Draft:Hawaii-Born Professional Softball Players AUSL
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Last edited by Boriqua28 (talk | contribs) 43 hours ago. (Update) |
Hawaii-born professional softball players are athletes born in the U.S. state of Hawaii who have competed at the professional level in women's fast pitch softball for Athletes Unlimited Softball League AUSL. The pool of such players is small relative to other U.S. states, owing in part to Hawaii's geographic isolation, the relatively limited number of NCAA Division I softball scholarships available to in-state athletes, and the comparatively brief modern history of professional softball in the United States. Despite these factors, players of Polynesian Hawaiian birth have reached the sport's top domestic leagues, including the National Pro Fast pitch (NPF), the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL, and the Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball "AUX" series.
Background
[edit]Professional women's fastpitch softball in the United States has been organized under several leagues since the early 2000s, most notably the National Pro Fastpitch league (which suspended operations after the 2021 season) and Athletes Unlimited Softball, which has been noted as the largest league to date after partnering with the MLB, started in 2020 and expanded into a team-based league, the AUSL, in 2025. Hawaii has produced a small number of athletes who have reached these leagues, typically by way of NCAA Division I programs on the U.S. mainland.
The first professional softball player born and raised in Hawaii to compete in Athletes Unlimited is identified as Kamalani Dung, whose decorated career at Cal Berkeley[1] and Fresno State[2] helped to trail-blaze the path for local athletes and brought national and international attention to players of the Pacific. She was followed by Jocelyn Alo, whose record-setting collegiate career as a hitter at the University of Oklahoma brought additional national attention to softball in the islands.
Notable Players
[edit]Xeana Kamalani Dung, also known as Kamalani Dung or Kama Dung, born March 4, 1997, in Waianae, Hawaii, is a right-handed pitcher commonly identified as the trailblazer and first professional softball player from Hawaii to compete in the Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball League[3]. She began her college career at Fresno State[4], where she was named Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Year, holds the Conference Strikeout Record, and finished her decorated career as one of the top 10 names in college softball in 2019.
Dung was drafted by the California Commotion of the National Pro Fastpitch league in 2020[5], the final NPF season before the league suspended operations and was also drafted that same year to Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball and was one of two rookie highlighted players to watch. Dung is listed on AUSL rosters through 2026[6]. Internationally, Dung has represented the Puerto Rico Women's National Softball Team, with whom she helped capture a gold medal — Puerto Rico's first in over two decades — and has been part of squads ranked as high as No. 2 in the world from 2018-2026 making her one of the longest playing national team rostered members from the islands[7].
Jocelyn Aloha Pumehana Alo, born September 23, 1998, in Hauʻula, Hawaii on the island of Oʻahu, is widely regarded as the most decorated Hawaii-born softball player in NCAA history. She played five seasons of college softball at the University of Oklahoma, where she led the Sooners to back-to-back NCAA Women's College World Series championships in 2021 and 2022. She finished her collegiate career as the NCAA Division I all-time leader in career home runs with 122, and was named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year in both 2021 and 2022[8].
Following college, Alo competed in Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball, where she joined the AUX series in 2024. She has since played for the Oklahoma City Spark of the Association of Fastpitch Professionals (AFP) before officially joining the Chicago Bandits of the AUSL[9].
The Hawaii State Legislature has formally recognized both Alo[10] and Dung[11] for their achievements, citing them as ambassadors for the state and a role model for young athletes of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander descent.
Cultural significance
[edit]Players of Hawaiian birth have historically been underrepresented in U.S. professional softball, mirroring broader trends in the limited national visibility of NCAA softball talent from the Pacific. The success of Alo and Dung — both of whom are of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander descent — has been credited in regional sports media (including Honolulu Star-Advertiser and KHON2) with helping elevate the profile of girls' fastpitch softball in the Hawaiian Islands and inspiring a new generation of local players pursuing collegiate scholarships on the mainland.
Pages in category "Hawaii-born professional softball players"
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References
[edit]- ^ "Kamalani Dung - Softball". California Golden Bears Athletics. Retrieved 2026-04-25.
- ^ "Kamalani Dung - Softball". Fresno State. Retrieved 2026-04-25.
- ^ Chinen, Kyle (2020-08-01). "Local softball player signs with a brand new league that 'breaks the mold' of pro sports". https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com. Retrieved 2026-04-25.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ^ Assistant, Jason Kelm / Communications. "Kamalani Dung: A way out, a way back and the family that holds her together". Fresno State. Retrieved 2026-04-25.
- ^ "California Commotion Signs Pitcher Kamalani Dung - FloSoftball". Archived from the original on 2022-08-17. Retrieved 2026-04-25.
- ^ "Kamalani Dung". AUSL. Retrieved 2026-04-25.
- ^ "Puerto Rico's Alvelo, Dung, Ocasio combine for perfection; Cuba defeats Bahamas in four". World Baseball Softball Confederation. Retrieved 2026-04-25.
- ^ Press, Associated (2024-04-18). "Ex-Oklahoma softball star Jocelyn Alo signs with Athletes Unlimited". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved 2026-04-25.
- ^ Unlimited, Athletes (2024-04-17). "Softball Star Jocelyn Alo Signs with Athletes Unlimited, Will Compete in AU Pro Softball AUX in Wichita This June". Athletes Unlimited. Retrieved 2026-04-25.
- ^ "Hawaii Legislature recognizes Oklahoma Softball star, Hau'ula native Jocelyn Alo". KHON2. 2021-08-05. Archived from the original on 2021-09-22. Retrieved 2026-04-25.
- ^ Chinen, Kyle (2022-11-03). "Hawaii's Kamalani Dung honored for her achievements on — and off — the field". https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com. Retrieved 2026-04-25.
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