The Women’s College World Series crowns the 2025 NCAA softball champion on Friday, but fans don’t have to wait until 2026 to see high-level softball. The Athletes Unlimited Softball League begins Saturday with the inaugural games in the new professional league.
Athletes Unlimited has been around since 2020 but announced its intentions to launch a traditional softball league in 2025, starting with four teams. MLB also purchased an equity stake in the AUSL, in which Kim Ng, the former general manager of the Miami Marlins, is commissioner.
The new softball league is set for a 24-game season at a handful of cities around the country. And while professional softball has had numerous leagues over the years, none have quite stuck. But, none of those other leagues had the backing of Major League Baseball, either.
AUSL is launching with four teams – Bandits, Blaze, Talons, Volts – for its first season, and some of softball’s biggest legends are serving as advisors for the league, including Olympic medalists Jennie Finch, Cat Osterman, Jessica Mendoza and Natasha Watley. As for the players, the league includes some big names who have played in Athletes Unlimited in the past few years after shining at the collegiate level, as well as graduating college stars.
The AUSL plans to become a city-based league in 2026, but the inaugural 2025 season will be played on a touring basis, with the four teams traveling to 10 different cities. See the full schedule below:
AUSL regular-season schedule
June 7: at Rosemont, Illinois
- Talons vs. Bandits, 3 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
June 7: at Wichita, Kansas
- Volts vs. Blaze, 7:30 p.m. | MLB Network, MLB.tv
June 8: at Rosemont, Illinois
- Talons vs. Bandits, 2 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
June 8: at Wichita, Kansas
- Volts vs. Blaze, 5 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
June 9: at Wichita, Kansas
- Volts vs. Blaze, 7 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
June 10: at Rosemont, Illinois
- Talons vs. Bandits, 8 p.m. | ESPN2
June 12: at Sulphur, Louisiana
- Volts vs. Bandits, 7 p.m. | ESPN2
June 13: at Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Talons vs. Blaze, 6:30 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
June 13: at Sulphur, Louisiana
- Volts vs. Bandits, 9 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
June 14: at Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Talons vs. Blaze, 12 p.m. | ESPNU
June 14: at Sulphur, Louisiana
- Volts vs. Bandits, 7:30 p.m. | MLB Network, MLB.tv
June 15: at Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Talons vs. Blaze, 2 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
June 17: at Wichita, Kansas
- Bandits vs. Talons, 7 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
June 17: at Wichita, Kansas
- Blaze vs. Volts, 9:30 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
June 18: at Wichita, Kansas
- Bandits vs. Talons, 7 p.m. | ESPNU
June 18: at Wichita, Kansas
- Blaze vs. Volts, 9:30 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
June 20: at Wichita, Kansas
- Bandits vs. Blaze, 7 p.m. | ESPNU
June 20: at Norman, Oklahoma
- Talons vs. Volts, 8:30 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
June 21: at Norman, Oklahoma
- Talons vs. Volts, 5 p.m. | ESPNU
June 21: at Wichita, Kansas
- Bandits vs. Blaze, 7 p.m. | MLB Network, MLB.tv
June 22: at Wichita, Kansas
- Bandits vs. Blaze, 5 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
June 22: at Norman, Oklahoma
- Talons vs. Volts, 7 p.m. | ESPNU
June 23: at Wichita, Kansas
- Bandits vs. Blaze, 6:30 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
June 23: at Norman, Oklahoma
- Talons vs. Volts, 8:30 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
***Break – International Competitions***
July 7: at Rosemont, Illinois
- Bandits vs. Volts, 7 p.m. | ESPN2
July 7: at Rosemont, Illinois
- Blaze vs. Talons, 9:30 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
July 8: at Rosemont, Illinois
- Blaze vs. Bandits, 4:30 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
July 8: at Rosemont, Illinois
- Volts vs. Talons, 7 p.m. | ESPNU
July 9: at Rosemont, Illinois
- Blaze vs. Bandits, 11:30 AM vs. MLB.com, MLB.tv
July 9: at Rosemont, Illinois
- Volts vs. Talons, 2 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
July 11: at Omaha, Nebraska
- Bandits vs. Talons, 7 p.m. | ESPNU
July 11: at Seattle
- Blaze vs. Volts, 10 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
July 12: at Omaha, Nebraska
- Bandits vs. Talons, 7 p.m. | MLB Network, MLB.tv
July 12: at Seattle
- Blaze vs. Volts, 9 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
July 13: at Omaha, Nebraska
- Bandits vs. Talons, 1 p.m. | ESPN2
July 13: at Seattle
- Blaze vs. Volts, 4 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
July 16: at Salt Lake City
- Blaze vs. Talons, 7 p.m. | ESPNU
July 17: at Austin, Texas
- Bandits vs. Volts, 7 p.m. | ESPN2
July 17: at Salt Lake City
- Blaze vs. Talons, 9:30 p.m. | MLB Network, MLB.tv
July 18: at Austin, Texas
- Bandits vs. Volts, 8 p.m. | ESPNU
July 18: at Salt Lake City
- Blaze vs. Talons, 9 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
July 19: at Salt Lake City
- Blaze vs. Talons, 6 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
July 19: at Austin, Texas
- Volts vs. Bandits, 8 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
July 20: at Austin, Texas
- Volts vs. Bandits, 7 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
July 22: at Tuscaloosa, Alabama
- Volts vs. Talons, 7 p.m. | ESPNU
July 22: at Rosemont, Illinois
- Blaze vs. Bandits, 8:30 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
July 23: at Tuscaloosa, Alabama
- Volts vs. Talons, 7 p.m. | ESPNU
July 23: at Rosemont, Illinois
- Blaze vs. Bandits, 8:30 p.m. | MLB.com, MLB.tv
AUSL Championship schedule
July 26: at Tuscaloosa, Alabama
- No. 1 seed vs. No. 2 seed, 5 p.m. | ESPN2
July 27: at Tuscaloosa, Alabama
- No. 1 seed vs. No. 2 seed, 4 p.m. | ESPN2
July 28: at Tuscaloosa, Alabama
- No. 1 seed vs. No. 2 seed, 7 p.m. | ESPN2
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
