The Talons and Bandits will square off in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League Championship at Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa on July 26-28.

The Bandits beat the Volts 8-7 on Thursday night in Round Rock, Texas, to secure a spot in the best-of-three championship series four days after the Talons had qualified to play for the league’s first title.

The AUSL Championship will be a homecoming for Montana Fouts, a former Alabama All-American who pitches for the Talons.

The first-time softball circuit has four teams – the Bandits, Blaze, Talons and Volts – that are barnstorming through 24 games apiece in the league’s first season. The schedule has included stops in Rosemont, Illinois; Wichita, Kansas; Sulphur, Louisiana; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Norman, Oklahoma; Omaha, Nebraska; Seattle and Salt Lake City as well as Round Rock.

The Volts and Talons have a two-game, regular-season series set for Tuscaloosa on Tuesday and Wednesday. Crimson Tide alumnus Kelly Kretschman is the coach of the Volts.

Athletes Unlimited plans to give each team a permanent home with city-based franchises in the 2026 season after taking its game on a season-long road trip in 2025.

The Talons have a 16-4 record, and the Bandits own at 12-7 mark.

The AUSL Championship starts at 2 p.m. CDT July 26. Game 2 is set for 1 p.m. July 27. If needed, Game 3 will be played at 6 p.m. July 28. ESPN will televise the championship series from Rhoads Stadium.

Fouts has a 1-1 record with a 2.80 earned-run average in seven games, with three starts, in 2025. She has 16 strikeouts in 20 innings.

The Talons put Fouts on the injured list on June 20, and she returned to the active roster on Sunday. The Talons have used five pitchers this season, and all have started and relieved.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.