Originally published in TrailblazeHERS in Sports, Issue 5 | August 31, 2026
Lauren Liu
In June 2025, the AUSL (Athletes Unlimited Softball League) was launched. The league follows a traditional format with four teams of sixteen players “touring” eight to ten cities, according to Sportico. Next year (2026), the AUSL will change to have city-based teams. The four teams are called the Bandits, the Talons, Blaze, and the Volts.
The AUSL gives softball players an opportunity to play professionally and to continue their softball careers. Players earn anywhere from 45,000 to 75,000 dollars, which is still a huge gap from what MLB players earn. Prior to the creation of this league, many players had to go to Japan to play professional softball. The United States has tried to create professional softball leagues such as the WPF (Women’s Professional Fastpitch), which wasn’t successful and recently shut down, making now the perfect time for the AUSL to launch.
However, there is a much bigger likelihood that the AUSL will succeed, especially because it has the backing of the MLB. The MLB decided to make a “strategic investment” in the AUSL. It is MLB’s first formal partnership with a female sports league or organization, according to the AUSL. As part of the investment, the MLB will collaborate with the AUSL on sales and marketing efforts and financially contribute to the AUSL.
The AUSL regular season wrapped up in late July in Tuscaloosa, with the Talons being declared the champions of the AUSL, according to Softball America. After the regular season ends, the team will transition to the AUSL All-Star Cup, according to the AUSL website. For four weeks, the top sixty players in the league compete as individuals. The top four players in the league (decided based on a combination of a point system based on wins, hits, and runs, and a voting system to assign points), are team captains and draft a team for each series. Individual players win points by being voted a game MVP and by individual statistics. At the end of the All-Star Cup, the individual player who has the most points is the champion.
The AUSL, with its innovative format and potential, is a great addition to the women's sports world and is a great opportunity for softball players who want to take their game to the next level after college.
Image Credit: https://www.on3.com/softball/news/2027-tennessee-softball-preview/