Women’s softball stars are back in play as pro softball season opens in USA

Women’s softball stars are back in play as pro softball season opens in USA
14/06/2022
The 2022 season of Athletes Unlimited is underway, while the recently created Women’s Pro Fastpitch is ready for its inaugural game today, 14 June. Games from both leagues are being live-streamed.

Some of the best softball players in the world are taking the field again to open the 2022 pro softball season in USA. The inaugural season of USA Softball-backed Women’s Pro Fastpitch (WPF) is ready to open today, while the Athletes Unlimited 2022 season kicked off with last night’s opener in San Diego. Both leagues continue giving more and more opportunities to women’s softball players to develop a professional career in the US.

The first-ever WPF game will be played today at Shawnee Mission School District, in Shawnee, Kansas, with the first game between USSSA Pride and Smash It Sports Vipers. Both teams will face off during eight series across the season, with each stop strategically placed around an existing youth tournament, bringing professional level competition straight to the next generation, organizers say.

NCAA all-time home run leader and USA Softball National Team player Jocelyn Alo signed with the Vipers. The WPF opener will feature international softball stars like Mexican Olympians Chelsea Gonzalez, Suzannah Brookshire and Tatyana Forbes, US Olympians Ali Agular and Delaney Spaulding and Puerto Rican Taran Alvelo. 

You can see the schedule of games here. The games will be live-streamed here.

AUX Opens season

AUX Opening Day on Monday also featured some of the best players in the world. The new two-week AUX Softball competition will take place at San Diego State University, from 13-25 June.

The AUX season features USA Softball athletes Amanda Lorenz, Dejah Mulipola (2020 U.S. Olympian), Gwen Svekis and Haylie McCleney (2020 U.S. Olympian) as well as three additional members from the 2020 U.S. Olympic Softball roster: Amanda Chidester, Rachel Garcia and Taylor Edwards. Olympians Victoria Hayward (CAN), Sashel Palacios, Nicole Rangel, Sydney Romero, Tori Vidales and Danielle O’Toole (MEX) are also part of the competition, along with international players Georgina Corrick (GBR), Kamalani Dung and Aleshia Ocasio (PUR). 

The inaugural 18-game season of AUX Softball will feature a total of 42 athletes with ESPN carrying all 18 games exclusively live on its networks. You can see the schedule here.