AUSL debuts: Rosters, stars to watch in Athletes Unlimited Softball League
AUSL debuts: Rosters, stars to watch in Athletes Unlimited Softball League
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Los Angeles Olympics move softball and canoe to Oklahoma City
Instead of taking place on the West Coast, the sports will be the middle of the country.
The 2025 Women's College World Series just wrapped up and softball fans still riding high from the Texas Longhorns' national championship run are in luck. The inaugural Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) season gets underway on Saturday, meaning you don't have to wait long for fierce competition among world-class athletes.
The AUSL officially kicks off on June 7 with an opening day matchup between the Talons and Bandits in Rosemont, Illinois, followed by a game between the Volts and Blaze in Wichita, Kansas. The Volts-Blaze game will be broadcast nationally on the MLB Network, marking the first pro softball game ever featured on the league's network. It was made possible by some heavy hitters backing the league.
The MLB announced a wide-ranging partnership with the AUSL last week, marking Major League Baseball's first investment in a women's professional sports league. MLB will leverage its broadcast partners and platforms to promote the visibility of the AUSL, which is helmed by commissioner Kim Ng, the former Miami Marlins general manager (2021–23).
2025 SCHEDULE: How to watch Athletes Unlimited Softball League
AUSL: Partnership with MLB will help 'shine light' on softball's biggest stars
Not only does the AUSL have the support of MLB, the women's professional softball league will be shepherded by icons that have helped introduce the world to softball. Seven members of the 2004 gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic softball team are involved with the AUSL as coaches, general managers or advisors: Lisa Fernandez, Stacey Nuveman-Deniz, Cat Osterman, Kelly Kretschman, Jennie Finch, Jessica Mendoza and Natasha Watley.
Here's everything you need to know about the AUSL's debut on Saturday, from full team rosters, to players to watch and the opening week schedule:
AUSL opening week schedule
National TV/streaming networks for each game are shown below. Games are also being broadcast in select local markets; check your local listings or click here.
*All times Eastern
Saturday, June 7
Talons vs. Bandits, 3 p.m. (Rosemont, Illinois) | MLB.com, MLB.tv
Volts vs. Blaze, 7:30 p.m. (Wichita, Kansas) | MLB Network, MLB.tv
Sunday, June 8
Talons vs. Bandits, 2 p.m. (Rosemont, Illinois) | MLB.com, MLB.tv
Volts vs. Blaze, 5 p.m. (Wichita, Kansas) | MLB.com, MLB.tv
Monday, June 9
Volts vs. Blaze, 7 p.m. (Wichita, Kansas) | MLB.com, MLB.tv
Tuesday, June 10
Talons vs. Bandits, 8 p.m. (Rosemont, Illinois) | ESPN2
Thursday, June 12
Volts vs. Bandits, 7 p.m. (Sulphur, Louisiana) | ESPN2
Friday, June 13
Talons vs. Blaze, 6:30 p.m. (Chattanooga, Tennessee) | MLB.com, MLB.tv
Volts vs. Bandits, 9 p.m. (Sulphur, Louisiana) | MLB.com, MLB.tv
View the full season schedule here.
AUSL rosters
The AUSL's inaugural season features four teams — Talons, Bandits, Blaze and Volts — playing a 24-game season across 10 metro areas, including Chicago, Austin and Salt Lake City. Here are the complete rosters:
Bandits full roster
Head coach: Stacey Nuveman Deniz
Stacey Nuveman Deniz General Manager: Jenny Dalton-Hill
Player to Watch: The Bandits went for a "franchise pitcher" with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 AUSL Draft in Lexi Kilfoyl. The Oklahoma State alum was named the Rookie of the Year in the 2024 Championship Season after finishing in second place on the leaderboard behind Bubba Nickles-Camarena, who is now her teammate on the Bandits teammate. Kilfoyl recorded a league-high 39 strikeouts and 59.2 innings pitched in 12 appearances.
Blaze full roster
Head coach: Alisa Goler
Alisa Goler General Manager: Dana Sorensen
Player to Watch: Blaze has a veteran leader in Aleshia Ocasio, who is entering her eighth season of professional softball. Ocasio has played for Athlete's Unlimited since its inception in 2020, winning the individual championship title in 2021 and finishing third in 2024. Last year, Ocasio recorded 22 strikeouts over 39 innings with a 2.51 earned run average in 11 appearances (six starts). Ocasio is also a two-way star and it remains to be seen if she will pick up the bat this season.
Talons full roster
Head coach: Howard Dobson
Howard Dobson General Manager: Lisa Fernandez
Player to Watch: Bri Ellis is carrying a hot bat into the AUSL's inaugural season. Ellis was named the 2025 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, the most prestigious honor in college softball, after a historic senior season where she set Arkansas' single-season program record for home runs (26) and RBIs (72). Ellis and the Razorbacks fell short of the Women's College World Series, but she was drafted second overall in the 2025 AUSL College Draft. Can't go without mentioning pitcher Montana Fouts, who is reuniting with her collegiate catcher Ally Shipman-Shrout.
Volts full roster
Head Coach : Kelly Kretschman
: Kelly Kretschman General Manager: Cat Osterman
Player to Watch: Two-way star Rachel Garcia has won at every level. She led the UCLA Bruins to a national championship in 2019, picked up a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic with Team USA and was crowned the 2023 AUX Season championship. Is an AUSL championship next? Kretschman said the team was built to "compliment" Garcia, who was drafted No. 4 overall by the Volts in the AUSL Inaugural Draft.
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