After barnstorming its way into softball fans’ hearts in its inaugural season, the Athletes Unlimited Softball League has selected the six cities that will serve as the lasting homes of its newly expanded field of teams.
Say hello to the Carolina Blaze, Chicago Bandits, Oklahoma City Spark, Portland Cascade, Texas Volts and Utah Talons -- the six softball squads that will suit up for the AUSL’s second season in a 2026 summer slate officially announced Tuesday.
ATHLETES UNLIMITED SOFTBALL LEAGUE
Backed by a strategic investment from Major League Baseball, the AUSL had an exciting debut in 2025, with the Blaze, Bandits, Volts and champion Talons touring the country for the regular-season schedule and drawing strong attendance and viewership numbers along the way.
Now, with those four teams assigned permanent homes and the Spark and Cascade joining the AUSL, the league will shift to a more traditional, city-based model in its continuing bid to help shape the future of professional women’s sports.
Opening Day for the AUSL’s 2026 season is slated for June 9.
“The athletes are excited about getting into home markets and having hometown crowds,” AUSL Commissioner Kim Ng said. “That’s where you can draw the strongest connections, when you have a consistent presence and fans can get to know who those players are.”
At www.theausl.com, fans can become founding season-ticket members for any of the six teams. Single-game tickets will be available at a later date.
The AUSL was created to capitalize on the growing popularity of softball and to become a staple in a sport in which previous professional leagues lacked the finances to stay afloat. The league’s arrival has created a more viable pathway for talented players to continue their careers after college, and now the establishment of host cities creates an even firmer footprint.
“One of the really interesting things we saw over the course of the summer [in 2025] was how many people were traveling [for AUSL games],” Ng said. “In having six stable and consistent locations, people can plan their summers and coordinate their tournaments and coordinate their travel-ball experiences along with our schedule. It’s really quite powerful.”
Each of the six teams will play a 25-game schedule, made up of series of two or three games.
The regular season will run from June 9-July 20, and the playoff format has been expanded to include a play-in game between the league’s second- and third-ranked teams, with the No. 1 seed earning a bye into the best-of-three AUSL Championship. Each of those playoff games will be played at a neutral site to be announced at a later date.
The AUSL recently announced a multiyear media rights extension with ESPN, which will carry 47 regular-season games, as well as the AUSL Championship (with Game 1 on ABC).
Once again, the season will be followed by the AUSL All-Star Cup, to be held at the Bandits’ home facility in Rosemont, Ill.
Here’s more on the AUSL’s six teams and their homes:
Carolina Blaze
Smith Family Stadium at Duke University
Durham, N.C.
The Carolinas have a strong softball presence, from youth programs like the prestigious Carolina Cardinals to the collegiate ranks. And the annual Little League Softball World Series is held in Greenville, N.C.
So the region was seen as a natural fit for an AUSL entry. And the Blaze come with the added benefit of having two former Duke standouts -- infielder Ana Gold (the reigning AUSL Rookie of the Year) and pitcher Jala Wright -- on the roster.
Chicago Bandits
The Stadium at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex
Rosemont, Ill.
Chicago was actually the birthplace of softball. And the Parkway Bank Sports Complex, which resides on Jennie Finch Way, had previously hosted the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) Chicago Bandits, who won four NPF championships between 2008 and '16, before becoming the host site for the AUSL All-Star Cup and portions of the AUSL’s inaugural season.
So it was no secret that Chicago would get a team, and bringing the Bandits name back to the Windy City made sense, too. The location, right near O’Hare International Airport, creates a draw for fans in the Midwest.
Oklahoma City Spark
Tom Heath Field at Oklahoma Christian University
Oklahoma City
As the home of USA Softball, the National Softball Hall of Fame and Museum and the Women’s College World Series, Oklahoma City is the sport’s epicenter. The area has a rich tradition in the youth, collegiate and national levels, and the Spark -- a previously existing professional unit that will enter the AUSL with a fresh roster -- will add to it.
Sparks players Kinzie Hansen, Haley Lee and Sydney Romero all previously starred at the University of Oklahoma, so they are already endeared to the area. The Spark also have star power in the form of Maya Brady (niece of NFL legend Tom Brady), who was the club’s No. 1 pick in the recent AUSL Expansion Draft.
Portland Cascade
Hillsboro Ballpark
Hillsboro, Ore.
With the popularity of teams like the WNBA’s Seattle Storm and the National Women’s Soccer League’s Portland Thorns and even what is considered the world’s first women’s sports bar (Portland’s Sports Bra), the Pacific Northwest has proven to be a hotbed for professional women’s sports.
So although Portland was the only one of these six locations to not host any AUSL games during the inaugural season because of logistics issues, the city and its expansion team are considered important additions to the league.
“Portland metro is a passionate sports market,” Ng said. “Portland has shown it will show up for women’s sports on a large scale. It’s in their culture, it’s in their fiber.”
Cascade players Sis Bates (University of Washington) and Paige Sinicki (University of Oregon) are already popular in the region.
Texas Volts
Dell Diamond
Round Rock, Texas
Volts general manager Cat Osterman, head coach Ricci Woodard and utility player Mia Scott will need no introduction in these parts. Osterman is a University of Texas at Austin legend, Scott recently starred for the Longhorns during their College World Series title run in 2025 and Woodard is the longtime softball coach at Texas State.
The AUSL saw strong support when it held games in Round Rock last summer, and Dell Diamond is considered a world-class venue for athletes and fans. Reid Ryan, son of Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan and co-founder of the group that owns the Triple-A Round Rock Express (who also play at Dell Diamond), has helped the AUSL get acclimated.
Utah Talons
Dumke Family Stadium at University of Utah
Salt Lake City
Dumke Family Stadium saw sellout crowds for AUSL games last summer, and housing the defending champion Talons should only add to the momentum the city has experienced as a dynamic sports market.
Having former University of Utah All-American (and reigning AUSL Defensive Player of the Year) Hannah Flippen on the roster helps, too.
As the AUSL heads into its second season and first with permanent homes for its teams, Ng said the league will be eyeing ideas for future expansion.
“We are hoping that this grows,” she said. “Each market is very different -- different personalities, different cultures. These will all be interesting test cases for the future.”
For more information, follow @theauslofficial and visit www.theausl.com.