ESPN Platforms Present Opening Week of the 2026 Athletes Unlimited Softball League Season Beginning June 9
Opening Night Doubleheader Features Volts vs. Spark and 2025 Championship Rematch Between Bandits and Talons
Opening Week Includes Championship Rematch Weekend, Home Openers, Top Draft Picks and Marquee Pitching Matchups Across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU
Landmark broadcast season includes AUSL Championship on ABC and 11 regular-season games on ESPN Deportes
ESPN platforms will present opening week of the 2026 Athletes Unlimited Softball League season beginning Tuesday, June 9, with an Opening Night doubleheader on ESPN2, as part of ESPN’s recently announced multi-year rights agreement with Athletes Unlimited, which includes 50 exclusive AUSL games annually across ESPN platforms.
Opening Night begins today, Tuesday, June 9, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2 with the Texas Volts vs. Oklahoma City Spark, featuring the franchise debut of the Spark, one of two expansion teams joining the AUSL for the 2026 season. The ESPN2 doubleheader continues at 9 p.m.ET with the Chicago Bandits vs. Utah Talons, a rematch of the 2025 AUSL Championship as the Talons begin their title defense, with Montana Fouts making the start for the Talons after throwing a complete-game shutout against Chicago in the 2025 AUSL Championship game.
Opening week continues Wednesday, June 10, with the Portland Cascade vs. Carolina Blaze at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2, highlighted by a marquee pitching duel as the No. 1 overall picks in the two most recent AUSL College Drafts (Karlyn Pickens and Sam Landry) face off in AUSL action, following their memorable 2025 Oklahoma-Tennessee postseason showdown. Later that night, the Bandits and Talons continue their championship rematch at 10 p.m. ET on ESPNU. The Bandits and Talons meet again Thursday, June 11, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
Additional opening-week highlights include Saturday, June 13, noon ET matchup on ESPN between the Texas Volts and Carolina Blaze, featuring former Oklahoma teammates Tiare Jennings and Alyssa Brito facing off. Later that day, the Spark face the Bandits at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2 in Chicago’s home opener.
On Sunday, June 14, ESPN2 will feature Spark vs. Bandits at noon ET, with Spark rookie pitchers Maya Johnson and Peja Goold taking on a Bandits lineup that led the AUSL across multiple offensive categories last season.
Opening week concludes Monday, June 15, with a doubleheader on ESPN2. The Volts face the Blaze at 7 p.m. ET followed by the Cascade facing the Talons at 9:30 p.m. ET.
ESPN will also air all 51 AUSL games across ESPN platforms in more than 50 countries across Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada, and Australia and New Zealand.
2026 AUSL on ESPN Platforms Schedule
All times ET. Schedule subject to change.
| Date | Time | Matchup/Event | Network |
| Tue, June 9 | 7 p.m. | Texas Volts vs. Oklahoma City Spark | ESPN2 |
| Tue, June 9 | 9 p.m. | Chicago Bandits vs. Utah Talons | ESPN2 |
| Wed, June 10 | 8 p.m. | Portland Cascade vs. Carolina Blaze | ESPN2 |
| Wed, June 10 | 10 p.m. | Chicago Bandits vs. Utah Talons | ESPNU |
| Thu, June 11 | 9 p.m. | Chicago Bandits vs. Utah Talons | ESPNU |
| Sat, June 13 | 12 p.m. | Texas Volts vs. Carolina Blaze | ESPN, ESPN Deportes |
