas-Ex Shannon Rhodes named 2022 Athletes Unlimited Rookie of the Year
08.29.2022 | Softball
The Fort Worth, Texas, native finished sixth overall in the AU standings with 1,564 total points
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas-Ex Shannon Rhodes was named the Athletes Unlimited Softball Rookie of the Year, highlighting the 2022 pro softball campaign for four former Longhorns (Rhodes, Nadia Taylor, Janae Jefferson & Mary Iakopo) with either Athletes Unlimited or Women's Professional Fastpitch (WPF).
After taking a year off from softball, Rhodes picked up right where she left off from her standout career on the Forty Acres. The Fort Worth, Texas, native finished sixth overall in the AU league standings with 1,564 total points after hitting .375 overall (18-for-48) with four doubles, eight HR's and 14 RBIs to go with a .958 slugging percentage and a 1.422 OPS. Her HR and slugging marks were good for second in the 60-player league.
Former Longhorns Taylor (29th overall – 1,152 points) and Jefferson (33rd overall – 1,108 points) ended their respective seasons as two of 41 total players to reach the 1,000-point mark in the Athletes Unlimited standings.
The Athletes Unlimited scoring system allocates points to the winning team of each inning as well as to the winner of the game overall. It also allocates points to individual players based on offensive/pitching plays and their degree of impact on the game. This means even the losing team has a chance to earn points, and a player on a losing team is still rewarded. The Athletes Unlimited system essentially does away with fixed teams by redrafting every roster every week, producing greater team parity and highlighting individual parity.
Joining Rhodes and Jefferson as one of Texas' three 2022 pro rookies, and UT's only participant in the inaugural Women's Professional Fastpitch (WPF) campaign, Iakopo hit .268 overall (22-of-82) with 18 runs scored, 17 walks, four doubles, a triple, five HR's and 14 RBIs for the SIS Vipers. The Carson, Calif., product finished all throughout the league rankings, rating second in walks, fifth in hits and HR's, sixth in OPS (.924), seventh in RBIs, eighth in on-base percentage (.400) and ninth in doubles.
