Softball is booming, and Major League Baseball is backing a new opportunity for star players to continue their careers professionally.
The Athletes Unlimited Softball League launches June 7. It’s a bold and fun new venture that will be barnstorming the country in its inaugural season this summer. The league is guided by its commissioner, the barrier-breaking former MLB executive Kim Ng. And the hope is that, with stronger financial backing than previous professional softball leagues, it can become a stable summer staple.
“This is a watershed moment for women’s sports and especially for softball,” Ng said. “MLB’s investment will supercharge our efforts to build the sustainable professional league this sport has long deserved and sends a powerful message about the value of female athletes and the importance of creating professional opportunities for them.”
Athletes Unlimited has been running annual softball events out of Rosemont, Ill., for the last five years, and the AUSL is an ambitious extension of those efforts. The league’s season will involve four teams playing 24 games apiece in 10 different cities, culminating in a best-of-three championship series in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on July 26-28.
As the AUSL begins, here are the details about how it came to be and how it will operate.
What is the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL)?
The AUSL is a women’s softball league that launched in 2025 to provide a new opportunity for the world’s best players to compete professionally.
How did the league form?
It emanated from the existing AU Pro Softball Championship Season, which has been renamed the AUSL All-Star Cup.
Athletes Unlimited, a women’s professional sports organization based in the United States, had launched in 2020 with its first Pro Softball Championship Season and later added women’s lacrosse, volleyball and basketball leagues, as well as AU Pro Softball AUX, an additional two-week softball season.
So the AUSL is an expansion of Athletes Unlimited’s softball presence.
Why was the AUSL formed?
Softball has seen explosive growth in both participation and exposure, and the AUSL is an opportunity to expand and develop its potential in the U.S.
According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association’s annual report released in March, softball participation increased by more than 7% in 2024. This is part of a larger trend in which baseball and softball have combined to be the most participated team sport in the U.S. among kids aged 6-12 in each of the last five years, with participants in baseball and softball increasing by more than 17% since 2014.
Softball is also attracting larger audiences on television and in person. Last year’s Women’s College World Series championship finals between Oklahoma and Texas set a new record for the most-watched title series, averaging two million viewers. Viewership for Game 2 of the WCWS finals rose 24% from 2023 and 3% from the previous all-time high in 2015, according to ESPN, which aired the series. That same game attracted the largest crowd for the championship finals on record (12,324).
Additionally, softball will return to the Olympic stage at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
So softball is definitely on the rise, and the AUSL both capitalizes and expands upon that.
How many teams are in the AUSL?
For the inaugural 2025 season, there will be four teams – the Bandits, Blaze, Talons and Volts.
Where will the teams be based?
For the 2025 season, these teams won’t be city-based. Instead, this will be a barnstorming touring property for one season before the league becomes city-based in 2026.
What cities will the AUSL play in?
The 2025 season will reach 10 cities: Rosemont, Ill. (The Stadium at Parkway Bank Sports Complex); Wichita, Kan. (Wilkins Stadium); Sulphur, La. (McMurry Park); Chattanooga, Tenn. (Jim Frost Stadium); Norman, Okla. (Love’s Field); Omaha, Neb. (Connie Claussen Field); Seattle (Husky Softball Stadium); Salt Lake City (Dumke Family Softball Stadium); Round Rock, Texas (Dell Diamond); Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Rhoads Stadium).
How many games will be played?
Each team will play a 24-game season (so, 48 games total for the four-team league).
Where can I find the full schedule?
Here is the link to the AUSL’s 2025 schedule.
Will there be a postseason?
Yes, upon the conclusion of the AUSL regular season, the top two seeds in the four-team league will face off in the best-of-three AUSL Championship at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., from July 26-28.
Will the games be televised?
Select AUSL games will air on MLB Network and MLB.com (including Opening Day in Wichita, where the Volts and Blaze face each other at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 7), and broadcast partner ESPN will carry at least 18 games on its platforms. The full AUSL broadcast schedule will be announced prior to the start of the season.
How many players will be on each team?
There will be 15 players per team.
How were the teams assembled?
First, the AUSL held a 12-round draft in January among players who already exhausted their college eligibility, with some of the sport’s biggest names -- including former UCLA pitchers Megan Faraimo and Rachel Garcia, ex-Oklahoma pitcher Keilani Ricketts and former Florida outfielder Amanda Lorenz -- joining the rosters.
The AUSL then held its first ever College Draft Show in early May. Beforehand, AUSL representatives visited college campuses across the country to award one “golden ticket” apiece to 12 standout players who formed the 2025 college draft class. Those players found out their destinations in the draft on May 3.
