Pro softball team picks Durham as its home. What to know about the franchise

The Triangle’s professional sports landscape is growing with the addition of a women’s softball team.

Athletes Unlimited Softball League announced on Tuesday that Durham will become home for one of six teams.

The Carolina Blaze will play at Smith Family Stadium, Duke softball’s stadium, beginning on June 9, at the conclusion of the Women’s College World Series. Former Duke standouts Ana Gold and Jala Wright are on the 2026 roster, and the Blaze have the No. 1 overall pick in the league’s upcoming college draft this spring.

Dana Sorensen, former Stanford and professional pitcher was named general manager. Sorensen briefly served on the N.C. State softball staff as a volunteer assistant in the early 2000s and earned her graduate degree at North Carolina.

Kara Dill will be head coach, a position she works in at UT-Arlington. Dill worked as the Blaze associate head coach last season.

In addition to the two former Blue Devils, the roster also includes several former ACC standouts. Valerie Cagle (Clemson), McKenzie Clark (Clemson) and Emma Lemley (Virginia Tech) are also set to play for the Blaze in 2026.

“The growth and expansion of the AUSL represents a tremendous moment — not only for the sport of softball, but for the athletes who now have a viable pathway to continue their professional careers,” Duke head coach Marissa Young said in a statement. “The visibility and exposure AUSL provides creates opportunities for talented players from all conferences and levels to showcase their abilities on a national stage.”

Durham Sports Commission Executive Director Marcus Manning said the selection validates the city’s growing sports market and adds to “the Triangle region’s already-thriving sports ecosystem.”

How the AUSL landed in Durham

The league has been interested in the Triangle since its inception in 2020, AUSL Commissioner Kim Ng said. It previously operated primarily as a touring-based league. This year, 2026, will be its first season with all teams city-based.

In 2025, AUSL teams played in 10 different cities during the regular season. The All-Star Cup featured three days of games in Holly Springs. Ng said two of the three were sellouts.

“We were not set on Durham. We were not 100% set on any of our cities until after the (2025) season. We went into deep discussions about where we should be,” Ng said. “The Triangle has always been in our sights since we started talking about this league, but the performance, the reaction, the enthusiasm of this market to our players, to our team, was awesome. That was a large factor in us deciding on the Triangle for one of our teams.”

The league will include the Chicago Bandits, Oklahoma City Spark, Portland Cascade, Texas Volts and Utah Talons.

Ng credited the robust sports culture — especially the support for women’s athletics at large, not just softball — near the Triangle. She mentioned the North Carolina Courage, the Little League World Series in Greenville, strong softball participation from youth to college and the area’s history for developing talented players.

Greenville was selected to host the LLWS in 2020 — it held the first tournament in 2021 — and Cary is the national championship site for NCAA women’s lacrosse and soccer.

Ng also complimented Manning’s collaborative work and Duke head softball coach Marissa Young’s efforts to elevate the Blue Devils to national prominence. Her work and the university’s investment into the program will provide the AUSL teams with high-caliber facilities, and Durham can serve as a long-term home site.

Duke, which begins its ninth season next month, advanced to the Women’s College World Series in 2024, made five consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and won two ACC championships. It hosted the 2024 ACC championship and multiple NCAA tournament games in recent years.

“As a newer program, it is truly an honor for Duke softball to serve as a host site and home for the Carolina Blaze,” Young said. “Bringing professional softball to Durham reflects our shared commitment to growing the game and inspiring the next generation. And the opportunity to see Ana Gold and Jala Wright back on the field together here in Durham is incredibly special—for our program, our community, and the sport as a whole.”

“AUSL is another transformative moment and milestone for women’s sports, providing unique opportunities for participation, fan engagement and awareness,” Manning added.

Softball experiences major growth

Collegiate softball has surged in popularity in recent years, reaching a new peak last season. The 2025 Women’s College World Series was the most-watched on record, according to ESPN. Across the entire 15-day tournament, the games averaged 1.3 million viewers. This was up 24% from 2024 and surpassed 2021, which previously held the viewership record.

Eight games surpassed 1 million viewers, led by UCLA/Tennessee, which averaged at 2.2 million viewers and peaked at 3.9 million. ESPN also reported the championship series with Texas and Texas Tech averaged 2.2 million viewers. It was the most-watched championship series in history and up 13% over 2024’s previous high.

The sport was re-added to the Olympics and will be part of the 2028 games, giving AUSL fans an opportunity to watch members of the national team. (Softball will be held in Oklahoma City, which is home to the largest softball facility in the nation and home to the WCWS.)

With the backing of the MLB and ESPN, games will be broadcast on both platforms. Full details will be provided at a later date.

“We felt that the Triangle and the Carolinas was somewhere where softball is just so incredibly strong, where there’s been great fan engagement,” Ng said. “The area and the region showed tremendous support, so we’re really excited about this market.”

This story was originally published January 13, 2026 at 12:01 PM.

Jadyn Watson-Fisher

The News & Observer