The 2026 Athletes Unlimited Softball League regular season ended Tuesday morning in Durham, N.C., one day later than scheduled. The Carolina Blaze finished off an 11-1, five-inning win over the Oklahoma City Spark in a game that weather had suspended the night before. The result eliminated the Spark and sent the Portland Cascade to the postseason as the No. 3 seed.
That completed a three-team playoff field. The Utah Talons hold the No. 1 seed and the Chicago Bandits are No. 2, after both finished 16-9.
Talons win the tiebreaker
Utah settled the top seed Sunday, July 19, in Hillsboro, Ore., beating Chicago 3-1 to pull even with the Bandits in the standings. The Talons held the head-to-head tiebreaker on the strength of a three-game sweep of Chicago earlier in the season.
Georgina Corrick pitched all seven innings for Utah. She allowed two hits and one unearned run and struck out four. Jayda Coleman homered for the Talons, and Chicago committed three errors.
The Bandits’ run came in the first inning. Skylar Wallace drew a walk and later stole home when the catcher threw to first and the throw was bobbled.
“I felt we were a little bit indecisive today, offensively, and so that’s where we’ll be better,” Bandits head coach Shonda Stanton said. “All this means is we get to play more softball. At this time of year, it’s all about ourselves.”
Chicago finished the regular season with 139 runs, the most in the league.
Blaze close out the Spark
The Spark needed a win at Smith Family Stadium to take the final playoff spot. Weather suspended the game Monday night, and it resumed at 10 a.m. ET Tuesday.
Carolina had already done most of the damage. The Blaze sent 13 batters to the plate and scored eight runs in the first inning, with a three-run home run from Valerie Cagle and an RBI single and three-run double from Reese Atwood. Aubrey Leach added a bases-clearing triple in the second. Devyn Netz earned the win.
Oklahoma City’s only run was a fifth-inning solo home run by Maya Brady, her 11th of the season. Brady became the first AUSL player to reach double figures in home runs on July 18, when she hit her ninth and tenth. The previous single-season mark was nine, set by Morgan Zerkle in 2025.
The Spark finished 13-12 in their first season, one game behind Portland.
Final 2026 AUSL regular-season standings
| Seed | Team | W | L | GB | Run diff. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah Talons | 16 | 9 | — | +19 |
| 2 | Chicago Bandits | 16 | 9 | 0 | +36 |
| 3 | Portland Cascade | 14 | 11 | 2 | -5 |
| Oklahoma City Spark | 13 | 12 | 3 | +6 | |
| Carolina Blaze | 9 | 16 | 7 | -8 | |
| Texas Volts | 7 | 18 | 9 | -48 |
The postseason
The Bandits and Cascade meet in a single play-in game Thursday, July 23, at 9 p.m. ET at Davis Diamond in College Station, Texas, on ESPN. Chicago went 6-1 against Portland in the regular season. The Cascade’s only win in the series came July 12.
The winner plays the Talons in the best-of-three AUSL Championship Series at Davis Diamond. Game 1 is Saturday, July 25, on ABC. Utah won the 2025 title.
Portland reached the postseason in its first year as an expansion franchise. Cascade general manager Jami Lobpries and infielders Tori Vidales and Kennedy Powell all played at Texas A&M, whose home field hosts the postseason. Full dates are on our 2026 AUSL schedule.
Who won the 2026 AUSL regular season?
The Utah Talons and Chicago Bandits tied for the best record at 16-9. Utah took the No. 1 seed on the head-to-head tiebreaker after sweeping a three-game series from Chicago earlier in the season.
Which teams made the 2026 AUSL playoffs?
Three teams: the Utah Talons (No. 1), Chicago Bandits (No. 2) and Portland Cascade (No. 3). The Oklahoma City Spark, Carolina Blaze and Texas Volts were eliminated.
How does the 2026 AUSL postseason work?
The No. 2 and No. 3 seeds play a single play-in game on July 23. The winner faces the No. 1 seed in a best-of-three Championship Series starting July 25 at Davis Diamond in College Station, Texas.
Why did the regular season end on a Tuesday?
The final game, Oklahoma City Spark at Carolina Blaze, was suspended by weather on Monday, July 20, and finished at 10 a.m. ET on Tuesday, July 21. Carolina won 11-1 in five innings.
Who holds the AUSL single-season home run record?
Maya Brady of the Oklahoma City Spark, with 11 home runs in 2026. Morgan Zerkle held the previous record of nine, set in 2025.
About the AUSL — The Athletes Unlimited Softball League is a professional softball league featuring six teams across major U.S. markets. Commissioner Kim Ng leads the league, whose games air on ESPN, ABC, CBS Sports Network and MLB Network.
Sources: AUSL standings; AUSL: Bandits slated for No. 2 seed; AUSL: Cascade lands the final playoff spot; AUSL: Spark eliminated from playoff race; AUSL box scores (Talons-Bandits, July 19; Spark-Blaze, July 20-21). Featured photo: AUSL.
About Aspen Eighty
Aspen Eighty is a female-founded, independent digital publication covering the Athletes Unlimited Softball League. We publish news, season coverage, and player profiles for all six AUSL teams. Our mission is to amplify women’s professional softball and inspire the next generation of athletes.
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