Former Iowa State shortstop Sami Williams has signed with the Athletics Unlimited softball league and will start her professional career when the softball season starts Aug. 28. The league’s second-ever season will be played at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Illinois.

Williams was the eighth overall selection in the 2021 Athletes Unlimited College Draft. Williams was one of 12 senior softball student-athletes selected in the league’s first-ever college draft. This is the league’s second year in action, and nearly four million people have watched the 23 games that aired in the U.S. last year.

The Athletes Unlimited Softball League has a very unique system of scoring. There are five straight weeks of nonstop action in the same location. The athletes recruit fellow pros and have the chance to create league rules. On the field, the top four players become new captains each week and will draft their teams from scratch for each game during the week. In the new scoring system, players can lose or win points during every game based on their performance. Athletes can score points as players and as a team to win MVP titles and cash bonuses.

Williams established herself as one of the best players in the nation and one of the best to ever play for the Cyclones over the course of her career. She is the all-time Big 12 leader in career hits (329), doubles (79) and total bases (627).

The Laguna Niguel, California, native has led the Cyclones to one of the best seasons in school history. The Cyclones entered the postseason with a record of 31-19 overall and made it to the regional final. Williams will look to continue her excellent career at the professional stage.