2026 AUSL season

2026 AUSL season
League	Athletes Unlimited Softball League
Sport	Softball
Duration	June 9 – July 20, 2026
Games	25 (150 in total)
Teams	6
TV partner	ESPN
Draft
Top draft pick	Allocation draft: Kelly Maxwell College draft: TBA
Picked by	Allocation draft: Portland Cascade College draft: TBA
Seasons
← 2025 2027 →

The 2026 AUSL season is the upcoming second season of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League. There will be six teams in the league consisting of the Chicago Bandits, Carolina Blaze, Utah Talons, and Texas Volts, joined by expansion teams Portland Cascade and Oklahoma City Spark.

Drafts

On December 1, 2025, the AUSL held an expansion and subsequent allocation draft following the addition of the two expansion teams. The drafts were aired on ESPNU. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

The annual College Draft will be held in Spring 2026. ^[4]

Expansion draft

Protected players

^{[3] [5]}

Bandits	Blaze	Talons	Volts
Erin Coffel	Ana Gold	Georgina Corrick	Rachel Garcia
Lexi Kilfoyl	Baylee Klingler	Megan Faraimo	Amanda Lorenz
Taylor McQuillin	Aubrey Leach	Hannah Flippen	Mia Scott
Morgan Zerkle	Kayla Kowalik	Sharlize Palacios	Tiare Jennings
Skylar Wallace	Keilani Ricketts	Montana Fouts	Dejah Mulipola
Mary Iakopo	Aleshia Ocasio	Caroline Jacobsen	Sierra Romero
Bella Dayton	Devyn Netz	Sahvanna Jaquish	Ciara Briggs

First round

Pick	Name	New team	Position	Previous team
1	Maya Brady	Oklahoma City Spark	Utility	Talons
2	Sam Landry	Cascade	Pitcher	Volts

Second round

Pick	Name	New team	Position	Previous team
3	Carley Hoover	Cascade	Pitcher	Blaze
4	Sydney McKinney	Spark	Utility	Bandits

Third round

Pick	Name	New team	Position	Previous team
5	Sydney Romero	Spark	Infielder	Blaze
6	Sierra Sacco	Cascade	Outfielder	Talons

Fourth round

Pick	Name	New team	Position	Previous team
7	Payton Gottshall	Cascade	Pitcher	Volts
8	Jessie Warren	Spark	Infielder	Volts

Fifth round

Pick	Name	New team	Position	Previous team
9	Alana Vawter	Spark	Pitcher	Blaze
10	Korbe Otis	Cascade	Outfielder	Blaze

Sixth round

Pick	Name	New team	Position	Previous team
11	Tori Vidales	Cascade	Infielder	Talons
12	Bubba Nickles-Camarena	Spark	Outfielder	Bandits

Seventh round

Pick	Name	New team	Position	Previous team
13	Delanie Wisz	Spark	Catcher/Utility	Bandits
14	Pass	Cascade

Eighth round

Pick	Name	New team	Position	Previous team
15	Pass	Spark

Allocation draft

First round

Pick	Name	Team	Position	College
1	Kelly Maxwell	Cascade	Pitcher	Oklahoma
2	Kinzie Hansen	Oklahoma City Spark	Catcher	Oklahoma
3	Jayda Coleman	Talons	Outfielder	Oklahoma
4	Kathryn Sandercock	Bandits	Pitcher	Florida State
5	Alyssa Brito	Blaze	Infielder	Oklahoma
6	Ally Carda	Volts	Pitcher	UCLA

Second round

Pick	Name	Team	Position	College
7	Maddie Penta	Spark	Pitcher	Auburn
8	Mia Davidson	Cascade	Catcher	Mississippi State
9	Jadelyn Allchin	Talons	Outfielder	UCLA
10	Jocelyn Alo	Bandits	Utility	Oklahoma
11	Jenna Laird	Blaze	Infielder	Missouri
12	Alyssa Denham	Volts	Pitcher	Arizona

Third round

Pick	Name	Team	Position	College
13	Sis Bates [a]	Cascade	Infielder	Washington
14	Jailyn Ford	Spark	Pitcher	James Madison
15	Rachel Becker	Talons	Infielder	Oklahoma State
16	Jessica Clements	Bandits	Outfielder	UCLA
17	Jala Wright	Blaze	Pitcher	Duke
18	Rylie Boone	Volts	Outfielder	Oklahoma

Fourth round

Pick	Name	Team	Position	College
19	Billie Andrews	Spark	Infielder	Nebraska
20	Paige Sinicki	Cascade	Infielder	Oregon
21	Maddie Moore	Talons	Infielder	Clemson
22	Sami Williams	Bandits	Infielder	Iowa State
23	Valerie Cagle	Blaze	Pitcher/Utility	Clemson
24 [b]	Aliyah Binford	Volts	Pitcher/Utility	Mississippi

Fifth round

Pick	Name	Team	Position	College
25	Ali Newland	Cascade	Catcher/Utility	Louisiana State
26	Sydney Sherrill	Spark	Infielder	Florida State
27	Aliyah Andrews	Talons	Outfielder	Louisiana State
28	Emiley Kennedy	Bandits	Pitcher	Texas A&M
29	Pass	Blaze

Sixth round

Pick	Name	Team	Position	College
30	Haley Lee	Spark	Catcher/Utility	Oklahoma
31	Kendra Falby	Cascade	Outfielder	Florida
32	Pass	Talons
33	Pass	Bandits

Seventh round

Pick	Name	Team	Position	College
34	Pass	Spark
35	Pass	Cascade

Notes

1. Played with and was initially drafted by the Volts for the 2025 season.
2. With this pick, the Volts reached the maximum numbers of players allowed on their roster ahead of the 2026 College Draft.

