Montana Fouts has company in professional softball this season

The Athletes Unlimited Softball League is returning for its second season, and former Alabama softball star Montana Fouts is ready to build on the momentum of a storybook inaugural year. Fouts, who famously pitched a shutout at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa to secure the league’s first title, is once again set to take the circle as professional softball enters an exciting new phase.

A New Era for AUSL

Last year, Fouts and the Talons defeated the Bandits 1-0 in Game 2 of the championship series to capture the title. As the league pivots to its sophomore campaign, it is moving away from the barnstorming model that saw games played in nine different cities. For 2026, the league has expanded to six teams, with each franchise settling into a permanent home location for a full home-and-away schedule.

The league now features the Utah Talons, the Chicago Bandits, the Carolina Blaze, the Portland Cascade, the Oklahoma City Spark, and the Texas Volts.

Building a Home Base

For Fouts, the shift to a dedicated home environment is a major upgrade. "Just so pumped," Fouts said during a recent appearance on MLB Network. "I feel like to have a home base and have a home crowd... I think that’s going to be awesome."

The league officially kicks off its 29-game regular season on Tuesday with three-game series taking place in Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City, and Durham, North Carolina.

Professional Ambitions

Fouts arrived at the professional level with an impeccable resume from her time with Alabama. A four-time NFCA All-American and the 2021 NFCA Pitcher of the Year, she finished her Crimson Tide career with a 100-32 record, a 1.66 ERA, and 1,181 strikeouts. Now, she is helping lead a professional league that has secured backing from Major League Baseball and a robust television schedule.

"It does feel like a dream come true just because we didn’t know what to expect," Fouts said. "I know that at that time I was like 'I want to play softball for as long as I can, but I don’t know what that looks like.' Now being able to have a home base and have a home team... I’m really grateful for it."

Where to Watch

Opening day coverage features the Cascade vs. Blaze at 4 p.m. CDT on CBS Sports Network, followed by Volts vs. Spark at 6 p.m. and Bandits vs. Talons at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.