May 15, 2023
By Evan Lepler
Throughout the 2023 season, the AUDL’s weekly honor roll will be revealed each Monday, honoring seven players whose individual exploits merit recognition. The players are listed alphabetically by last name.
Jeff Babbitt, New York Empire
Fierce, motivated, and virtually unguardable, Jeff Babbitt once again proved to be a monumental difference-maker in a huge game on Saturday night in DC. He finished with seven goals and three blocks, but his presence and impact felt way bigger than those numbers even on a night when he endured two throwaways. Astonishingly, it was the first time he had multiple throwaways in a game since the 2018 playoffs, but those mistakes did not nearly overshadow his overwhelming impact. “He has everything athletically that you could want,” said DC’s AJ Merriman. “The speed, the physicality, but he’s also one of the smartest players on the field. He picks his moments, and then he just works really hard for it. I think he’s the best player that’s ever played the game, honestly. For real, Jeff Babbitt’s my favorite player ever.”
Travis Dunn, San Diego Growlers
On Saturday night against an equally desperate Portland team, the 90th game of Travis Dunn’s remarkable AUDL career was unquestionably one of his best ever. Eight assists, two goals, no turns, and over 600 yards of offense, on a night when the Growlers needed him to lead the way. The 2023 San Diego squad has a very different feel than the team that made the playoffs each of the past four seasons, but as long as they have Dunn, they always have a chance in any game they play. The killer cutter also went 5-for-5 on hucks in the Growlers’ 22-19 win over the Nitro.
Quinn Finer, Colorado Summit
That’s more like it from Quinn Finer. He certainly wasn’t bad in the Summit’s first two wins of the season, but he was just solid, with a few too many mistakes for someone of his obvious ability. On Saturday against Seattle, Finer thoroughly dominated, tallying two goals, five assists, and seven more hockey assists in a mistake-free masterpiece, as Colorado crushed the Cascades 26-14. That scoring production speaks for itself, but Finer also completed all 51 of his throws, touching the disc more often than any other AUDL game he’s played so far in his career.
Jacob Miller, Salt Lake Shred
For the second straight week, Jacob Miller’s steady magnificence was again on display in an Honor Roll-worthy performance. On Saturday in Oakland, the 27-year-old cutter churned for an eye-popping 753 total yards in the Shred’s 27-25 overtime victory, collecting career highs in both throwing (420) and receiving (333). Although he had endured his first throwaway on the season, his distribution abilities have clearly taken his impact to a new level. Consider that the 56 completions he accumulated against the Spiders this past weekend were 20 more than he had in 10 games combined playing for the Spiders two years ago. For the season, he’s sixth in the AUDL in total completions, with a 99.3 completion percentage that leads anyone among the top 50 busiest throwers across the league.
Ryan Osgar, New York Empire
We saw the MVP version of Ryan Osgar on Saturday evening in DC, the steady and spectacular playmaker who can dazzle with his dissecting throws as well as a dominant downfield target. Furthermore, in a game where every error felt huge and pivotal, Osgar offered a necessary clean sheet, completing all 35 passes with no throwaways. He finished the night with six assists, four hockey assists, and two goals, numbers that are especially impressive when you recognize that the Empire scored just 18 goals in the defensive-minded battle against the Breeze. In many ways, it was a reminder of New York’s breathtaking power, as Babbitt and Ben Jagt made so many stunning plays yet, at the end of the night, you realize Osgar’s value is also way too important to overlook.
Dean Ramsey, Atlanta Hustle (Pictured)
There’s no doubt transforming both Dean Ramsey and Brett Hulsmeyer into hybrid dual-line monsters has been instrumental in the Hustle’s 3-0 start to the season. While the latter had his most modest stat-line of the season thus far on Friday against the Sol, the former delivered one of the most fascinating low-volume, high-production performances In AUDL history. He only touched the disc nine times all game long, but he sure made every touch count, averaging nearly 40 yards per reception and scoring four goals in Atlanta’s four-goal victory. Ramsey also added an assist and a block, giving him a plus-six, the second-highest plus/minus in his career.
Liam Searles-Bohs, Carolina Flyers
Fun seeing Liam Searles-Bohs back in the AUDL, eh? He played six games for the Flyers back in 2017 as a 18-year-old prospect, showing glimpses of the enormous potential that made him one of the most hyped high-schoolers in the history of ultimate. Six years and three college championships later, Liam returned to the league with a flawless five-score, 500-yard, mistake-free effort in a game that Carolina felt it had to have. He completed all 26 of his throws, including three hucks, as the Flyers rolled past the Sol to earn their first win of the season.
2023 Weekly Honor Roll
