Portland Cascade Softball
Professional softball arrives in Portland. MLB-backed AUSL league. ESPN broadcasts. First pro softball on broadcast TV. Home games at Hillsboro Ballpark.
The Athletes Unlimited Softball League is a professional softball league backed by a strategic investment from Major League Baseball. Six city-based teams. 25-game regular season. Playoffs feature a play-in between the #2 and #3 seeds, top team gets a bye into a best-of-three Championship Series. Under a multi-year ESPN deal, 50 exclusive games air annually, including one marquee game on ABC, the first time professional softball has aired on US broadcast television. Read the full explainer →
The Team
Key Players
Paige Sinicki (Oregon, IF, #38) is the lone Duck on the roster. She started all 219 games of her career at Oregon from 2022 to 2025, won the 2024 NFCA Rawlings Gold Glove at shortstop, and was co-recipient of the 2024 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Award. She helped lead the Ducks to the Women's College World Series as a senior. Allocation Draft Pick 20.
Sis Bates (Washington, IF, #22) anchors the PNW connection. Three-time NFCA All-American. Three-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, one of only two players in conference history to win the award three times. Washington's all-time hits leader with 320 career hits. Allocation Draft Pick 13.
Sam Landry (Oklahoma, RHP, #21) went 88-25 with a 2.07 ERA across four college seasons (three at Louisiana, senior year at Oklahoma). In 2025 at Oklahoma: 25-6, 1.94 ERA, 186 strikeouts, First-Team All-American, 2025 SEC Newcomer of the Year. The #1 overall pick in the 2025 AUSL amateur draft, then selected by Portland with the second pick of Round 1 of the Expansion Draft.
Kelly Maxwell (Oklahoma, LHP, #28) is a two-time All-American who helped Oklahoma win its fourth consecutive national championship in 2024 and was named Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player. She won a silver medal with Team USA at the 2024 Women's Softball World Cup. The #1 overall pick in the Allocation Draft.
Mia Davidson (Mississippi State, C, #77) is the all-time SEC career home run leader with 92 home runs, a number that tied her for third on the NCAA softball all-time list. Allocation Draft Pick 8. Carley Hoover (LSU, RHP, #10) and Payton Gottshall (Tennessee, RHP, #33) give the Cascade four legitimate starters in the pitching circle. Tori Vidales (Texas A&M, IF, #29) rounds out the infield. The outfield is deep: Sierra Sacco-Ferrie (Mississippi State, OF, #12), Korbe Otis (Florida, OF, #3), Ali Newland (LSU, OF, #44), and Kendra Falby (Florida, OF, #27). Twelve players confirmed. Four more spots via the Spring 2026 College Draft.
Head Coach: Tairia Flowers
2004 Olympic gold medalist. 2008 Olympic silver medalist. UCLA '03 national champion (played first base and catcher). Ten seasons at Cal State Northridge, then head coach at LMU since 2021. Assistant coach for Team USA Softball at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (silver). Named inaugural Cascade head coach on December 23, 2025.
The AUSL
Carolina Blaze (Durham, NC) · Chicago Bandits (Rosemont, IL) · Oklahoma City Spark (OKC) · Portland Cascade (Hillsboro, OR) · Texas Volts (Round Rock, TX) · Utah Talons (Salt Lake City). The Bandits, Blaze, Volts, and Talons played in 2025's touring format. The Cascade and Spark are expansion teams for 2026.
How to Watch the Cascade
The AUSL's multi-year ESPN deal puts 50 exclusive games on air annually. Games air on ESPN, ESPN+, ESPN2, and ABC. The ABC game is historic, the first time professional softball has aired on US broadcast television. Opening Day (June 9) airs on ESPN. Check the calendar for specific broadcast assignments as they're announced.
Why softball in Portland?
Portland hosted the Little League Softball World Series for more than 20 years. AUSL Commissioner Kim Ng has a personal tie to Oregon through her husband Tony Markward, co-owner of Silas Wines in Amity, in the Willamette Valley. The city already proved it will show up for women's sports. The Thorns led the NWSL in attendance for a decade, and the Fire sold 15,000 season tickets before drafting a player. Softball is the next layer. The argument for Portland as Title Town just got stronger.
Key Dates
| Date | Event | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tue, Jun 9 | AUSL Opening Day | Away at Carolina Blaze | All 6 teams play on opening day (on ESPN) |
| Thu, Jun 18 | vs OKC Spark | Home - Hillsboro Ballpark | Home Opener |
| Sat, Jul 18 | vs Texas Volts | Home - Hillsboro Ballpark | Last home game of regular season |
See the full 25-game schedule with PDF download and calendar subscribe →
What to Expect at a Cascade Game
Never been to a pro softball game? Here's what makes it different from baseball: the field is smaller (60-foot basepaths vs 90), the pitching is underhand from 43 feet, and games move faster. Most finish in under two hours. The new Hillsboro Ballpark holds about 6,000 fans, so the atmosphere is intimate. You're close to the action.
The Cascade are Portland's third women's pro team, joining the Thorns and Fire. If you're coming from out of town, you can catch a Cascade game and a Fire or Thorns game in the same trip. Check the combined calendar for overlap weekends, or see our best weekends guide for curated picks.
"Portland has been in the midst of this great women's sports movement that has swept the country and has been making a real push to be the center of women's sports."Kim Ng, AUSL Commissioner · First female GM in MLB history
Ng's husband Tony Markward co-owns Silas Wines in Amity, in the Willamette Valley, with partner Alex Clark. Portland previously hosted the Little League Softball World Series for more than 20 years.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the AUSL?
The Athletes Unlimited Softball League is a professional softball league with a strategic investment from Major League Baseball. Six city-based teams play a 25-game regular season. Games air on ESPN, ESPN+, and ABC, the first time professional softball has been on US broadcast television. See the full calendar for broadcast dates.
Where do the Portland Cascade play?
Hillsboro Ballpark, 4460 NE Century Blvd, Hillsboro, OR. Take the MAX Blue Line to the Fair Complex/Hillsboro Ballpark station. It drops you right there. About 30 minutes from downtown Portland. Read the full Hillsboro Ballpark game day guide.
When does the Portland Cascade season start?
The AUSL opens June 9, 2026 with the Cascade playing at Carolina Blaze. The Cascade home opener is June 18 vs OKC Spark at Hillsboro Ballpark. The season runs through late July, followed by the Championship Series. Jump to June on the combined calendar.
How can I watch the Portland Cascade on TV?
The AUSL has a multi-year ESPN deal. 50 exclusive games air annually on ESPN, ESPN+, ESPN2, and ABC. Opening Day (June 9) airs on ESPN. The ABC game is historic, the first time professional softball has been on US broadcast television. Check the calendar for specific broadcast assignments as they're announced.
Who plays for the Portland Cascade?
12 players confirmed via the Expansion Draft and Allocation Draft (December 2025): pitchers Sam Landry (Oklahoma), Kelly Maxwell (Oklahoma, #1 overall Allocation Draft pick, US National Team), Carley Hoover (LSU), Payton Gottshall (Tennessee); infielders Paige Sinicki (Oregon), Sis Bates (Washington), Tori Vidales (Texas A&M); catcher Mia Davidson (Mississippi State); outfielders Sierra Sacco-Ferrie (Mississippi State), Korbe Otis (Florida), Ali Newland (LSU), Kendra Falby (Florida). Four more spots via the Spring 2026 College Draft.