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The National Basketball Association has the WNBA and now, Major League Baseball has the AUSL — the Athletes Unlimited Softball League. It’s a new branch of Athletes Unlimited (AU for short) which also offers women’s volleyball and basketball.
Just ahead of the new league’s first pitch, MLB announced a strategic investment in the AUSL, marking a first-of-its-kind comprehensive partnership with a women’s professional sports league. The four-team AUSL’s Opening Day features two games — one in Rosemont, Ill., at The Stadium at Parkway Bank Sports Complex and one in Wichita, Kan., at Wilkins Stadium (on MLB Network, no less).
“This is a watershed moment for women’s sports and especially for softball,” AUSL Commissioner Kim Ng said in a statement. “MLB’s investment will supercharge our efforts to build the sustainable professional league this sport has long deserved, and sends a powerful message about the value of female athletes and the importance of creating professional opportunities for them. Together, we’re going to reach new fans and inspire the next generation of softball players.”
Indeed, MLB’s ongoing commitment will be substantial (if financially unspecified). The league will work collaboratively to help raise the AUSL’s visibility and that of its athletes via MLB marketing; events; distribution; and editorial, digital and social platforms (including additional games on MLB Network and MLB.com), as well as assist with league operational costs and key growth initiatives.
“[This] represents an opportunity to support softball’s long-term growth and expand our engagement with these outstanding athletes and their fans,” added Commissioner of Baseball Rob Manfred. “As a part of our broader commitment to growing softball and creating more opportunities for women and girls in sports, this agreement reflects our confidence in Kim Ng’s leadership, the AUSL vision and the incredible talent of its athletes.”
Those athletes — including Megan Faraimo, Rachel Garcia, Keilani Ricketts and Amanda Lorenz — are on 16-player rosters for teams named Bandits, Blaze, Talons and Volts. Each team will compete in a 24-game season that runs from June 7 to July 23 and culminates with the top two teams competing in the AUSL Championship. That best-of-three series will be held July 26-28 at the University of Alabama’s Rhoads Stadium.
According to the AUSL website, the average player salary will be $45,000 per season, with opportunities to earn up to $75,000.
Plans call for the AUSL to become a city-based league in 2026. But for now, the league will be what officials refer to as “a touring property,” with games in the following cities:
• Rosemont, Ill. (The Stadium at Parkway Bank Sports Complex)
• Wichita, Kan. (Wilkins Stadium)
• Sulphur, La. (McMurray Park at Lake Charles)
• Chattanooga, Tenn. (Jim Frost Stadium)
• Norman, Okla. (Love’s Field at the University of Oklahoma)
• Omaha, Neb. (Connie Claussen Field at the University of Nebraska-Omaha)
• Seattle, Wash. (Husky Stadium at the University of Washington)
• Salt Lake City, Utah (Dumke Family Softball Stadium at the University of Utah)
• Round Rock, Texas (Dell Diamond)
• Tuscaloosa, Ala. (Rhoads Stadium at the University of Alabama)
See the full schedule here.
This is all part of an effort to expand professional softball in the United Sates ahead of the sport’s return to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles after an absence at the 2024 Games in Paris.
The AUSL stemmed from Athletes Unlimited — which owns and operates professional women’s softball, volleyball and basketball leagues and was named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies. Athletes Unlimited launched in 2020 with the inaugural AU Pro Softball Championship Season.
“This announcement … is really a watershed moment for the AUSL,” Athletes Unlimited CEO and co-founder Jon Patricof told USA TODAY Sports. “For us, the sport has tremendous momentum in many ways. It’s been a sleeping giant. It’s performed so well at the college level, but maybe received less attention than some other sports out there. Major League Baseball is really going to be able to come in and help us shine a light on the incredible athletes and incredible action that exists in pro softball.”
“It is very personal for me,” Ng, who was the first female general manager in Major League Baseball (with the Miami Marlins), told Reuters. “I played softball growing up, I played in college. For me, a lot of my career has been about helping women and paving the path for women, trying to mentor women when I could.”
MLB players applauded their league’s move, too, noting the impact the AUSL could have on young softball players.
“To give people an opportunity to hope and to dream to play a professional sport — and for all of the little girls out there who watch the Monica Abbotts, the Cat Ostermans of the world, they have a place to go play — I think that’s extremely special,” Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Springer, whose sisters and wife played collegiate softball, told MLB.com.
“It’s very cool,” added J.T. Realmuto, a catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. “I have two girls myself that, right now, are loving T-ball. So just to know that, in the future, if they want to pursue that avenue, there’s somewhere they can go for that. It’s great.”
Want to know more about the AUSL? Check out its website, which includes detailed player profiles and ticket information, as well as a handy FAQ.
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