By Sean O’Reilly
Underscoring MLB’s Commitment to Softball, Wide-Ranging Partnership with AUSL Includes Game Distribution on MLB Network and MLB.com, Joint Sales & Marketing Efforts and Extensive Promotional Support; Opening Day for New Pro Softball League is Saturday, June 7th in Rosemont, IL and Wichita, KS
May 29th, 2025
New York, N.Y. – Major League Baseball today announced a strategic investment in the AUSL (Athletes Unlimited Softball League), marking a first-of-its-kind, comprehensive partnership with a women’s professional sports league to help establish and grow the AUSL as a sustainable organization. The announcement will be made this morning on CBS Mornings.
As a part of MLB’s ongoing commitment to supporting the growth of softball at all levels, MLB will work collaboratively to help raise the visibility of the AUSL and its athletes in a variety of manners across MLB’s marketing, events, distribution, editorial, digital and social platforms, content and more, including select AUSL games airing on MLB Network and MLB.com (full AUSL broadcast schedule to be announced next week). In addition, MLB’s financial investment will assist with league operational costs and key growth initiatives. The new pro softball league launches its inaugural season with Opening Day on Saturday, June 7th with games in Rosemont, Illinois and Wichita, Kansas (the Wichita game airs exclusively on MLB Network at 7:30 p.m. ET).
This wide-ranging partnership encompasses significant engagement with the AUSL across many areas of MLB’s business operations including collaborative sales and marketing efforts, while AUSL athletes and storylines will be featured across MLB’s digital platforms and incorporated into select MLB events, including the All-Star Game and throughout the MLB Postseason. This landmark relationship builds on MLB’s longstanding efforts to grow the game of softball while providing greater access and visibility to girls and women in the sport nationwide, including through the League’s longstanding association with USA Softball and support of the Women’s National Team, more recently as an Official Sponsor of the NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association), and through MLB’s youth engagement initiatives such as PLAY BALL, the Nike RBI program, the Elite Development Invitational, the Breakthrough Series, and more.
Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred, Jr. said: “Major League Baseball’s investment in the AUSL represents an opportunity to support softball’s long-term growth and expand our engagement with these outstanding athletes and their fans. As a part of our broader commitment to growing softball and creating more opportunities for women and girls in sports, this agreement reflects our confidence in Kim Ng’s leadership, the AUSL vision, and the incredible talent of its athletes. During this extraordinarily exciting time for women’s sports, we want softball to thrive. MLB is committed to help build a sustainable and impactful league that drives fandom, serves the softball community, and benefits all female athletes.”
AUSL Commissioner Kim Ng said: “This is a watershed moment for women’s sports and especially for softball. MLB’s investment will supercharge our efforts to build the sustainable professional league this sport has long deserved, and sends a powerful message about the value of female athletes and the importance of creating professional opportunities for them. Together, we’re going to reach new fans and inspire the next generation of softball players.”
MLB Network will cover the announcement at MLB’s Flagship Store in New York City on Thursday, May 29th, with Commissioner Manfred, AUSL Commissioner Kim Ng, softball greats Jennie Finch and Natasha Watley, two-time All-Star and Sports Emmy Award-winning analyst Harold Reynolds of MLB Network, and four-time MLB All-Star Dellin Betances all expected to be in attendance. Host AJ Andrews will be on-site in Rosemont, Illinois on Friday, June 6th and Saturday, June 7th to cover Opening Weekend, including interviews running in MLB Network’s Emmy Award-winning MLB Tonight: National Pregame Show. For Opening Weekend, MLB Network will exclusively air the Volts against the Blaze on June 7th live at 7:30 p.m. ET in Wichita, Kansas, with the game also being accessible to MLB Network Direct-to-Consumer and MLB.TV subscribers. In addition to select live games, MLB Network will feature game highlights throughout the season within studio content.
During this inaugural season, AUSL’s four teams – the Bandits, Blaze, Talons and Volts – will play 24 games each between June 7th-July 23rd, culminating with the top two teams competing in the AUSL Championship, a best-of-three series to be held July 26th-28th at the University of Alabama’s Rhoads Stadium. Following the AUSL Championship, 60 players will compete for an individual championship in the AUSL All-Star Cup, a 21-game competition in August featuring the innovative Athletes Unlimited scoring system. The AUSL will become a city-based league beginning in 2026, while in its inaugural season it will be a touring property featuring games in 12 different cities. The full AUSL game schedule can be found here, while single game tickets are now available here. More information, including team rosters and the regular season schedule broken down by team can be found at theAUSL.com.
The AUSL is part of Athletes Unlimited (AU), which was co-founded in 2020 by Jon Patricof (who also serves as CEO) and Jonathan Soros, and named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies. In addition to the AUSL, AU owns and operates a portfolio of professional women’s sports leagues including basketball and volleyball properties. The AUSL is led by Commissioner Kim Ng – who was previously the first woman to be named General Manager of a major American men’s professional sports team (Miami Marlins, 2020-23) and also served as SVP, Baseball Operations for Major League Baseball from 2011-2020 – while AUSL advisors include MLB Softball Ambassadors Jennie Finch and Natasha Watley, along with Jessica Mendoza and Cat Osterman.
