The inaugural AUSL season has been a big hit
As Stacey Nuveman Deniz walked out of The Ballpark at Rosemont Tuesday night, after a rollicking Athletes Unlimited Softball League game, there was a lot for her to gush over.
The Bandits coach had just watched her team secure an 8-0 run-rule victory over the Talons to move to 2-1 on the season. But Nuveman Deniz’s focus wasn’t on the dominant victory. Instead, she raved about the capacity crowd that came to see it.
“A sellout crowd on a Tuesday night is pretty awesome. That’s just a really exciting sign of what the league is doing to promote this,” Nuveman Deniz said. “To give these women this platform and the opportunity to play the sport they love, and do it in front of a sold-out crowd. It’s pretty sweet.”
Tuesday night marked the third straight sellout for a contest between the Bandits and the Talons. AUSL games will return to Rosemont on July 7, 8 and 9, as well as July 22 and 23. The Ballpark was chock-full of softball luminaries, including AUSL commissioner Kim Ng, Talons general manager Lisa Fernandez, Bandits general manager Jenny Dalton-Hill, and Nuveman Deniz herself. The collection of softball legends behind this league made joining it a no-brainer for Nuveman Deniz.
“When I got the call (to ask) if I was interested in doing it, and I hear the names that are associated, it’s like … why would I say no to that?” Nuveman Deniz said. “Are these people coming back because it’s awesome, or is it awesome because they’re coming back? I don’t know. I don’t care. I just like where we’re going.”
So too does Bandits catcher Jordan Roberts, who blasted a 2-run home run in the second inning to push the lead to 4-0. Roberts has been part of Athletes Unlimited Softball since its inception in 2020, but the style of play looked vastly different. Rosters changed almost every week, and there was no real opportunity for players to get consistent coaching. That’s not the case this season.
“I really enjoyed where we started and where we’ve come, but … I wanted to be coached again, and I think it’s something that we all need,” Roberts said. “To get to be coached by (Nuveman Deniz), but to be coached again in general, and just being with the same group all throughout the season, it makes it really special. This has been a dream come true.”
Roberts hopes her dream coming true will help encourage others to dream. The majority of Tuesday night’s audience was families with children, including several girls’ softball teams in full uniform. While there were designated cheering sections for the Bandits and Talons, the entire stadium erupted for big plays, especially Roberts’ home run. For Roberts, there’s nothing sweeter than getting the chance to show the next generation what a professional softball career looks like.
“I remember when I was 12, having a dream of being a professional softball player, but not knowing what it was going to look like at the time,” Roberts said. “And as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized how these little girls can really dream about it and see what it looks like at the same time. They can watch us, and they can come to these games, and they can connect with us. They have something to really look forward to, and they can see it.”
Based on what she’s seen so far, Nuveman Deniz believes the AUSL has some momentum.
“You can feel this churn of energy, and that’s all it takes … to make something really big and special,” Nuveman Deniz said. “Ten years from now, we’re going to look back on this and say we were part of the beginning.”