Teams

See also: Athletes Unlimited Softball League § Teams

On November 12, 2025, the league announced the addition of two expansion teams: the Cascade and the Oklahoma City Spark. The Spark previously played in Association of Fastpitch Professionals and is the first AUSL team to have a confirmed home location (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma). ^{[6] [7]} The locations of the remaining five teams, as well as the ballparks for all six, were unveiled on January 13, 2026. ^{[8] [9]} At this time, it was also confirmed that the Bandits are the continuation of the National Pro Fastpitch team of the same name. ^{[10] [11]}

Chicago Bandits

See also: Chicago Bandits § Players

Chicago Bandits roster   Pitchers  3 Odicci Alexander 11 Emiley Kennedy  8 Lexi Kilfoyl 82 Taylor McQuillin -- Kathryn Sandercock Catchers 92 Mary Iakopo Outfielders -- Jocelyn Alo -- Jessica Clements  6 Bella Dayton 18 Morgan Zerkle   Infielders 21 Erin Coffel 17 Skylar Wallace -- Sami Williams Utility   Reference: [12] Updated: January 13, 2026

Bandits coaching staff Jenny Dalton-Hill (General manager) Shonda Stanton (Head coach) Reference: [13]

Carolina Blaze

Carolina Blaze roster   Pitchers 27 Emma Lemley 34 Devyn Netz  8 Aleshia Ocasio 10 Keilani Ricketts -- Jala Wright Catchers Outfielders 86 McKenzie Clark   Infielders -- Alyssa Brito  4 Ana Gold  3 Baylee Klingler -- Jenna Laird 75 Aubrey Leach Utility -- Valerie Cagle 99 Kayla Kowalik   Reference: [14] Updated: December 2, 2025

Blaze coaching staff Dana Sorensen (General manager) Kara Dill (Head coach) Reference: [15]

Portland Cascade

Portland Cascade roster   Pitchers 33 Payton Gottshall 22 Carley Hoover 21 Sam Landry -- Kelly Maxwell Catchers 33 Mia Davidson Outfielders 37 Kendra Falby 44 Ali Newland 33 Korbe Otis 21 Sierra Sacco   Infielders 22 Sis Bates 36 Paige Sinicki 29 Tori Vidales Utility   Reference: [16] Updated: January 14, 2026

Cascade coaching staff Jami Lobpries (General manager) Tairia Flowers (Head coach) Reference: [17] [18]

Oklahoma City Spark

Oklahoma City Spark roster   Pitchers -- Jailyn Ford -- Maddie Penta 15 Alana Vawter Catchers -- Kinzie Hansen -- Haley Lee Outfielders 48 Bubba Nickles   Infielders -- Billie Andrews 26 Sydney McKinney  2 Sydney Romero -- Sydney Sherrill 30 Jessie Warren 97 Delanie Wisz Utility  7 Maya Brady   Reference: [19] Updated: December 3, 2025

Spark coaching staff Kirk Walker (General manager) Amber Flores (Head coach) Reference: [20]

Utah Talons

Utah Talons roster   Pitchers 22 Georgina Corrick 80 Megan Faraimo 14 Montana Fouts Catchers 13 Sharlize Palacios Outfielders 42 Jadelyn Allchin 11 Aliyah Andrews -- Jayda Coleman 51 Caroline Jacobsen   Infielders -- Rachel Becker 19 Hannah Flippen -- Maddie Moore Utility 27 Sahvanna Jaquish   Reference: [21] Updated: December 3, 2025

Talons coaching staff Lisa Fernandez (General manager) Howard Dobson (Head coach) Reference: [22]

Texas Volts

Texas Volts roster   Pitchers 25 Aliyah Binford -- Ally Carda -- Alyssa Denham  0 Rachel Garcia Catchers 51 Michaela Edenfield  2 Dejah Mulipola Outfielders -- Rylie Boone 88 Ciara Briggs 18 Amanda Lorenz   Infielders 23 Tiare Jennings 32 Sierra Romero  7 Kelsey Stewart-Hunter Utility 13 Danieca Coffey 10 Mia Scott   Reference: [23] Updated: December 3, 2025

Volts coaching staff Cat Osterman (General manager) Ricci Woodard (Head coach) Reference: [24]

