Making the transition from college softball to the professional game can be a challenging process. However, according to Virginia Tech alum Emma Lemley, joining the right organization makes all the difference.
Lemley, who was selected by the Blaze with the third pick in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) draft on May 3, told Tech Sideline that her new team made her feel welcome from the minute she arrived at camp.
“They were all texting me separately to make sure I was doing okay and they really helped me settle into the professional space,” Lemley said. “The pitchers and catcher spent a lot of time getting to know me and finding out what I liked to throw and helping me get better.
“It’s quite a transition from college because instead of being told everything you need to do, you have to make decisions on your own on what you need to work on, and my teammates really helped me to settle into the professional space.”
Lemley says playing at the professional level is all she thought it would be.
“They really make sure that you’re taken care of, which is awesome,” Lemley said. “They schedule our hotel, our flights and make sure we have food and everything we need. They believe in this league and they are putting their heart and soul into it. It’s what a professional league should be.”
Lemley also has found support among the leadership in the Blaze franchise.
“Our entire staff has been a pitcher at one time or another, and that’s a real positive.”
That starts at the top of the Blaze organization with general manager Dana Sorensen, who was a three-time All-American pitcher at Stanford from 2000-04. She posted a career record of 105-36, a program record 1.05 ERA and 1,154 strikeouts.
Lemley also has one of the most experienced catchers in the league in Nebraska alum Taylor Edwards, a graduate in the class of 2014 whose jersey was retired in Lincoln. Edwards has almost 10 years of professional experience, including garnering numerous All-Defensive teams awards.
“She’s great,” Lemley said. “She calls my pitches and I have so much trust in her. She knows what I like to throw and she watches a lot of game film and she’s great at setting batters up.”
It didn’t take the Blaze long to give Lemley her first taste of professional softball. The former Hokie entered in the third inning of the team’s season opener on June 7 against the Volts.
“I wasn’t actually nervous,” Lemley said. “We had planned that I was going to be the first in relief that game and be the bridge between the starter and closer. I knew my job was to get the string of right-handers coming up.”
Lemley did her job well, allowing no runs and giving up a lone hit while striking out two in 1 ⅓ innings of work.
Two days later, she earned her first career start as a professional and recorded the first win in Blaze history, a 3-1 gem in which she pitched five innings, giving up just three hits and one earned run — a solo home run to former Oklahoma star Tiare Jennings.
“I just went out there and threw the stuff I needed to throw,” Lemley said. “It’s kind of nice being a rookie in that not everyone knows exactly what you throw. Keilani [Ricketts] came in the last two innings and shut them down, and then they gave me the game ball afterwards and that was really cool.”
Since then, Lemley has started two other games and has a total of four relief appearances. She leads the Blaze in innings pitched with 22 ⅓ and is second in ERA (5.33).
The game that all Hokies had been waiting for occurred on June 21, with Lemley getting the start against Cori McMillan’s Bandits. Their individual showdown essentially ended as a draw. Lemley sat down McMillan on a called strike three and induced a groundout, but McMillan recorded a walk and a single.
battle of the hokies ?
lem on top ????? pic.twitter.com/0cRZErHIDR
— blaze | athletes unlimited softball league (@AUSL_Blaze) June 21, 2025
“I told her, ‘Something is wrong if you don’t get at least one hit off of me since you’ve seen me throw you a million pitches,’” Lemley joked.
Statistically, that game was Lemley’s worst outing of the season with her giving up eight runs in a seven-inning complete game — her only loss of the season. However, several of the Bandits’ runs resulted from misplayed balls by her defense.
After the game, the Blaze leadership, led by Sorensen, was quick to let Lemley know they had not lost confidence in her.
“Afterwards, [Sorensen] told me, ‘That was a hard game, but you need to know that everyone in the league has respect for you. You never let up, you kept bringing it with the next pitch, you never backed down.’ Her comments meant a lot to me.”
Lemley is hopeful that the midseason break will help the Blaze get back on track. They ended the first half of the year with an 11-3 victory over the Bandits.
“We ended [the first half of the year] on a high note and played really well that last game, so I think we’re ready to get at it.”
Lemley has already started her graduate studies and plans to graduate from Virginia Tech next spring with a master’s degree in agriculture and life sciences with a focus on leadership studies. She is looking forward to being a graduate assistant with the Hokies beginning this fall.
“I am so very grateful that I had the journey that I had with VT,” Lemley said. “I committed to Tech like 10 years ago and am so very thankful that I ended up there and received all the support that I had. I wouldn’t be here without it.”