Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) Reveals Ten Locations for Inaugural Season, Kicking off June 7 in Chicago and Wichita
March 10, 2025 - Pacific Coast League (PCL)
Round Rock Express News Release
New York, N.Y. - The AUSL (Athletes Unlimited Softball League) today unveiled the schedule and locations for its inaugural regular season, which launches with Opening Day on Saturday, June 7. Due to overwhelming demand from cities eager to host professional softball and as the popularity of women's professional sports continues to surge, AUSL has expanded its original plans to now include ten cities, with more to be announced at a later date.
Four teams - the Bandits, Blaze, Talons and Volts - will play 24 games each between June 7 and July 23. The season will start with the Bandits and Talons playing a three game series in Chicago, while the Blaze and Volts play a four game series in Wichita. Each team will travel to 4-6 markets throughout the summer, culminating with the top two teams competing in the AUSL Championship, a best-of-three series to be held July 26-28 at the University of Alabama's Rhoads Stadium.
Following the AUSL Championship, 60 players will compete for an individual championship in the AUSL All-Star Cup, a 24-game competition in August featuring the original Athletes Unlimited scoring system.
2025 AUSL venues (and series per market) include:
Rosemont, Illinois (just outside Chicago): The Stadium at Parkway Bank Sports Complex (29 total games - 11 in regular season across three series, plus 18 AUSL All-Star Cup games)
Wichita, Kansas: Wilkins Stadium at Wichita State University (11 total games across three series)
Tuscaloosa, Alabama: Rhoads Stadium at the University of Alabama (two game series, plus the AUSL Championship)
Round Rock, Texas (just outside of Austin, Texas): Dell Diamond in Round Rock, home of the Triple-A Round Rock Express (4 game series)
Salt Lake City, UT: Dumke Family Softball Stadium at the University of Utah (4 game series)
Sulphur, Louisiana: McMurry Park at Lake Charles (3 game series). Held during the Jennie Finch World Series, a youth softball tournament produced by Olympian, USA Softball legend and AUSL Advisor, Jennie Finch.
Chattanooga, Tennessee: Frost Stadium (3 game series)
Omaha, Nebraska: Connie Claussen Field at University of Nebraska-Omaha (3 game series)
Raleigh, North Carolina: Ting Stadium at Holly Springs (4 AUSL All-Star Cup games)
Greenville, North Carolina: Max R. Joyner Family Stadium at East Carolina University (2 AUSL All-Star Cup games: the AUSL Pro Games at the Little League Softball World Series presented by Dick's)
The full schedule can be found here and below. Series ticket packages are available here. More information, including team rosters and the schedule broken down by team can be found at theAUSL.com.
"We were truly overwhelmed by the number of cities with world-class venues and a history of supporting softball interested in being part of the historic first season of the AUSL," said Kim Ng, a seasoned sports executive charged with leading the design and launch of the AUSL. "We are looking forward to launching a new era for the sport, and everyone involved with the AUSL - including players, coaches and staff - is excited to do so in front of so many passionate softball fans across the country."
While the AUSL will be a touring property in its first year, the teams will each be assigned to a single city when the league becomes city-based in 2026. ESPN has signed on as a founding broadcast partner of the AUSL, and will carry 33 total games exclusively across platforms in 2025, with 30 of them to air on linear television. Additional broadcast partners and other details will be announced at a later date.
Each team drafted their first 12 players (out of 16) at the AUSL Inaugural Draft on January 29. All four teams have since signed a free agent, and will fill out the remainder of their rosters with the incoming class of top NCAA talent who will finish their eligibility in May. The AUSL College Draft will take place in the spring, with details to be announced at a later date.
In addition to the opportunity to compete in the new league, all players will receive benefits unprecedented in the history of the sport, including year-round health insurance, mental health services, paid leave for pregnancy or adoption and in-season childcare.
About Athletes Unlimited Softball League:
Launching in 2025, the AUSL will feature four teams playing a 24-game season (48 total games) in a traditional format. It will also be complemented and followed by the AUSL All-Star Cup (formerly known as the AU Pro Softball Championship Season), creating a new opportunity for the world's best players to compete. In addition to the Player Executive Committee (Aubrey Leach, Megan Faraimo, Sierra Romero, Morgan Zerkle and Sharlize Palacois), softball legends Jennie Finch, Jessica Mendoza, Cat Osterman and Natasha Watley are advisors to the AUSL, consulting with AU leadership and current athletes on the strategic direction of the new league. Kim Ng, a trailblazing executive who most recently became the first woman to serve as General Manager of a major American men's professional sports team, joined the organization in 2024 as a Senior Advisor, overseeing the development of the AUSL. The AUSL will become a city-based league beginning in 2026, while the inaugural season in 2025 will be a touring property featuring games in six to eight different cities. For more information follow @theauslofficial and visit theausl.com.
