AUSL’s Mary Iakopo Throws Out White Sox First Pitch at Rate Field

CHICAGO — Athletes Unlimited Softball League catcher Mary Iakopo threw out a ceremonial first pitch and exchanged jerseys with second baseman Chase Meidroth before Sunday’s series finale between the White Sox and Washington Nationals at Rate Field.

Iakopo, who plays for the Chicago Bandits of the AUSL, delivered the pitch to White Sox left-hander Noah Schultz. Meidroth, in a pregame exchange, swapped a White Sox jersey for an AUSL Bandits one.

“I’m probably going to frame it,” Iakopo said, holding the Meidroth jersey. “I didn’t realize we are from the same area.”

Iakopo grew up in Carson, California. Meidroth is from Torrance, four miles away. Both are now part of the Chicago professional sports ecosystem — Meidroth in his first full season with the White Sox, Iakopo on a Bandits roster that plays out of Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois.

Iakopo’s AUSL path

Iakopo played her college softball at Texas, then joined the AUSL during its 2025 inaugural season as a midseason pickup with the Texas Volts. By 2026, she had moved to the Bandits as a fully rostered competitor.

“We have players who play in Japan year-round, so those girls would be missing part of our season, and I was supposed to join as just a pickup for three weeks,” Iakopo said. “An injury occurred for another team, so I originally joined one team, then hopped onto another team full-time. Injuries happen all the time, which is really unfortunate. Just a lucky draw, I guess. Just really lucky in how everything aligned.”

She is now working on a master’s degree at Arizona State University while preparing for the 2026 Bandits season.

MLB partnership and Kim Ng

The first-pitch appearance is part of a broader push by the AUSL to put its players in front of MLB crowds during the spring. Iakopo said she was struck by the league’s growth in two years.

“That is what this game is today, and I can’t wait to see what we continue to do this year,” Iakopo said. “I never thought it would get this big. To have the support we do with MLB, their backing, and have their support has been huge for us because we’ve been trying to grow this game for the last 20 years. The women who have played before us that are still in our advisory committee, we are very grateful they kept pushing the needle for us to create a game that is what it is today.”

Iakopo also spoke about Commissioner Kim Ng, who joined the AUSL in 2024 after a career in MLB front offices that included becoming the first woman to serve as a Major League general manager.

“Oh, my goodness, the strategy she has behind all of this,” Iakopo said of Ng. “We are so blessed to have her transition from MLB to join us and lead the way. Everyone is trying to continue playing softball. Our goal in AUSL is to have the best of the best here. Get all the best athletes in softball in the world to play with us. That way you can see all the Olympians and the World Cup medalists come out of this league.”

Looking ahead

Iakopo pointed to growing fan support across the AUSL, citing a 2025 Bandits-at-Volts series in Round Rock, Texas, in which three of four games were sellouts. The 2026 Bandits open the season in Salt Lake City, where they face the defending-champion Utah Talons in a three-game series at Dumke Family Stadium beginning Opening Day on June 9.

She also keeps a quick travelogue.

“A fast city. The traffic, you find it everywhere,” Iakopo said of Chicago. “Chicago and L.A. are very similar in that aspect. I love exploring the city and have been down here a few times with friends and family. I love seeing and trying new things out here.”