The Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) today unveiled the schedule and locations for its inaugural 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 three-game series in Wichita. 

2025 AUSL venues (and series per market) include:

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: 

The full schedule for the AUSL Regular Season can be found here. Series ticket packages are available here. More information, including team rosters and the regular season 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 the 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. For more information follow @theauslofficial.