Professional Softball Set to Return to Wichita this Summer

The Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) unveiled the schedule and locations for its inaugural regular season, which launches with Opening Day on Saturday, June 7, which will take place at Wilkins Stadium in Wichita, Kansas. Visit Wichita and Wichita State University (WSU) hosted a previous iteration of Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball in 2024. The AUSL is a new league launching this year with four teams playing in a traditional format.

"Bringing premier women's professional softball back to Wichita is very exciting. It’s a real testament to Wichita State University, our city’s softball community and all the fans who supported this competition last year,” said Josh Howell, vice president of sports development at Visit Wichita. “We are very proud that the Athletes Unlimited Softball League is returning for more thrilling softball action this summer.”

After successfully hosting Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball AUX in Wichita in 2024, Visit Wichita and Wichita State University will serve as host again this year, June 7-9 and June 17-23 at Wilkins Stadium, home of WSU softball. 

“We are excited to welcome professional softball back to Wichita for a second straight summer and to host nine dates of the inaugural regular season of Athletes Unlimited Softball League, including opening day,” said Wichita State Senior Associate AD Brad Pittman. “Additionally, we look forward to having Shocker great Sydney McKinney back in Wilkins Stadium this summer for several days and are eager to continue the momentum established last year.”

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. Each team will travel to 4-6 markets throughout the summer, culminating with the top two teams competing in the AUSL Championship, a best-of-three series to be held July 26-28 at the University of Alabama’s Rhoads Stadium. 

2025 AUSL venues (and series per market) include:

• Rosemont, Illinois (just outside Chicago): The Stadium at Parkway Bank Sports Complex (11 games across four series)

• Wichita, Kansas: Wilkins Stadium at Wichita State University (11 total games across four series) 

• Tuscaloosa, Alabama: Rhoads Stadium at the University of Alabama (two-game series, plus the AUSL Championship) 

• Round Rock, Texas (just outside of Austin, Texas): Dell Diamond in Round Rock, home of the MiLB Triple-A Round Rock Express (four-game series) 

• Salt Lake City, UT:  Dumke Family Softball Stadium at the University of Utah (four-game series) 

• Sulphur, Louisiana: McMurry Park at Lake Charles (three-game series). Held during the Jennie Finch World Series, a youth softball tournament produced by Olympian, USA Softball legend and AUSL Advisor, Jennie Finch. 

• Chattanooga, Tennessee: Jim Frost Stadium at Warner Park (three-game series) 

• Omaha, Nebraska: Connie Claussen Field at University of Nebraska-Omaha (three-game series)

The full schedule can be found here. Series ticket packages are available here. More information, including team rosters and the 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 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 (out of 16) at the AUSL Inaugural Draft on January 29. All four teams have since signed a free agent, and will fill out the remainder of their 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.