Athletes Unlimited adds Texas Volts, brings pro softball to Round Rock

Athletes Unlimited Softball League expanded its footprint on January 13, 2026, naming Round Rock, Texas, as home to the league’s newest franchise, the Texas Volts. The Volts will play at Dell Diamond and join a six-team circuit that includes the Carolina Blaze, Chicago Bandits, Oklahoma City Spark, Portland Cascade and Utah Talons. The club will begin league play on June 9.

The Volts’ leadership combines high-profile names and regional ties. Cat Osterman, a Texas legend and Olympian, will serve as general manager, while longtime Texas State coach Ricci Woodard takes the head-coach role. Early roster-building highlights include former Longhorn Mia Scott among the player additions, signaling the team’s intent to lean into local talent and university pipelines. Founding Season Ticket Members and group ticket packages are already being promoted; single-game tickets will go on sale later.

This expansion comes amid a moment of momentum for Athletes Unlimited. The league highlighted strong attendance in 2025, a multi-year media rights renewal with ESPN and MLB investment backing the expansion push. Those commercial pillars give the Volts immediate national visibility and financial stability that many fledgling pro women’s teams lack, and they create a platform for sustained growth in a sport with deep amateur roots but historically limited pro options.

Dell Diamond offers the Volts a professional-grade venue and a built-in sports ecosystem through a partnership with the Express organization to host the team. For Round Rock, hosting an AUSL franchise promises direct economic benefits on game days, increased youth engagement with softball programs and a year-round spotlight on women’s sports in a market already familiar with high-level baseball operations and fan activation.

On the field, the pairing of Osterman’s pitching pedigree and Woodard’s seasoned collegiate coaching suggests the Volts will prioritize a strong pitching staff and fundamentals-driven play. Adding a former Longhorn like Mia Scott also underscores the roster strategy of tapping Texas college talent to build fan affinity and on-field chemistry quickly. The Volts enter a compact six-team schedule where rivalries and regional matchups can be cultivated fast, helping drive attendance and television interest early.

Culturally, the arrival of the Texas Volts deepens the professional pathway from college softball to a televised league, offering role models for young players across Texas and the broader softball community. The combination of ESPN exposure and MLB investment signals that women’s professional softball is becoming a more viable entertainment product and business proposition.

As the Volts prepare for a June 9 kickoff, local supporters and national viewers will be watching how quickly the new franchise translates star power and coaching experience into wins and sustained fan engagement. For Round Rock and AUSL, the next season will test whether momentum and investment produce a lasting expansion success that further normalizes pro opportunities for women in America’s pastime.