After a historic inaugural season, the Athletes Unlimited Softball League is expanding.
The Oklahoma City Spark and Cascade will be added to the original four franchises – the Bandits, Blaze, Talons, and Volts – bolstering the league to six clubs in 2026.
The AUSL will facilitate a two-part draft process to support competitive balance. The AUSL Draft will air live on ESPNU on Monday, December 1, at 7 p.m. ET.
The Expansion Draft is designed to allow the two new franchises to build the foundation of their roster by selecting from unprotected players currently affiliated with existing AUSL teams.
Expansion Draft Process
The four original teams will protect five players, preventing them from being selected by an expansion team.
The two expansion clubs will alternate selecting from the pool of unprotected players using a snake format. A coin toss will determine which team has the first pick.
Each expansion team will select five players. A maximum of three athletes may be selected from one original team within the first 10 picks.
There may be up to three additional rounds. Original teams may add a player to their protected lists before each round.
Minimum requirements: Expansion teams may choose to stop selecting after six players. Original teams may stop protecting after each expansion team has six players on its roster.
Original teams may lose up to five athletes.
Next Steps
Following the Expansion Draft, the AUSL will hold the Allocation Draft, during which all six teams may select players not currently on AUSL rosters.
Read More: AUSL Allocation Draft Process
Each team will also select at least two NCAA players during the College Draft in the spring.
Q&A
What is a “protected player”?
A protected player is an athlete from a 2025 AUSL Roster chosen by the General Manager to stay on the team.
What is an “unprotected player”?
An unprotected player is a player currently on an AUSL roster and is eligible to be selected by the Expansion Teams in the Expansion Draft. If an unprotected player is not selected by an Expansion Team, they remain on their current roster.
What is the draft order of the Expansion Draft?
A coin toss will determine the No. 1 pick between the expansion teams. The remaining order will be a snake format.
How many players can teams draft in the Expansion Draft?
The maximum number of players an expansion team can select is eight; the minimum is six.
Will there be a minimum number of rounds for the Allocation draft?
No, there will be no minimum number of rounds for the Allocation Draft. If a team does not desire to select any more players, it will state “Pass.” Once all six teams have passed, the Allocation Draft will end.
Who is in the pool of athletes that the expansion teams can choose from during the expansion draft?
Unprotected players on current AUSL rosters.
What happens to the players on the roster who are not selected during the expansion draft?
Players who are not selected in the Expansion Draft will remain with their current team.
Will the teams change this much every year?
Expansion Drafts are typically employed to promote the equitable distribution of talent across a league’s teams. This year’s roster changes are primarily the result of the league’s expansion to six franchises. An Allocation Draft will be held every year to distribute “available players”.
What happens to the 2025 Spark roster?
The contracts of the players who played for the Oklahoma City Spark in 2025 have expired. Therefore, the Spark will begin with a fresh roster in 2026.
Players currently on the Oklahoma City Spark roster will have the opportunity to enter the AUSL’s Allocation Draft, giving them the chance to be selected by teams across the league and continue their pro careers in the AUSL.
How will the Spark roster build a new roster?
The team will build its roster through the 2026 AUSL Draft and AUSL College Draft, which will take place in the spring of 2026.
How big will rosters be in the end?
Opening Day Rosters will again hold a minimum of 15 players and a maximum of 16 players.
