The Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) today 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:

  • 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) 
  • 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. 

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.

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About Visit Wichita

Visit Wichita markets the greater Wichita area as a major convention and tourism destination, thereby enhancing the economic development of the city, county, region and state. Visit Wichita is led by president and CEO Susie Santo, and in 2024 travel and tourism contributed more than $1.5 billion in economic impact to the greater Wichita area. www.visitwichita.com | @visitwichita

About Athletes Unlimited Softball League:

Launching in 2025, the AUSL will feature four teams playing a 24-game season (48 total games) in a traditional format. It will also be complemented and followed by the AUSL All-Star Cup (formerly known as the AU Pro Softball Championship Season), creating a new opportunity for the world’s best players to compete. In addition to the Player Executive Committee (Aubrey Leach, Megan Faraimo, Sierra Romero, Morgan Zerkle and Sharlize Palacois), softball legends Jennie Finch, Jessica Mendoza, Cat Osterman and Natasha Watley are advisors to the AUSL, consulting with AU leadership and current athletes on the strategic direction of the new league. Kim Ng, a trailblazing executive who most recently became the first woman to serve as General Manager of a major American men’s professional sports team, joined the organization in 2024 as a Senior Advisor, overseeing the development of the AUSL. The AUSL will become a city-based league beginning in 2026, while the inaugural season in 2025 will be a touring property featuring games in six to eight different cities. For more information follow @theauslofficial and visit theausl.com.

About Athletes Unlimited:

Named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, Athletes Unlimited owns and operates professional women’s softball, volleyball, and basketball leagues featuring world-class competition and fan experience, and stands out as an organization driven by the athletes that play in the leagues, with athlete representation on the company’s board of directors, each league led by a Player Executive Committee, and players sharing in long-term profits of the company, all while being proactive in shaping policies supporting the women that play in the league. Athletes Unlimited is the first professional sports league to be organized as a Public Benefit Corporation. For more information, visit AUProSports.com.

AUSL Media Contacts: Scott Miranda, scott@mirandaco.net, 914-806-6771; Jeff Heckelman, jeff@jeffheckelman.com, 631-312-7327