The Carolina Blaze eliminated the Oklahoma City Spark from the 2026 AUSL playoffs with an 11-1 run-rule win on Tuesday. The final regular-season game on the Carolina Blaze schedule was supposed to wrap up Monday night at Smith Family Stadium, but a lengthy weather delay pushed the finish to Tuesday morning.
Carolina Blaze Roster Explodes Early in AUSL Season Finale
Still, the Carolina Blaze roster took control with an eight-run first inning.
Valerie Cagle launched a three-run homerun to right field, and Reese Atwood drove in four runs on a single and a bases-loaded double. All told, 13 Blaze hitters stepped to the plate before the end of the frame.
That lead ballooned to 11-0 in the second. Aubrey Leach tripled into the gap, bringing home three more to end any remaining doubt.
Maya Brady answered with a solo homerun in the fifth, marking her 11th this season and a new AUSL single-season record. Still, it was the Spark's only run, and it wasn't enough to save Oklahoma City's inaugural campaign.
What's Next for the AUSL Playoffs?
The Spark finished 13-12, one game behind the Portland Cascade for the final postseason berth. In a tight race among AUSL softball teams, Oklahoma City stayed in contention until the very last day of the regular season. The Carolina Blaze's season is also over, but their win clinched Portland's playoff spot.
The AUSL playoffs begin Thursday, when the Cascade face the Chicago Bandits in a play-in game at 9 PM ET.
The first 10 players for the 2026 AUSL All-Star Cup are locked in — and the Carolina Blaze own the ballot. Fan voting ran from June 15th through June 30th, and Blaze players claimed four of the 10 spots, more than any other team.
Karlyn Pickens Leads Carolina Blaze in AUSL All-Star Cup Voting
Leading the way is rookie pitcher Karlyn Pickens, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 College Draft. She's joined by catcher Reese Atwood, middle infielder Alyssa Brito, and outfielder Dakota Kennedy.
Texas Volts Softball and Other AUSL Stars Headed to Rosemont
Beyond Carolina, the Utah Talons earned three selections, including former Oklahoma outfielder Jayda Coleman, while the Portland Cascade added two. The Texas Volts softball roster, currently ranked last in the AUSL standings, contributed outfielder Rylie Boone to round out the group.
The All-Star Cup arrives as the AUSL rides a wave of momentum, with ESPN viewership up 181% over last season. All 10 fan-voted players will compete alongside 35 additional athletes at Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois. The tournament runs August 8-30, with the full roster set to be announced in the coming weeks.
Carolina Blaze rookies Karlyn Pickens and Reese Atwood sit atop the 2026 Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) All-Star Cup fan vote with less than a week of balloting left.
Pickens, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 College Draft, leads the pitcher category. She carries a 1.47 earned run average while holding the league's fastest-pitch record for the Blaze.
Still, the race to the circle remains tight. Montana Fouts and Sam Landry trail closely with ERAs of 1.81 and 1.15, respectively. All three could end up making an appearance at the professional softball league's All-Star tournament.
And behind the plate, Atwood has been just as difficult to overlook.
The former Texas Longhorn is slashing .450/.522/1.000 while ranking in the Top 10 in on-base percentage and slugging percentage. She's also tallied three home runs and seven RBIs for the Carolina Blaze through the season's early stretch.
How to Vote for the 2026 AUSL All-Star Cup
The 2026 All-Star Cup runs August 8-30 in Rosemont, IL and features 60 players. Teams change after every series, with the top three point-earners drafting fresh rosters as captains.
Fans have until June 30th to lock in their picks for automatic invitations to the tournament.
Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) made a historic move this week, signing Tennessee senior pitcher Karlyn Pickens to the first-ever NIL deal with a pro league seen in the NCAA sport.
As part of her contract, Pickens will use social media and participate in other marketing opportunities to promote the newly expanded AUSL as the premier place for NCAA athletes to launch their professional softball careers.
"When I was growing up, I didn't really see [pro] softball… I didn't really think there was an option to go pro," said the Lady Vols star in Wednesday's AUSL announcement. "It's been just a few years, and now everyone's dream is to go to AUSL and continue their softball career."
After kicking off her NCAA tenure as the 2023 SEC Freshman of the Year, the two-time All-American and reigning Softball American Pitcher of the Year posted a 1.17 ERA across her 44 appearances last season, leading the Lady Vols from the circle all the way to the Women's College World Series semifinals in Oklahoma City.
Pickens also shattered records along the way, becoming the first collegiate ace to top Tennessee legend Monica Abbott's fastest NCAA pitch mark of 77mph from 2012 with a 78.2mph throw last March — before breaking her own record by hurling a blistering 79.4mph pitch at the Super Regionals last May.
Making NIL history this week is likely the 22-year-old's first step with the AUSL, which recently locked its six teams into home cities across the US last month — including assigning the Blaze to Pickens's home state of North Carolina.
"I never would've imagined that the pro softball league is what it is now, but it's also come to my home state," said Pickens.
How to watch new AUSL NIL athlete Karlyn Pickens
Pickens will kick off her senior season with No. 4-ranked Tennessee at this week's 2026 NFCA Leadoff Classic, where the Vols' slate includes clashes against No. 23 Liberty and No. 5 Oregon, among others.
Tennessee will begin the invitational against unranked BYU at 7 PM ET on Thursday, with live coverage of the tilt streaming on GameChanger.
Professional softball put down roots coast-to-coast on Tuesday, when the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) unveiled the home cities and stadiums for each of the expanded league's teams for the 2026 season — and beyond.
After adopting a touring model for its four-team inaugural 2025 campaign, AUSL's move into home markets coincides with the league's expansion, as the now-six-team second-year league welcomed the Cascade and Spark in November.
With Tuesday's announcement, the previously independent Spark will continue to play in Oklahoma City at Oklahoma Christian University's Tom Heath Field, with fellow expansion side Cascade making its home at Hillsboro Ballpark, in Portland, Oregon.
Meanwhile, the four original teams will re-debut as the Carolina Blaze, Chicago Bandits, Texas Volts, and Utah Talons.
The Blaze will play their home games at Duke University's Smith Family Stadium in Durham, North Carolina, while the Bandits' permanent home will be at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois — a longtime hub for pro softball.
The Volts will play at Dell Diamond, the home of Minor League Baseball's Round Rock Express, the Triple-A team for MLB's Texas Rangers.
Lastly, the University of Utah will house the Talons, with the reigning AUSL champions taking over the Utes' Dumke Family Stadium in Salt Lake City beginning this year.
"This is about creating lasting connections between our athletes, our teams, and the communities they represent, and setting up the sport of softball for long-term success at the professional level," said AUSL commissioner Kim Ng in Tuesday's announcement.
All six teams will kick off their 2026 season on June 9th, when games will be played across multiple cities simultaneously for the first time in AUSL history.
How to purchase 2026 AUSL season tickets
Softball fans can now score 2026 season tickets for their AUSL home teams online.