Portland Cascade Softball
Professional softball arrives in Portland. MLB-backed AUSL league. Games on ESPN, CBS Sports Network, and MLB Network. Home games at Hillsboro Ballpark.
Season complete: the Cascade finished their inaugural season 14-11 and reached the AUSL playoffs as the No. 3 seed. Their year ended in the play-in, a 6-5 loss to the Chicago Bandits. Read the full season recap →
Franchise Firsts
The inaugural Cascade made history fast.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Jun 11 | First franchise win, 12-4 at Carolina. The Cascade scored all 12 runs in a single inning, a new AUSL single-inning record (the old mark was 7). Korbe Otis hit the first grand slam in club history. |
| Jun 13-15 | First series sweep, over the reigning-champion Utah Talons on the road, four straight wins after an 0-2 start. |
| Jun 18 | First home win, a 3-0 shutout of the OKC Spark in the Hillsboro home opener (Sam Landry complete game, sellout crowd). |
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. Games air across ESPN platforms (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU), CBS Sports Network, MLB Network, and MLB.TV. The Championship game on ABC (July 25) is the first professional softball game on US network television. Read the full explainer →
The Team
Key Players
Sam Landry (Oklahoma, RHP, #21) headlines the staff: 88-25 with a 2.07 ERA across four college seasons, a 2025 First-Team All-American, and the #1 overall pick in the 2025 AUSL amateur draft. The Pacific Northwest connection runs through Sis Bates (Washington, IF, #22), a three-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and Washington's all-time hits leader, alongside Oregon State product Mariah Mazón in the pitching circle.
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.
Kelly Maxwell (Oklahoma, LHP, #28), the 2024 national champion and Women's College World Series Most Outstanding Player, and Payton Gottshall (Tennessee, RHP, #33) round out a deep pitching staff with Mazón and Kenzie Brown (Arizona State). The lineup runs through Megan Grant (UCLA), who holds the UCLA career home-run record with 91, set the NCAA single-season record with 42 in 2026, and already owns the AUSL record for the longest home run (313 feet), plus Korbe Otis (Florida, OF, #3), Tori Vidales (Texas A&M, IF, #29), Sierra Sacco-Ferrie (Mississippi State, OF, #12), Kendra Falby (Florida, OF), Ali Newland (LSU, OF), Kennedy Powell (Texas A&M, IF), Kelly Torres (Duke), catcher Sydney Stewart (Arizona), and Kenleigh Cahalan (Florida). Catcher Mia Davidson (Mississippi State, the all-time SEC career home-run leader with 92) and pitcher Carley Hoover (LSU) round out the group, along with Oregon's own Paige Sinicki, who returned in 2026 after beating cancer. See the full current roster for everyone.
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 2026 broadcast deals span ESPN platforms (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU), CBS Sports Network (20 exclusive games), MLB Network, and MLB.TV. The June 9 opener aired on CBS Sports Network; the Championship game on ABC (July 25) is the first professional softball game on US network television. 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 | Lost 4-1 (on CBS Sports Network) |
| Thu, Jun 18 | vs OKC Spark | Home - Hillsboro Ballpark | Home Opener (3-0 win) |
| Sat, Jul 18 | vs Texas Volts | Home - Hillsboro Ballpark | Regular-season finale (10-1 win, ended 14-11) |
| Thu, Jul 23 | Play-In at Chicago Bandits | Davis Diamond, College Station, TX | Lost 6-5 (11 inn) · season ends, Chicago advances |
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 across ESPN platforms (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU), CBS Sports Network, MLB Network, and MLB.TV. The ABC Championship game in July is the first professional softball game on US network 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 season opened June 9, 2026 with the Cascade at Carolina Blaze. The Cascade's home opener was June 18 vs OKC Spark at Hillsboro Ballpark, a 3-0 win. The 25-game regular season ran June 9 through July 18; Portland finished 14-11 and clinched the No. 3 playoff seed, then was eliminated in the play-in. Their inaugural season is complete. See the full season recap.
How can I watch the Portland Cascade on TV?
The AUSL has multi-year deals with ESPN, CBS Sports Network, and MLB Network. Games air across ESPN platforms (ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU), CBS Sports Network, MLB Network, and MLB.TV. The June 9 opener aired on CBS Sports Network; the Championship game on ABC (July 25) is the first professional softball game on US network television. Check the calendar for broadcast assignments.
Who plays for the Portland Cascade?
The Cascade roster runs through, by position. Pitchers: Sam Landry (Oklahoma), Kelly Maxwell (Oklahoma), Payton Gottshall (Tennessee), Mariah Mazón (Oregon State), Kenzie Brown (Arizona State), Carley Hoover (LSU). Catchers: Sydney Stewart (Arizona), Mia Davidson (Mississippi State, the all-time SEC career home-run leader with 92). Infielders: Sis Bates (Washington), Tori Vidales (Texas A&M), Kennedy Powell (Texas A&M), Kenleigh Cahalan (Florida), Paige Sinicki (Oregon, who returned in 2026 after beating cancer). Outfielders: Sierra Sacco-Ferrie (Mississippi State), Korbe Otis (Florida), Ali Newland (LSU), Kendra Falby (Florida). Utility: Megan Grant (UCLA career home-run record 91, NCAA single-season record 42 in 2026) and Kelly Torres (Duke). See the full current roster.