WICHITA, Kan. - The AUSL (Athletes Unlimited Softball League) unveiled the schedule and locations for its inaugural regular season, which launches with Opening Day on Saturday, June 7 in Wichita and Chicago. 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 10 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 (11 games across four series)
●
Wichita, Kansas: Wilkins Stadium at Wichita State University (11 total games across four 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 MiLB AAA 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: Jim Frost Stadium at Warner Park (3-game series)
●
Omaha, Nebraska: Connie Claussen Field at University of Nebraska-Omaha (3-game series)
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 innovative Athletes Unlimited scoring system. The venues for these games include:
● Rosemont, Illinois (just outside Chicago): The Stadium at Parkway Bank Sports Complex (18 games)
●
Raleigh, North Carolina: Ting Stadium at Holly Springs (4 games)
●
Greenville, North Carolina: Max R. Joyner Family Stadium at East Carolina University (2 games: the AUSL Pro Games at the Little League Softball World Series presented by DICK'S Sporting Goods)
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 at the AUSL Inaugural Draft on January 29. All four teams have since signed one additional player, and will fill out the remainder of their 16-player 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.
AUSL SCHEDULE (as of March 10; subject to change)
| Day |
Date |
Location |
Home Team |
Away Team |
Time (local) |
| Saturday |
June 7 |
Rosemont |
Bandits |
Talons |
2:00 pm CT |
| Saturday |
June 7 |
Wichita |
Blaze |
Volts |
5:00 pm CT |
| Sunday |
June 8 |
Rosemont |
Bandits |
Talons |
1:00 pm CT |
| Sunday |
June 8 |
Wichita |
Blaze |
Volts |
4:00 pm CT |
| Monday |
June 9 |
Wichita |
Blaze |
Volts |
6:00 pm CT |
| Tuesday |
June 10 |
Rosemont |
Bandits |
Talons |
7:00 pm CT |
| Thursday |
June 12 |
Sulfur, LA |
Bandits |
Volts |
6:00 pm CT |
| Friday |
June 13 |
Chattanooga |
Blaze |
Talons |
6:30 pm ET |
| Friday |
June 13 |
Sulfur, LA |
Bandits |
Volts |
8:00 pm CT |
| Saturday |
June 14 |
Chattanooga |
Blaze |
Talons |
12:00 pm ET |
| Saturday |
June 14 |
Sulfur, LA |
Bandits |
Volts |
8:00 pm CT |
| Sunday |
June 15 |
Chattanooga |
Blaze |
Talons |
2:00 pm ET |
| Tuesday |
June 17 |
Wichita |
Talons |
Bandits |
6:00 pm CT |
| Tuesday |
June 17 |
Wichita |
Volts |
Blaze |
8:30 pm CT |
| Wednesday |
June 18 |
Wichita |
Talons |
Bandits |
6:00 pm CT |
| Wednesday |
June 18 |
Wichita |
Volts |
Blaze |
8:30 pm CT |
| Friday |
June 20 |
Wichita |
Blaze |
Bandits |
6:00 pm CT |
| Friday |
June 20 |
TBA |
Volts |
Talons |
TBA |
| Saturday |
June 21 |
Wichita |
Blaze |
Bandits |
6:00 pm CT |
| Saturday |
June 21 |
TBA |
Volts |
Talons |
TBA |
| Sunday |
June 22 |
Wichita |
Blaze |
Bandits |
4:00 pm CT |
| Sunday |
June 22 |
TBA |
Volts |
Talons |
TBA |
| Monday |
June 23 |
Wichita |
Blaze |
Bandits |
4:00 pm CT |
| Monday |
June 23 |
TBA |
Volts |
Talons |
TBA |
