AUSL Reveals Team Identities
- Bandits, Blaze, Talons, and Volts to Take the Field in Spring 2025
Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) today announced the identities for its four inaugural teams – the Bandits, Blaze, Talons, and Volts – which will take the field for the new league’s launch in spring 2025.
The AUSL will be a touring property in 2025, with the Bandits, Blaze, Talons, and Volts playing games in six to eight different cities. The teams will each be assigned to a single city when the league becomes city-based in 2026.
Last week, the AUSL announced its General Managers and Head Coaches, a highly decorated and seasoned group of softball veterans including Olympic gold medalists Lisa Fernandez, Stacey Nuveman-Deniz and Cat Osterman. The group of four General Managers and four Head Coaches boasts among them nine Olympic medals, 11 NCAA championships (as players and coaches), and 26 NCAA All-American honors.
The General Managers and Coaches will be paired with each team as follows:
- Bandits: Jenny Dalton-Hill (General Manager); Stacey Nuveman-Deniz (Head Coach)
- Blaze: Dana Sorensen (General Manager); Alisa Goler (Head Coach)
- Talons: Lisa Fernandez (General Manager); Howard Dobson (Head Coach)
- Volts: Cat Osterman (General Manager); Kelly Kretschman (Head Coach)
“Since the new AUSL league was announced this summer, the softball world has been abuzz. Now, with team names and logos, our new General Managers and Head Coaches, and our new players and returnees, the AUSL has come to life” said AUSL Senior Advisor Kim Ng, who is charged with designing and launching the new league. “We look forward to celebrating with the entire softball community at the NFCA Convention this week.”
More on the AUSL Team Brand Identities
Created in consultation with DAME Creative and Milk Bar Design, the AUSL team identities and logos were developed as part of a collaborative process that included input from AUSL advisors, players, and others within the Athletes Unlimited family. In addition to representing the core values of Athletes Unlimited and building upon the history of softball, the teams were designed to give them each a unique personality and story:
- Bandits: The Bandits were a beloved softball franchise with a deep following and great history, not just in the Chicago area but across the softball universe. The AUSL is re-introducing this brand, ready to make new history. As the Bandits’ history is retained, the franchise is brought to life again with new colors. The logo’s bold, contemporary, and memorable script alludes to its historical status as one of the most beloved teams in softball history.
- Blaze: The unapologetic speed that fuels this team is fire. The Blaze softball team is bold, strong, and sizzles. They are iconically fast, and bring heat to the field. The Blaze logo is modern and refined, with typography that evokes forward motion and progress – for the sport, for the athletes, and for our fans. The Blaze will be energetic and unstoppable, and their colors reflect a contemporary presence on the field.
- Talons: The Talons name and identity are inspired by the Peregrine Falcon – a fierce, powerful, athletic, and striking bird. The peregrine is the fastest animal on earth (reaching speeds of up to 200mph while diving). The females of the species are larger and dominant. The Peregrine use their strong talons to grab their prey, much like the Talons softball team will be focused on grabbing victory.
- Volts: A surge of power is exactly what this team delivers. A team is made stronger by its collective force, and this is built into the DNA of the name and identity of the Volts. The colors of the Volts are inspired by courage, struggle, movement, confidence, and power. A kinetic “V” is a clean and literally “powerful” design element – a pulse of energy.
“Every part of this project – colors and names, graphics and details – was intentionally crafted and developed to represent the values of Athletes Unlimited, the world-class athletes of the AUSL, and our community of fans, while celebrating and building upon the rich history of softball,” said Andrew Schloss, Creative Director, Athletes Unlimited. “Our goal was to create dynamic team identities and to help the AUSL establish itself as the premier major professional softball league within the broader sports and cultural landscape.”
“The opportunity to work alongside Athletes Unlimited on the identities of the teams in this legendary league launch was inspiring, humbling, and challenging. There was collaboration and inclusivity at every turn – tenets that will take the organization, the athletes, and women’s sports to new heights,” said Susan Betteridge, Chief Creative Officer, DAME Creative. “Pro sports teams are some of the most beloved, emotional brands in our society. We drew upon powerful forces and the athletes as our inspiration, with identities that have tension and will evoke more meaning when fans make them their own.”
“We had the privilege of working closely with the AUSL to help design distinctive identities for their new teams,” said Joanna Kuczek, Creative Director, Milk Bar Design. “Our approach was straightforward: to create bold, ownable marks that capture the unique spirit and energy of each team while resonating with the fans who will rally behind them.”
The AUSL will have a major presence at the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Convention in Dallas this week, with AUSL Senior Advisor Kim Ng delivering a keynote address. In addition, many of the General Managers and Head Coaches will be in attendance at an AUSL reception at the convention celebrating the league’s upcoming launch.
The AUSL also recently announced the first group of players to sign with the new league, including Carley Hoover, a 2016 World Cup of Softball Silver Medalist for Team USA and Dejah Mulipola, a 2020 Olympic Silver Medalist with Team USA and former AU Pro Softball individual champion, as well as Erin Coffel, Payton Gottshall, Kayla Kowalik, Aubrey Leach, Mariah Mazon, Jordan Roberts, Anissa Urtez, Jessi Warren and Morgan Zerkle.
