Utah kids who play basketball, soccer, and hockey have had local pro teams to look to for inspiration for a while, and now the softball player next door does, too.
Returning Athletes Unlimited Softball League champions, Talons, will officially become a Utah team this summer, playing home games at the Dumke Family Softball Stadium at the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City. The commitment to a location followed a touring season for the league last year.
Allie Kleva, chief growth officer for Athletes Unlimited, calls the Talons “an incredible high-energy team that is definitely going to deliver for fans this summer.” And she encourages Utah families to see for themselves.
“If you’ve never seen professional softball live and in person, it’s unlike any other professional sports event you’ve ever been to,” Kleva said. “The energy and pace of the game is incredibly fast. You’re so close to the field that you hear the interactions of the players on the field.”
More importantly, the team offers young softball players local pros to look up to. “What makes the AUSL games, the Talons games so special is that when you look out into a crowd, it is comprised of young girls, their teammates, their families in a really tangible example of ‘if you can see it, you can be it,’” Kleva said.
According to an NFHS survey, 331,306 girls played fast-pitch softball in high schools in 2024–25.
Along with inspiring the softball player in your household, Kleva said games are fun for the fan culture everyone can take part in. “I think if you’re going to come out to the University of Utah and spend some time with us, it’s going to be a great couple of hours for you and your family,” Kleva said.
Between innings, you might catch a T-shirt thrown to the crowd or be chosen for an on-field activity. Last year, Kleva said fans participated in a hair-braiding bar and learned to pitch softballs. “Just as with any other sports property, there’s entertainment,” she said. “And you want the time that fans are in that stadium to be exciting and entertaining from the moment they get there to the moment they leave.”
Kelva added that athletes often meet with fans after the games to sign autographs.
“That’s a really powerful moment at the end of every game when you see young girls line up in their Talons shirts or their Talons jerseys getting signed autographs from their heroes,” she said.
The Talons’ home opener is June 9, with the final home game of the regular season on July 4.
Whether they are at home or not, though, you’ll also be able to see games on ESPN.
The 2026 team includes infielder Hannah Flippen, a University of Utah alum and two-time Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, along with standouts like catcher Sharlize Palacios, outfielder Jadelyn Allchin, and pitchers Megan Faraimo, Georgina Corrick, and Montana Fouts. Lisa Fernandez, whom Kelva calls “an iconic American softball player, one of the greatest pitchers of all time,” is the team’s general manager.
Season tickets and four-game flex plans are on sale now.
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