Pro Pitcher Returns to Mound 5 Months After Giving Birth

Five months after giving birth to her daughter Halo, professional softball pitcher Odicci Alexander-Bennett is stepping back onto the mound for another season with Athletes Unlimited Softball League.

Alexander-Bennett made headlines last summer when she revealed she'd played the entire 2025 AUSL season while pregnant. Now the 28-year-old is tackling a new challenge: competing at the elite level as a new mom.

"Even now, some moments I'm like, 'I really had a baby?'" Alexander-Bennett said at a recent event in New York.

Her return to the field started just six weeks after giving birth, exactly when her doctors cleared her. By early February, she was training at SixFour3, the softball facility she runs in Richmond, Virginia. In April, she posted videos of family bullpen sessions with her husband catching and baby Halo watching from a stroller nearby.

The physical comeback has been smoother than expected. Alexander-Bennett credits her genetics and years of training, though she knows her body won't feel exactly like it did before pregnancy. That's a reality many women athletes face, no matter how hard they work to regain their pre-baby fitness.

The mental side proved tougher. Alexander-Bennett felt an urgent need to rush back to normal life, driven by her own high standards rather than outside pressure. "You forget to give yourself grace after you had a kid," she said. "So that's the hardest part for me."

Why This Inspires

Alexander-Bennett isn't navigating this alone. Fellow AUSL moms Danielle Gibson Whorton and Kelsey Stewart-Hunter have been checking in regularly, offering advice from their own experiences. Another player, Amanda Lorenz, recently announced her pregnancy, while college star Jordy Frahm revealed she competed in the NCAA postseason while expecting.

The AUSL supports these athletes with 100% paid maternity leave, childcare assistance, flexible travel arrangements, and breastfeeding accommodations. These policies help women continue their careers without choosing between sports and motherhood.

This season, Halo will travel with the team and watch from the stands wearing softball-themed onesies that say "Your mom's a pitcher." Alexander-Bennett even joked about getting a onesie designed like a strikeout placard. "Put a K on the front, a backwards K on the back. Turn her around!" she laughed.

Season 2 of the AUSL begins June 9, and Alexander-Bennett has no physical restrictions from her doctors.

Women athletes are proving that having a baby doesn't mean the end of competing at the highest levels.