Schedule

The season schedule was announced on January 13, 2026, with each team scheduled to play 25 games. The regular season will begin on June 9 and conclude on July 20, followed by a play-in game, the best of three AUSL Championship series, and the 2026 All-Star Cup. ^[8]

ESPN will broadcast 47 regular season games and the championship series. ^[8]

2026 AUSL regular season

June Date Time (CT) Visitor Result Home TV Location June 9 TBA Bandits – Talons TBA Dumke Family Stadium TBA Cascade – Blaze TBA Smith Family Stadium TBA Volts – Spark TBA Tom Heath Field June 10 TBA Bandits – Talons TBA Dumke Family Stadium TBA Cascade – Blaze TBA Smith Family Stadium TBA Volts – Spark TBA Tom Heath Field June 11 TBA Bandits – Talons TBA Dumke Family Stadium TBA Cascade – Blaze TBA Smith Family Stadium TBA Volts – Spark TBA Tom Heath Field June 13 TBA Spark – Bandits TBA Parkway Bank Sports Complex TBA Volts – Blaze TBA Smith Family Stadium TBA Cascade – Talons TBA Dumke Family Stadium June 14 TBA Spark – Bandits TBA Parkway Bank Sports Complex TBA Cascade – Talons TBA Dumke Family Stadium June 15 TBA Volts – Blaze TBA Smith Family Stadium TBA Cascade – Talons TBA Dumke Family Stadium June 16 TBA Spark – Bandits TBA Parkway Bank Sports Complex June 17 TBA Blaze – Bandits TBA Parkway Bank Sports Complex June 18 TBA Spark – Cascade TBA Hillsboro Ballpark TBA Talons – Volts TBA Dell Diamond June 19 TBA Spark – Cascade TBA Hillsboro Ballpark TBA Talons – Volts TBA Dell Diamond June 20 TBA Blaze – Bandits TBA Parkway Bank Sports Complex TBA Talons – Volts TBA Dell Diamond June 21 TBA Blaze – Bandits TBA Parkway Bank Sports Complex TBA Spark – Cascade TBA Hillsboro Ballpark June 22 TBA Spark – Talons TBA Dumke Family Stadium June 23 TBA Bandits – Volts TBA Dell Diamond TBA Spark – Talons TBA Dumke Family Stadium June 24 TBA Bandits – Volts TBA Dell Diamond June 25 TBA Talons – Blaze TBA TBA June 26 TBA Talons – Blaze TBA TBA TBA Cascade – Volts TBA Dell Diamond June 27 TBA Bandits – Spark TBA Tom Heath Field TBA Talons – Blaze TBA TBA TBA Cascade – Volts TBA Dell Diamond June 28 TBA Bandits – Spark TBA Tom Heath Field TBA Cascade – Volts TBA Dell Diamond June 29 TBA Blaze – Spark TBA Tom Heath Field June 30 TBA Cascade – Bandits TBA Parkway Bank Sports Complex TBA Volts – Talons TBA Dumke Family Stadium

References

1. Vernon, Brady (December 2, 2025). "2026 AUSL Expansion, Allocation Draft Results". Softball America. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
2. "Athletes Unlimited Softball League: Expansion and allocation draft". ESPN. December 2, 2025. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
3. "2025 AUSL Draft Results". AUSL. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
4. "AUSL Expansion Draft rules". MLB.com. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
5. "Here are all the players protected from AUSL Expansion Draft". MLB.com. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
6. Smith, Allison (November 12, 2025). "AUSL Announces Expansion Teams, Adds Oklahoma City Spark". Sports Illustrated . Retrieved January 14, 2026.
7. "Oklahoma City Spark joins AUSL, Cascade revealed as newest team". AUSL. November 12, 2025. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
8. Castrovince, Anthony (January 13, 2026). "AUSL sets permanent home cities for all 6 teams, releases '26 schedule". Major League Baseball. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
9. "AUSL reveals six home cities for second season". Reuters . January 13, 2026. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
10. "AUSL Brings the Chicago Bandits Back to the Windy City". AUSL. January 13, 2026. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
11. "Rosemont named AUSL host city, home of the Chicago Bandits". Chicago Sun-Times. January 13, 2026. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
12. "Bandits Players". Athletes Unlimited Softball League . Retrieved January 14, 2026.
13. "Bandits Coaching Staff". Athletes Unlimited Softball League. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
14. "Blaze Players". AUSL. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
15. "Blaze Coaching Staff". AUSL. Retrieved December 2, 2025.
16. "Cascade Players". AUSL. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
17. "Cascade Coaching Staff". AUSL. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
18. Jones, Siera (December 23, 2025). "Cascade name Olympic gold medallist Tairia Flowers as inaugural head coach". AUSL. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
19. "Spark Players". AUSL. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
20. "Spark Coaching Staff". AUSL. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
21. "Talons Players". AUSL. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
22. "Talons Coaching Staff". AUSL. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
23. "Volts Players". AUSL. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
24. "Volts Coaching Staff". AUSL. Retrieved December 3, 2025.

External links

Schedule