“We’re going to do it right, and you’re going to see the results.”
Sports executive Reid Ryan spoke boldly about his enthusiasm for the Texas Volts in Round Rock at the team’s press conference last month. And for good reason – the Volts’ home field at Dell Diamond is an anomaly compared to the other five facilities in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League.
Dell Diamond is also home to the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A Minor League Baseball affiliate of the Texas Rangers. The two will share the field and facility this summer, working in the Volt’s 14-game home schedule around the Express’s minor league slate in June and July.
Most AUSL teams will play at colleges: the Carolina Blaze will compete at Duke, the Utah Talons at the University of Utah, and the OKC Spark at Oklahoma Christian University. The Portland Cascade will play at a former MiLB stadium, Hillsboro Ballpark. The Chicago Bandits play at the only pro-softball specific stadium in the country, Parkway Bank Sports Complex.
The inaugural season gave Texas fans and the Express a preview of what’s possible. The Volts and Bandits stopped in Round Rock on the cross-country tour in 2025, playing a four-game series and drawing the biggest crowds of any venue.
The Saturday match-up between the two teams drew over 6,5000 fans, setting a new attendance record for the league. The larger venue addressed what a good problem for the league to have – it sold out 20 of the 24 games on the tour.
“Minor league stadiums, particularly the Double-A and Triple-A stadiums, are the perfect size for this,” Ryan said. “We really fit the niche.”
Despite great facilities available at top college softball programs, capacity is limited. Love’s Field at the University of Oklahoma is the largest, with 4,200 seats. Alabama’s Rhoads Stadium, where the 2025 AUSL Championship was held, is just under the 4K mark. Arkansas, Fresno State, and Chattanooga are the only other college ballparks that boast a capacity in the 3,000s range.
Ryan and Express leadership are excited about the sweet spot Round Rock offers.
“To be able to fly people around the country, put them up in hotels, put these games on television, do everything it takes to put the quality of athlete in front of America, you have to have bigger stadiums,” Ryan added.
Ryan has worked extensively in professional baseball for over 20 years; he’s a former player and the son of Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan. He’s currently the CEO of Ryan Sanders Sports & Entertainment that owns the Express. Before that, he had a successful seven-year tenure as President of Business Operations for the Houston Astros.
Last year, the grounds crew pulled off a three-day turnaround to convert the baseball field for softball. The leveled and covered the mound and created a dirt circle. They also dug out dirt at first, second, and thirdbase so the 60-foot baseball and smaller infield was clear. It’s a tall order, but that’s why Ryan was adamant that those involved “have to be a group that believes in the product.”
Professional softball in Texas was a long-time in the making. Sixteen years to be exact, since Volts’ General Manager, Cat Osterman, took the field as a player in a showdown against Jennie Finch. National Pro Fastpitch is now defunct, but it planted the seeds for the potential in the Lone Star state.
“Austin-Round Rock is proof of concept that people will pack out a large venue to watch pro softball,” AUSL Commissioner Kim Ng said at the press conference. “We no longer have to envision what it could look like. We now know what it will look like. The roots and the softball culture are strong here.”
Ng spoke at the 2025 MLB Winter Meetings to the entire MiLB Owners to not only update them on the AUSL, but also show them the potential when baseball and softball work together. She mentioned that teams that have strong regional softball fanbases with great business infrastructure for their Minor League teams are great candidates and explained that the demographics of the pro softball fan base are different than baseball.
She encouraged MiLB owners to look 10 years into the future and see pro softball in it.
“In 10 years, hopefully, we double in size, and we figure out how to get the venues in a better place. But it’s time to grow. The athletes are all in. And it’s going to control a lot globally and nationally,” Ng said.
Ryan and the Express are all in, too.
“When Kim reached out, I told her we’re gonna blow the top off this thing,’ Ryan said. We’re going to spend the money, convert the field, bring in the real fan… We’re going to bet on ourselves.”
Savanna Collins is the Senior Reporter for the AUSL. You can follow her on X @savannaecollins.
