Without question, the sophomore season of the AUSL has delivered for the fans all over the United States, even globally. The conclusion of the season saw the two best teams in the league face off at Davis Diamond in College Station, Texas. It was a rematch for the 2026 AUSL Championship as the Chicago Bandits faced the defending champion Utah Talons.
Chicago Bandits Vs. Utah Talons (AUSL Championship)
In Game One of this best-of-three series, Sharlize Palacios gave Utah the early 1 – 0 lead with an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning. On the other hand, Chicago tied the game in the top of the third thanks to a sacrifice fly RBI by Morgan Zerkle. The game would stay scoreless until the bottom of the sixth as Sahvanna Jaquish added an RBI sacrifice fly for the Talons.
Ultimately, the Talons took Game One by a 2 – 1 score over the Bandits. For the Talons, Georgina Corrick went the distance, allowing four hits while striking out five. Not to be outdone, Lexi Kilfoyl allowed five hits with three strikeouts in six innings for the Bandits.
Looking at the second game, Utah was now seven innings away from another AUSL Championship. Here, the Talons sent this season’s Pitcher of the Year into the circle: Montana Fouts.
All things considered, Utah provided Fouts with plenty of run support. Firstly, Jadelyn Allchin had herself a game with three RBIs, including a two-run homer. Additionally, Jaquish and Bri Ellis slammed solo home runs while Hannah Flippen scored on a throwing error.
The lone run for Chicago came from an RBI single by Skylar Wallace in the bottom of the seventh. In the end, Utah wins back-to-back AUSL Championships with the 6 – 1 victory as Fouts tossed a complete game. It’s important to note Allchin won MVP for her performance.
AUSL by the Numbers
As mentioned earlier, the fans came through for the AUSL both in-person and through various devices. Below are some of the numbers that reflect the impact of the league and the sport of softball:
- 23 regular-season sellout crowds (25 overall including the AUSL Championship)
- 732,000 average viewers for Game 1 of the AUSL Championship on ABC, the first professional softball game on broadcast television and the most watched pro softball game ever.
- The 10 most-viewed AUSL games in history all took place this season.
- Average regular season viewership increased by 183% spanning all ESPN platforms
- 453 million social impressions (+97%)
- 137 million social video views (+139%)
- 447,000 new followers across league platforms
AUSL Cup
Beginning on Aug. 8 and concluding on Aug 30, the AUSL Cup begins at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois. 12 games will be played over four series with 45 players representing all six teams which includes Fouts, Corrick, Ellis, Allchin, Palacios, Wallace, Kilfoyl, and Flippen.
What’s more, the bats of Megan Grant, Reese Atwood, Sami Willams, and Maya Brady will be on display. Also, the arms of Karlyn Pickens, Megan Faraimo, and Sam Landry will be in the circle in Rosemont.
The captains for the first series were the top three finishers from the leaderboard in last year’s AUSL Cup. Defending champion Kayla Kowalik, Rachel Garcia, and Keilani Ricketts will lead their respective teams.
All of this action can be seen across ESPN platforms, MLB Network, and the CBS Sports Network.
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