Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images For the first time, Major League Baseball is investing in a professional women’s softball league. The four-team AUSL will play in 10 cities this summer. Major League Baseball is finally backing a professional women’s softball league, putting its backing and influence behind the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, which will debut this summer with four teams touring around the country. MLB announced Thursday morning — which also happened to be, by no coincidence, the start of the NCAA Women’s College World Series — that it was purchasing an equity stake in AUSL. According to ESPN, MLB’s stake in AUSL is more than 20 percent. MLB will also help with marketing and content distribution. It’s the first time MLB has ever invested in a professional softball league. “Major League Baseball’s investment in the AUSL,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement, “represents an opportunity to support softball’s long-term growth and expand our engagement with these outstanding athletes and their fans.” The commissioner of AUSL is Kim Ng, a trailblazer for women in baseball who previously served as the general manager of the Miami Marlins from 2020 to 2023, making her the first woman to serve in that position in MLB. “This agreement reflects our confidence in Kim Ng’s leadership, the AUSL vision and the incredible talent of its athletes,” Manfred said. “During this extraordinarily exciting time for women’s sports, we want softball to thrive.” Here’s everything you need to know about the inaugural AUSL season… When does the AUSL season start? Opening Day is on June 7 with games in Rosemont, Illinois, and Wichita, Kansas. The four teams — the Bandits, Talons, Blaze and Volts — will each play 24 games through July 23. The two teams with the best records will then meet in the AUSL Championship, a three-game series to be played in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, from July 26-28. Where will AUSL games be played? The four-team league will make stops in 10 cities. In addition to Rosemont, Wichita and Tuscaloosa, AUSL will play in Sulphur, Louisiana; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Norman, Oklahoma; Omaha, Nebraska; Seattle, Washington; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Round Rock, Texas, during the regular season. After the championship, AUSL will then hold an All-Star Cup with games being played in Holly Springs and Greenville, North Carolina, and Rosemont, Illinois, in August. The game in Greenville will coincide with the Little League Softball World Series. How to watch AUSL games? Select AUSL games will be broadcast on MLB Network and MLB.TV — the league’s direct-to-consumer streaming service. MLB Network will broadcast the season-opener in Wichita live at 7:30 p.m. ET. A full broadcast schedule will be announced at a later date, but AUSL already has a 33-game deal with ESPN. Athletes Unlimited CEO and co-founder Jon Patricof told ESPN that all 72 AUSL games will appear on linear TV. Who are the players in AUSL? The AUSL held a draft in January with a pool of players who had already exhausted their college eligibility. Former Oklahoma State pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl was the first overall pick, going to the Bandits. Former UCLA pitcher Rachel Garcia, a two-time National Player of the Year, landed with the Volts. A second draft was held earlier this month featuring current college players who won’t have NCAA eligibility after this college season. National Player of the Year Bri Ellis, the Arkansas slugger, was picked by the Talons, while Duke infielder Ana Gold was selected by the Blaze. The oldest player in the league is 33-year-old pitcher Keilani Ricketts Tumanuvao, who was a two-time National Player of the Year and helped Oklahoma win a World Series in 2013. She just completed her first season as the pitching coach at the University of the Pacific. Full rosters can be found here. How much money do AUSL players make? According to the league’s website, the average salary is $45,000, but players can earn up to $75,000. What’s next for the AUSL? In 2026, AUSL aims to expand into a city-based league instead of a touring one.

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images Linn Grant started her 2025 U.S. Women’s Open in about as perfect form as you can. It is often said that you cannot win a major championship during your opening round but that you can definitely lose it. We have seen this principle play itself out many times over the years, but on Thursday it was defied in an unexpected way. Linn Grant started the U.S. Women’s Open with the afternoon wave and did not waste any time getting into red figures. Grant went birdie, birdie, birdie through the first three holes. No big deal. She's on fire! Linn Grant opens her U.S. Women's Open with birdies on 1, 2 and 3.@Ally pic.twitter.com/k0oXesghcx— U.S. Women's Open (@uswomensopen) May 29, 2025 Conditions may change at Erin Hills on Friday so amassing as much of a solid start as you can to this point is critical for players with the weekend yet to come as well. Grant put forth as solid of a start as you possibly can before “cooling off” with a par at number 4. We will see if she is able to keep that form as the tournament continues to unfold.