Who are the players to know?
The rosters are a who’s who of the stars of NCAA softball over the last decade. Some notable names for each team (along with their college) are listed below. Each team’s first-round draft pick from the recent college draft is noted with an asterisk (*).
Bandits
- Lexi Kilfoyl, RHP, Oklahoma State
- Odicci Alexander, RHP, James Madison
- Skylar Wallace, INF, Florida
- Cory McMillan, UTIL, Virginia Tech*
Talons
- Megan Faraimo, RHP, UCLA
- Maya Brady, UTIL, UCLA
- Montana Fouts, RHP, Alabama
- Bri Ellis, INF, Arkansas*
Blaze
- Carley Hoover, RHP, LSU
- Aliyah Andrews, OF, LSU
- Keilani Ricketts, LHP, Oklahoma
- Emma Lemley, RHP, Virginia Tech*
Volts
- Sis Bates, SS, Washington
- Amanda Lorenz, OF, Florida
- Tiare Jennings, INF, Oklahoma
- Sam Landry, RHP, Oklahoma*
Where can I find the rosters for each team?
The AUSL has a sortable roster page here.
Who assembled the teams?
As in MLB, each team has a general manager overseeing the roster construction. They are as follows:
Bandits: Jenny Dalton-Hill, who holds the NCAA Division I record for RBIs and won three Women’s College World Series championships at Arizona (1993, 1994, 1996).
Blaze: Dana Sorensen, who threw five no-hitters and two perfect games for Stanford and was a member of the USA Softball Elite team in 2005.
Talons: Lisa Fernandez, who was a two-time national champion at UCLA and a three-time medal-winning Olympian with Team USA, with whom she set a Olympic softball record with 25 strikeouts in a game.
Volts: Cat Osterman, a four-time All-American pitcher for the Texas Longhorns who also starred for Team USA on a gold-winning team at the 2004 Summer Olympics and the silver medal teams at the 2008 and 2020 Summer Games.
Who are the head coaches?
Bandits: Stacey Nuveman-Deniz, a former catcher who won a national championship with UCLA in 1999 and two Olympic gold medals and one silver for Team USA before serving as head coach at San Diego State University.
Blaze: Alisa Goler, a three-time All-American and record-setting infielder at Georgia who also serves as head softball coach at Western Illinois University.
Talons: Howard Dobson, a former college baseball player who was heavily involved with USA Softball from 2012-2021 and has long coached in the collegiate ranks, including his current position as hitting coach at LSU.
Volts: Kelly Kretschman, a former star outfielder at Alabama and gold- and silver-medal winner with Team USA at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics who went on to play in the National Pro Fastpitch and serve as head coach for the USSSA Pride of Women’s Professional Fastpitch.
Who is the AUSL’s commissioner?
Former MLB executive and barrier-breaking Marlins general manager Kim Ng once again reaches a major milestone as the first woman to serve as a commissioner in a major league sport in the U.S.
Ng has been involved in the AUSL’s development since its inception, including working as a senior advisor. Prior to her 2021-23 tenure with the Marlins, who reached the playoffs under her stewardship in 2023, Ng had a long history in professional baseball, working in front offices for the White Sox, Yankees and Dodgers and serving as senior vice president of baseball operations for MLB.
Who else is involved with the AUSL?
Athletes Unlimited owns and operates the AUSL. Softball legends Jennie Finch, Jessica Mendoza and Natasha Watley are advisors to the league, consulting with AU leadership and current athletes on the league’s strategic direction. USA Softball is a strategic partner.
What is MLB’s involvement?
Major League Baseball’s investment in AUSL is a first-of-its-kind partnership with a pro sports league with an eye toward making the new circuit a sustainable enterprise. As part of MLB’s ongoing commitment to supporting the growth of softball at all levels, MLB will work collaboratively to help raise the visibility of the AUSL and its athletes in a variety of manners across MLB’s marketing, events, distribution, editorial, digital and social platforms, content and more. In addition, MLB’s financial investment will assist with league operational costs and key growth initiatives.
What happens to the existing AU Pro Softball Championship Season?
It has been renamed the AUSL All-Star Cup, and it will take place throughout the month of August in Illinois and North Carolina, involving 60 star softball players.
Full details of the All-Star Cup can be found here.
Where can I learn more about the AUSL?
Fans can find links to tickets and sign up for updates through the AUSL web site and can follow the league @theAUSLofficial.