Athletes Unlimited Softball League Adds Two Teams

Athletes Unlimited Softball League has unveiled two new teams, including in the softball hotbed of Oklahoma City. The professional league, which has strategic investment from Major League Baseball, will welcome the Oklahoma City Spark into the league and revealed the identity of a second expansion team, Cascade. The Spark and Cascade will join the defending AUSL Champion Talons, as well as the Bandits, Blaze and Volts, to form a six-team league with competition resuming in summer 2026.

“Building on the incredible momentum of our inaugural AUSL season, this is an exciting moment for the sport as we continue to grow this league,” said AUSL Commissioner Kim Ng. “The Oklahoma City Spark have built a strong foothold in a city with a storied softball history, and adding them to the AUSL along with the Cascade reflects the surging interest in professional softball and our commitment to expanding opportunities for players and fans across the country.”

As part of the expansion, Spark Softball — the current operators and original creators of the Spark brand — will serve as the team’s local organizer but will shift team ownership and certain operational responsibilities to the AUSL. Spark Founder Tina Floyd will be the executive director, overseeing local game day operations, marketing and community engagement. Destinee McElroy will serve as the chief operating officer.

Oklahoma City is home to the USA Softball Hall of Fame, hosts the NCAA Women’s College World Series, and will host softball during the 2028 Olympic Summer Games.

“Oklahoma City is home to the greatest softball fans in the world and we want to be a part of any serious effort to continue growing the professional side of the game,” said Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt. “The AUSL is putting the right pieces in place to represent the next evolution of professional softball, and the Spark have worked hard to build that foundation in OKC. As the home of the Women’s College World Series and the 2028 Olympics, it makes sense for OKC, this team and this league to come together to take professional softball to the next level. I commend everyone involved for getting us to this day, and I’m excited to see where it leads.”

The inaugural season saw games played at a variety of stadiums around the country including in Rosemont, Illinois; Wichita, Kansas; Norman, Oklahoma; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Sulphur, Louisiana.