- Chicago Bandits and Portland Cascade meet in win-or-go-home play-in game Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN Deportes
- Best-of-three AUSL Championship begins Saturday at 1 p.m. on ABC, marking first professional softball game on network television
- Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5 Celebration Brings Woody, Jessie and Immersive Fan Experiences to Championship Game 1
ESPN will present exclusive coverage of the 2026 Athletes Unlimited Softball League postseason beginning Thursday, July 23, from Davis Diamond at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Coverage includes the single-elimination Play-In Game on ESPN and ESPN Deportes and the complete best-of-three AUSL Championship series across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.
Postseason action begins Thursday at 9 p.m. ET, when the No. 2 seed Chicago Bandits face the No. 3 seed Portland Cascade in a win-or-go-home Play-In Game on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. The winner will advance to face the No. 1 seed and defending champion Utah Talons in the AUSL Championship.
The AUSL Championship series begins Saturday, July 25, at 1 p.m. ET on ABC, marking a historic first for the sport: the first professional softball game ever televised on a U.S. broadcast network. The landmark telecast will be further enhanced by special Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5 activations bringing together ESPN, Pixar and the AUSL. The multiplatform activation will extend across the ABC broadcast, ESPN social content and the fan experience at Davis Diamond.
Game 2 will air Sunday, July 26, at 2 p.m. on ESPN, followed by a decisive Game 3, if necessary, Monday, July 27, at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. All the championship action will also be available in Spanish on ESPN Deportes.
Beth Mowins will call the AUSL Championship series alongside analyst Amanda Scarborough, with Danielle Lawrie serving as field analyst and reporter from Davis Diamond.
ESPN’s coverage will feature 23 cameras, including three super-slow-motion cameras, a drone and a shallow-depth-of-field handheld camera. It will also feature the unique all-access coverage that has become a staple of the AUSL season, with one player from each team mic’d live during the games, complemented by in-game interviews and the signature “Chair Chats.”
Championship Notes:
- Utah claims the No. 1 seed: Utah and Chicago finished the regular season tied for the league’s best record at 16-9, with the Talons earning the top seed and a direct berth in the championship series through the head-to-head tiebreaker. Utah secured the spot with a 3-1 victory over Chicago in Sunday’s regular-season finale, led by Georgina Corrick’s complete-game, two-hit performance and Jordan Woolery’s go-ahead squeeze bunt in the sixth inning.
- Talons chase history: The defending champions will look to become the first team in AUSL history to win consecutive titles.
- Chicago enters with momentum: The Bandits won 12 of their final 14 games to climb from below .500 into a tie for the league’s best record before settling for the No. 2 seed.
- Portland makes an immediate impact: The Cascade secured the final postseason berth in their first season as an AUSL expansion franchise after establishing Portland as one of the league’s strongest markets and consistently drawing sellout crowds.
- Megan Grant powers the Cascade: The rookie enters the Play-In Game after finishing the regular season with 10 home runs, one shy of the AUSL single-season record.
Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5 Comes to the AUSL Championship
In celebration of Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story 5, ESPN, Pixar and the AUSL will bring a multiplatform activation to Championship Game 1, extending across Saturday’s ABC telecast, ESPN social content and the fan experience at Davis Diamond.
Fan-favorite Toy Story characters Woody and Jessie will visit the two championship contenders at practice to create custom content before joining Saturday’s game-day festivities. Woody and Jessie will lead a pregame parade featuring youth softball players and take part in the ceremonial first pitch moment with viral youth softball athlete Paisley Woods. Paisley’s sister, Posie, will also be on hand to cheer her on.
ESPN will capture the pregame parade and ceremonial first pitch for inclusion in the ABC telecast. Fans attending the game can also step into a re-creation of Bonnie’s room in the Davis Diamond fan zone for a themed photo opportunity. The experience will include Toy Story 5-inspired games, product prizes, giveaways and additional surprises for select fans, including a limited-edition Disney Lorcana trading card.
The 2026 AUSL season is averaging 198,000 viewers to date, up +183% vs this time last year.
The full 2026 AUSL Postseason schedule is available here.
