The Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) announced the first 10 players invited to the 2026 AUSL All-Star Cup. This first wave of players was selected by fans, who voted from June 15 through June 30.

The Carolina Blaze lead the charge with four selections, while the Utah Talons receive three, Portland Cascade two, and Texas Volts one.

The Athletes Unlimited Softball League launched in June 2025 and is the premier professional women’s softball league in the United States featuring six teams — the Bandits, Blaze, Cascade, Oklahoma City Spark, Talons, and Volts – playing a 25-game season and culminating in the AUSL Championship.

Under the direction of Commissioner Kim Ng, the AUSL creates a new opportunity for the world’s best professional softball players to compete in the traditional team vs. team format.

The league is complemented by the AUSL All-Star Cup, a four-week season in which 60 professional softball athletes compete in Holly Springs and Greenville, North Carolina, and Rosemont, Illinois.

The elite softball players compete utilizing Athletes Unlimited’s innovative format in which individual players seek to get the most points.

Teams are redrafted each series, which means you see the best players battling with and against each other in different combinations. All active players from the roster will be on one of the competing teams. 

Last year’s winner was Kayla Kowalik who is playing for the Carolina Blaze this year and was also named to the U.S. Women’s National Team (WNT) Athlete Pool for the 2026 season

CLICK HERE to learn more about the details on how the All-Star Cup format works.

Going back to last year, here are the athletes who competed in the 2025 AUSL All-Star Cup.

*****

Below is the complete list of fan-voted athletes for the AUSL All-Star Cup:

Catcher (1)

• Reese Atwood – Carolina Blaze

Pitcher (1)

• Karlyn Pickens – Carolina Blaze

Utility (1)

• Megan Grant – Portland Cascade

Corner Infielder (2)

• Bri Ellis – Utah Talons
• Jordan Woolery – Utah Talons

Middle Infielder (2)

• Sis Bates – Portland Cascade
• Alyssa Brito – Carolina Blaze

Outfielder (3)

• Jayda Coleman – Utah Talons
• Dakota Kennedy – Carolina Blaze
• Rylie Boone – Texas Volts

The 2026 AUSL All-Star Cup features 45 professional softball athletes competing from Aug. 8 to Aug. 30 at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois.

Additional players will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets are on sale now.