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images Gaby Lopez had quite the approach shot on her first hole of the U.S. Women’s Open. Gaby Lopez found herself in the fairway after her opening tee shot at the U.S. Women’s Open... and then things got interesting. Starting on the back 9 and therefore the par-4 10th hole, Gaby fired her approach shot and may have done so with a bit too much on it. Her approach hit the pin and rolled off to the side... amazingly before riding the slope back down to set up a birdie putt she would go on to make. THAT was awesome!Gaby Lopez's approach hit the ⛳, but she was actually rewarded with a great break to set up a birdie.@Ally pic.twitter.com/Kuf2uyGx0S— U.S. Women's Open (@uswomensopen) May 29, 2025 It was a bit of an abrupt sequence if that is not obvious. Paige Mackenzie captured the moment well with a “whoa!” as the ball hit the pin. The shot became all the more incredible as Lopez’s ball rolled down the slope. As noted Lopez started off her round with a birdie which is what you are looking for anytime, but especially during a major championship. Better lucky than good, as they say.

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images Ben Griffin picked up right where he left off. When he walked off of the 18th green Ben Griffin held the lead at the Memorial Tournament on Thursday. He also did so without touching his putter on the green in question. That’s right. Ben Griffin chipped in to cap an opening round 65 at Jack’s place. Walking it off in style @bengriffingolf is picking up right where he left off a week ago. Golf Channel pic.twitter.com/tMznt22zA8— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 29, 2025 They say that when you’re hot you are hot in professional golf and there is no question that Griffin is really feeling things right now. He is the most recent winner on the PGA Tour as he took home the title last week at the Charles Schwab and he is starting to really make some overall noise in the sport. We are still incredibly early in the season and even in the tournament as Griffin has only played one round at the Memorial, but his name is starting to really pop in golf. Could he turn this form into a run that earns him a spot on the Ryder Cup team? With play like this, anything is possible.

Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Ohio State’s Jasmyn Burns hit 25 home runs this season as a sophomore, good enough for fourth nationally. She becomes the best bat available in the portal. A really big bat just hit the open market in college softball. Jasmyn Burns, a sophomore catcher at Ohio State who ranks fourth nationally in home runs with 25 on the season, entered the transfer portal on Thursday as the Women’s College World Series got underway. Burns’ number of dingers this season set a single-season program record for Ohio State. The 5-foot-3 right-handed hitter has been one of the best hitters in the sport this season. Burns is eighth in Division I in batting average with a .455 mark, 14th in RBI (72), fifth in slugging percentage (1.006), fifth in total bases (166), and seventh in OPS (1.546). In addition to being named one of the 25 finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award, Burns was named as an All-American by Softball America (Second Team) and the NFCA (First Team). She was also one of the five unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selections. Burns led the Buckeyes in hits, batting average, home runs, OPS, doubles and total bases, leading an offense that won 45 games and ranked in the top 20 in the nation in total runs and batting average. A native of Menifee, California, Burns also had offers from Oregon and UCLA out of high school. Both teams are playing in the World Series this weekend in Oklahoma City, while the Buckeyes are still searching for their first Super Regional appearance since 2009. Ohio State was eliminated in the regional stage of the NCAA Tournament this season with two losses to Tennessee. Replacing the bat of Burns will be no easy task for Ohio State skipper Kirin Kumar as she heads into her second season coaching the Buckeyes. With NCAA hits leader Sophia Knight committing to Tennessee, Burns is easily the best hitter available in the portal.