About Athletes Unlimited:
Named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies, Athletes Unlimited owns and operates professional women's softball, volleyball, and basketball leagues featuring world-class competition and fan experience, and stands out as an organization driven by the athletes that play in the leagues, with athlete representation on the company's board of directors, each league led by a Player Executive Committee, and players sharing in long-term profits of the company, all while being proactive in shaping policies supporting the women that play in the league. Athletes Unlimited is the first professional sports league to be organized as a Public Benefit Corporation. For more information, visit AUProSports.com.
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AUSL SCHEDULE (as of March 4; subject to change)
Day Date Location Home Team Away Team
Saturday June 7 Chicago Bandits Talons
Saturday June 7 Wichita Blaze Volts
Sunday June 8 Chicago Bandits Talons
Sunday June 8 Wichita Blaze Volts
Monday June 9 Wichita Blaze Volts
Tuesday June 10 Chicago Bandits Talons
Thursday June 12 Sulfur, LA Bandits Volts
Friday June 13 Sulfur, LA Bandits Volts
Friday June 13 Chattanooga Blaze Talons
Saturday June 14 Sulfur, LA Bandits Volts
Saturday June 14 Chattanooga Blaze Talons
Sunday June 15 Chattanooga Blaze Talons
Tuesday June 17 Wichita Talons Bandits
Tuesday June 17 Wichita Volts Blaze
Wednesday June 18 Wichita Talons Bandits
Wednesday June 18 Wichita Volts Blaze
Friday June 20 Wichita Blaze Bandits
Friday June 20 TBA Volts Talons
Saturday June 21 Wichita Blaze Bandits
Saturday June 21 TBA Volts Talons
Sunday June 22 Wichita Blaze Bandits
Sunday June 22 TBA Volts Talons
Monday June 23 Wichita Blaze Bandits
Monday June 23 TBA Volts Talons
Break - International Competitions
Monday July 7 Chicago Talons Blaze
Monday July 7 Chicago Bandits Volts
Tuesday July 8 Chicago Talons Volts
Tuesday July 8 Chicago Bandits Blaze
Wednesday July 9 Chicago Talons Volts
Wednesday July 9 Chicago Bandits Blaze
Friday July 11 Omaha Talons Bandits
Friday July 11 TBA Volts Blaze
Saturday July 12 Omaha Talons Bandits
Saturday July 12 TBA Volts Blaze
Sunday July 13 Omaha Talons Bandits
Sunday July 13 TBA Volts Blaze
Wednesday July 16 Salt Lake City Talons Blaze
Thursday July 17 Salt Lake City Talons Blaze
Thursday July 17 Austin Volts Bandits
Friday July 18 Salt Lake City Talons Blaze
Friday July 18 Austin Volts Bandits
Saturday July 19 Salt Lake City Talons Blaze
Saturday July 19 Austin Bandits Volts
Sunday July 20 Austin Bandits Volts
Tuesday July 22 Chicago Bandits Blaze
Tuesday July 22 Tuscaloosa Talons Volts
Wednesday July 23 Chicago Bandits Blaze
Wednesday July 23 Tuscaloosa Talons Volts
AUSL CHAMPIONSHIP
Saturday July 26 Tuscaloosa #1 seed #2 seed
Sunday July 27 Tuscaloosa #1 seed #2 seed
Monday
*if necessary July 28 Tuscaloosa #1 seed #2 seed
AUSL ALL-STAR CUP
Game Day Date Location
1 Saturday August 2 Raleigh
2 Saturday August 2 Raleigh
3 Sunday August 3 Raleigh
4 Monday August 4 Raleigh
5 Wednesday August 6 Greenville, NC
6 Wednesday August 6 Greenville, NC
Break - International Competitions
7 Tuesday August 19 Chicago
8 Tuesday August 19 Chicago
9 Wednesday August 20 Chicago
10 Wednesday August 20 Chicago
11 Thursday August 21 Chicago
12 Thursday August 21 Chicago
13 Sunday August 24 Chicago
14 Sunday August 24 Chicago
15 Monday August 25 Chicago
16 Monday August 25 Chicago
17 Tuesday August 26 Chicago
18 Tuesday August 26 Chicago
19 Friday August 29 Chicago
20 Friday August 29 Chicago
21 Saturday August 30 Chicago
22 Saturday August 30 Chicago
23 Sunday August 31 Chicago
24 Sunday August 31 Chicago
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