The AUSL: How Professional Softball for Women Is Finally Getting a Fair Shot

Imagine you love playing softball and want to do it as a job when you grow up. For a long time, that was very hard for women. This article explains, like you’re 5 years old, how a new league called the AUSL is trying to make professional softball work and stay open.

The Old Days: A League That Struggled

A "league" is just a group of teams that play each other. Long before the AUSL, there was a league called the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF).

• The NPF started in 2004.
• Cheri Kempf was the "commissioner" (the boss of the league). She said the whole league office had only two full-time workers, and one was her!
• The NPF did not have TV contracts or enough budget (money) to last.
• When a big sickness called COVID-19 canceled the 2020 and 2021 seasons, the league closed forever.

Important: Past softball leagues were tiny and poor compared to big sports. That is the main reason they folded.

Why Did College Softball Come First?

• Softball became an Olympic sport in the 1996 Atlanta Games. The U.S. team won gold!
• This made colleges say, "We should fund softball teams!" So many universities did.
• After that, pro leagues tried: the Women’s Pro Softball League (1997–2001) and then the NPF.

A New Helper: Athletes Unlimited and the AUSL

Around when the NPF died, a group called Athletes Unlimited (AU) was started in 2020 by Jon Patricof (the co-founder and CEO).

• Patricof called Cheri Kempf for advice. She saw AU had something the NPF never had: real money behind it as a foundation.
• Kempf now works for the new league (AUSL) as its chief broadcast officer and executive producer.

AU first ran a 5-week softball season in 2020, then added a 2-week contest called AUX in 2022. Then they launched the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) for the 2025 season.

How the AUSL Season Works (Step-by-Step)

1. 2025: They toured 4 teams around the country to test cities (like trying out lemonade stand spots).
2. 2026: The league grew to 6 teams with permanent home cities:
   • Carolina Blaze (in Durham)
   • Chicago Bandits
   • Utah Talons (Salt Lake City)
   • Texas Volts (Austin)
   • Oklahoma City Spark
   • Portland Cascade
3. They play a two-month team season where one team is crowned champion.
4. After that, 45 players stay for a 4-week individual competition called the All-Star Cup.

Important: Other women’s sports like basketball (WNBA), soccer (NWSL), and hockey (PWHL) have lasted. Every softball try before failed—but people believe the AUSL will survive because of money, TV deals, investment from Major League Baseball (MLB), and the sport’s rising popularity.

Meet the Players: How Things Feel Now

Keilani Ricketts is a pitcher for the Carolina Blaze. She is 34 and has played pro ball for over 10 years.

• She won a college title with Oklahoma in 2013.
• She played in the NPF’s USSSA Pride (2013–2018), in Japan’s Toyota Industries Shokki, then Oklahoma City Spark (2023, before it joined AUSL), and AUX in 2024.
• The AUSL drafted her in 2025 (6th round). She says: “They really just made us feel like we were actually professional athletes.” Before, it felt like playing casual club ball.
• She remembers college players being nervous about pro softball because teams played in public parks and vanished next year. Now the best college athletes want in.

Hannah Flippen plays infield for the Utah Talons. Because the season is only two months, she works part-time as a neuro technician (helps people with brain problems) in offseason. Her mom was a teacher; she took psychology classes and helps at a practice in Tucson, Arizona. Many players coach or give lessons to pay bills, but she says it’s better than early days.

How Do Players Get Paid and Supported?

• Jon Patricof didn’t disclose exact salaries in an interview with a news site called Defector. But Kim Ng (the league commissioner, formerly of the Miami Marlins) said before the 2025 season the average salary is about $40,000 for the season, plus bonuses for the All-Star Cup.
• AU owns all 6 teams as one company (like the PWHL structure), so players negotiate with the league.
• Players get:
  • Year-round training places
  • Health insurance
  • Childcare and pregnancy support
  • Commercial flights (they picked cities near big hub airports)

Do They Have a Union?

• No union yet. But players meet weekly with a Player Executive Committee.
• Ricketts thought about a union in the NPF but had no legal help. She says they feel supported now, so forming a union is not imminent.

Big Help from TV and MLB

The AUSL has something past leagues only dreamed of: TV money and MLB investment.

• A new deal with ESPN will show 47 regular-season games in 2026 plus the best-of-three championship. Other games on CBS Sports Network and MLB Network.
• The first game of the 2026 championship will be on ABC—the first time pro softball is on regular broadcast TV!
• The 2025 championship on ESPN averaged 230,000 viewers.

Major League Baseball (MLB) jumped in ahead of 2025:

• They bought more than 20% ownership (called equity, like owning a slice of a pie) of the league and invested over $10 million.
• Patricof says it’s not just the cash, but a smart partnership.

Ricketts said: “For the AUSL to be able to pull off being on ESPN and us being partnered with MLB within just the first few months of our inaugural season has been just incredible.”

College Softball Is Booming

• The 2026 college championship series (Women’s College World Series) averaged 1.6 million viewers (up 20%). Texas’s win had 2.5 million—the most ever for college softball.
• New rules let college players get paid for their name/image (called NIL deals—like getting paid to sign a shirt).
  • NiJaree Canady got two seven-figure ($1,000,000+) deals when she transferred from Stanford to Texas Tech, leading them deep into the series twice; she now plays for Texas Volts.
  • Karlyn Pickens (first pick in 2026 draft, Carolina Blaze) threw a record 79.4 mph pitch and has deals with New Balance and Rawlings.

Kempf notes players now enter the pros already used to payment, pushing for fair pay like male baseball players.

Summary

The AUSL is a new professional women’s softball league that learned from failed attempts like the NPF. It has:

• Strong money from Athletes Unlimited and MLB (over $10M, >20% stake)
• TV deals with ESPN, ABC, CBS, MLB Network
• Six teams in real cities for 2026
• Average pay around $40k plus bonuses, with health and childcare
• Stars like Keilani Ricketts (oldest player) and Karlyn Pickens
• Growing fan interest from college games

While it’s not perfect (short season, some need side jobs), it’s the best chance yet for softball to stay pro and grow.

FAQ

1. What does "AUSL" stand for?
It stands for Athletes Unlimited Softball League, a professional softball league for women started in 2025.

2. Why did older softball leagues like the NPF fail?
They had very little money, almost no TV coverage, and only a tiny staff (sometimes two people). The COVID-19 pandemic canceled seasons and they shut down.

3. What is NIL and why does it matter?
NIL means a college player can get paid for using their name, image, or likeness (like being in an ad). It matters because stars now enter the AUSL already earning money, showing their true value.

4. Can I watch AUSL games on TV?
Yes! In 2026, 47 games are on ESPN platforms, some on CBS Sports Network and MLB Network, and the first championship game on ABC. You can also attend in person in cities like Chicago, Austin, Portland, Durham, Salt Lake City, and Oklahoma City.

5. Do players get benefits like health insurance?
Yes, the league provides year-round training facilities, health insurance, childcare, and support during pregnancy—things past leagues couldn’t afford.