| Sat, June 13 | 2 p.m. | Oklahoma City Spark vs. Chicago Bandits | ESPN2 |
| Sun, June 14 | 12 p.m. | Oklahoma City Spark vs. Chicago Bandits | ESPN2 |
| Mon, June 15 | 7 p.m. | Texas Volts vs. Carolina Blaze | ESPN2 |
| Mon, June 15 | 9:30 p.m. | Portland Cascade vs. Utah Talons | ESPN2 |
| Tue, June 16 | 7 p.m. | Oklahoma City Spark vs. Chicago Bandits | ESPNU |
| Thu, June 18 | 7 p.m. | Utah Talons vs. Texas Volts | ESPN2 |
| Thu, June 18 | 9 p.m. | Oklahoma City Spark vs. Portland Cascade | ESPN2, ESPN Deportes |
| Fri, June 19 | 9 p.m. | Oklahoma City Spark vs. Portland Cascade | ESPN2 |
| Sat, June 20 | 12 p.m. | Carolina Blaze vs. Chicago Bandits | ESPN |
| Sun, June 21 | 12:30 p.m. | Oklahoma City Spark vs. Portland Cascade | ESPN |
| Mon, June 22 | 8 p.m. | Oklahoma City Spark vs. Utah Talons | ESPN2 |
| Tue, June 23 | 7 p.m. | Chicago Bandits vs. Texas Volts | ESPNU |
| Thu, June 25 | 7 p.m. | Utah Talons vs. Carolina Blaze | ESPN, ESPN Deportes |
| Fri, June 26 | 8 p.m. | Portland Cascade vs. Texas Volts | ESPNU |
| Sat, June 27 | 2 p.m. | Utah Talons vs. Carolina Blaze | ESPN |
| Sun, June 28 | 1 p.m. | Portland Cascade vs. Texas Volts | ESPN |
| Mon, June 29 | 7 p.m. | Carolina Blaze vs. Oklahoma City Spark | ESPN2 |
| Tue, June 30 | 7 p.m. | Portland Cascade vs. Chicago Bandits | ESPNU |
| Wed, July 1 | 7 p.m. | Carolina Blaze vs. Oklahoma City Spark | ESPN2 |
| Thu, July 2 | 7 p.m. | Portland Cascade vs. Chicago Bandits | ESPN |
| Sat, July 4 | 7 p.m. | Portland Cascade vs. Oklahoma City Spark | ESPNU |
| Sun, July 5 | 1 p.m. | Portland Cascade vs. Oklahoma City Spark | ESPN2 |
| Mon, July 6 | 7 p.m. | Texas Volts vs. Chicago Bandits | ESPNU |
| Tue, July 7 | 8 p.m. | Carolina Blaze vs. Portland Cascade | ESPN2 |
| Thu, July 9 | 8 p.m. | Utah Talons vs. Oklahoma City Spark | ESPNU |
| Fri, July 10 | 7 p.m. | Carolina Blaze vs. Texas Volts | ESPNU |
| Sat, July 11 | 2 p.m. | Utah Talons vs. Oklahoma City Spark | ESPN |
| Sun, July 12 | 3 p.m. | Chicago Bandits vs. Portland Cascade | ESPN2 |
| Mon, July 13 | 7 p.m. | Carolina Blaze vs. Texas Volts | ESPN2, ESPN Deportes |
| Tue, July 14 | 7 p.m. | Oklahoma City Spark vs. Texas Volts | ESPN2, ESPN Deportes |
| Wed, July 15 | 8 p.m. | Oklahoma City Spark vs. Texas Volts | ESPNU |
| Fri, July 17 | 8 p.m. | Texas Volts vs. Portland Cascade | ESPN2, ESPN Deportes |
| Sat, July 18 | 4 p.m. | Utah Talons vs. Chicago Bandits | ESPN2, ESPN Deportes |
| Sat, July 18 | 6 p.m. | Oklahoma City Spark vs. Carolina Blaze | ESPNU |
| Sun, July 19 | 12 p.m. | Oklahoma City Spark vs. Carolina Blaze | ESPN |
| Mon, July 20 | 7 p.m. | Oklahoma City Spark vs. Carolina Blaze | ESPN2 |
| Thu, July 23 | 9 p.m. | No. 3 Seed vs. No. 2 Seed | ESPN, ESPN Deportes |
| Sat, July 25 | 1 p.m. | Winner of Play-In vs. No. 1 Seed | ABC |
| Sun, July 26 | 2 p.m. | Winner of Play-In vs. No. 1 Seed | ESPN |
| Mon, July 27 | 7 p.m. | Winner of Play-In vs. No. 1 Seed | ESPN2 |
| Wed, August 5 | 7 p.m. | AUSL Pro Game at the Little League Softball World Series | ESPN2 |
| Sat, August 8 | 7 p.m. | AUSL All-Star Cup Series 1 Game 1 | ESPNU |
| Mon, August 10 | 7 p.m. | AUSL All-Star Cup Series 1 Game 3 | ESPNU |
| Sat, August 15 | 7 p.m. | AUSL All-Star Cup Series 2 Game 5 | ESPNU |
| Sat, August 22 | 7 p.m. | AUSL All-Star Cup Series 3 Game 8 | ESPNU |
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