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2026 AUSL Primer: Portland Cascade

Screenshot 2024-07-31 at 7.46.34 PMby: Brady Vernon06/05/26BradyVernon

AUSL Opening Day is around the corner as the season kicks off on June 9. Softball America will preview each team and what to expect from around the country in year two of the league. We take a look at the newest team entering pro softball in the Portland Cascade.

Portland Cascade Roster

Cascade Coaching Staff

  • Head Coach Tairia Flowers
  • Associate Head Coach Jolene Henderson
  • Assistant Coach Jason Gwyn
  • Assistant Coach Laura Heberling
  • Coordinator Shi Smith

Cascade Active Roster

  • RHP Sam Landry
  • RHP Payton Gottshall
  • RHP Kenzie Brown
  • LHP Kelly Maxwell
  • C Sydney Stewart
  • IF Tori Vidales
  • IF Sis Bates
  • IF Paige Sinicki
  • IF Kenleigh Cahalan
  • OF Sierra Sacco-Ferrie
  • OF Korbe Otis
  • OF Ali Newland
  • OF Kendra Falby
  • UTIL Megan Grant

Reserve Pool Players

  • RHP Mariah Mazón
  • C Kelly Torres

Inactive Players

  • RHP Carley Hoover
  • C Mia Davidson

Portland Cascade Pitching

The Cascade has a good chance of being a strong pitching and defense team. General Manager Jami Lobpries put together a strong collection of arms. Sam Landry, Payton Gottshall and Kelly Maxwell all roll a decent percentage of groundballs. Gottshall and Landry were two of six pitchers who threw 39 or more innings last season, giving the Cascade two reliable arms. Maxwell transitioned well after college, throwing with the Spark and the U.S. National Team thanks to her lefty presence.

The upside of this group goes up a notch with rookie Kenzie Brown and Carley Hoover. Brown has had elite strikeout stuff the past two seasons at Arizona State, with her rise, curve, dropball, and devastating changeup. There is always a learning curve when facing a lineup filled of former All-Americans, but she adds another element

An infield of Sis Bates, Kenleigh Cahalan and Paige Sinicki profiles to be a really strong group. Gold Glover Kendra Falby in the outfield means a highlight play is always waiting.

Portland Cascade Lineup

The Cascade has an interesting balance of speed and contact. The offense is pretty young, as most of the projected lineup was in college in the past three years. Tori Vidales stands out as the top veteran and one of the best picks from the expansion draft. She batted .267 with 13 RBIs in 24 games with the Talons last season.

Korbe Otis and Sierra Sacco-Ferrie are coming off very good rookie seasons. Otis, a member of the Blaze, held a .346 batting average with six doubles. Sacco-Ferrie had a .866 OPS in 22 games with the Talons. Alli Newland was successful in her limited role with a 1.113 OPS in 19 at-bats. Bates and Falby obviously have very good speed.

How explosive the Cascade is on offense likely hinges on its top rookies. The new NCAA single-season home run queen, Megan Grant, and Big 12 Player of the Year, Sydney Stewart, have ended their collegiate careers on high notes. Grant hit 42 home runs for UCLA and has an incredibly high walk rate. Stewart has been an RBI machine, collecting the past two seasons in Tucson.

Portland Cascade Projected Defensive Alignment

Editor’s Note: This projection is based on the team at full strength

C – Mia Davidson / Sydney Stewart
1B – Tori Vidales
2B – Sis Bates
SS – Paige Sinicki
3B – Kenleigh Cahalan
LF – Korbe Otis
CF – Kendra Falby
RF – Sierra Sacco-Ferrie
DP – Megan Grant

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