Miked Up Is an Everyday Deal for the Athletes Unlimited Softball League

As the AUSL postseason begins tonight, listening in to players during games enhances fan engagement for the young organization

Ballplayers chatting with announcers and each other has become a popular feature of event-level game broadcasts in recent years. At the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL), the women's professional softball organization launched last year, however, ballplayers are routinely miked - a signature element of the league's broadcast identity that will be on full display when ESPN presents exclusive coverage of the 2026 AUSL postseason begins tonight from Davis Diamond at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.

We did it in August 2020 for the first time, and now we do it all the time, says Cheri Kempf, executive producer, Athletes Unlimited, the AUSL's parent. It's not just a specialty thing; it's not just a Tuesday-night event or an All-Star Game. We do it all the time in regular-season games.

Two players per game on each of the leagues' six teams are outfitted with both Q5X PlayerMics and the WaveNet Nesso 2.4 IFB system, allowing announcers to conduct live conversations with fielders during defensive innings.

The interviews can provide real-time insight into strategy, positioning, and player perspectives while game action is unfolding. At the very least, they offer the opportunity for personal profiles in a sport without its own player cards. Expanding on that, the AUSL also offers additional player access through chair chats and, more recently, by miking umpires so that viewers can hear officiating discussions live.

GameTime Productions President Pat Lowry points out that the reduced size of the Nesso's earpieces - literally, hearing-aid size - has greatly helped uptake among the athletes. Just as helpful, she and Kempf agree, is that the ballplayers' clips are quickly distributed for players' own social-media channels. (Players receive downloadable clips shortly after games.) The result has been increased fan engagement, with much of that coming from more transparency around game strategies.

[Fans] might say, Hey, we noticed you're shading a little to the left on this player. Tell us why.' [The players will] break it down for you. They know exactly what they're doing and why, says Lowry. It has allowed an aspect for fan engagement that wasn't previously there.

Most games are produced remotely. Audio is handled by an onsite A1 and a Nashville-based A1, supported by an RF-dedicated A2 plus separate booth and field-audio A2s. During player interviews, the main A1 mixes the audio directly into the broadcast; recorded player audio is routed to an EVS server for package creation.

The production team continues to experiment with new technologies, including live iPhone feeds from dugouts, and sees live audio as a key tool for making viewers feel closer to the game. The broadcasts are supported by a sizable audio crew, including dedicated A1 and A2 engineers handling RF, booth, and field audio, with live player interviews mixed directly into the game broadcast without any time delays.

They're planning to take that enhanced engagement further. We added something last week, Kempf says. We miked up the home-plate umpire and asked the umpire crews if we could go to them live any time they huddled.

There have been technical challenges. They include power-supply sensitivity, antenna placements, and RF interference at certain venues, particularly at Chicago Bandits games played in their stadium at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in suburban Rosemont, barely a mile from O'Hare International Airport.

Backup IFB systems from Lectrosonics are used when needed, Lowery says, and Q5X has worked closely with the league to resolve any RF issues. She describes these issues as normal growing pains of integrating any new technology.

We're trying to come up with the newest technology, the most innovative technology, she adds. This Nesso offered fewer wires and cables on the player. The great thing about working with Cheri and the Athletes Unlimited team is that they're actively looking for new tech. They want to be on the cutting edge.

The form factors for technology components deployed to wire athletes for sound have only gotten smaller, which has helped uptake by ballplayers in general, and the proliferation of athletes' social-media use has further fueled that. Although participation is voluntary, most AUSL players are eager to wear microphones, and broadcasters even actively request specific players because the segments have become popular with viewers.

The announcers absolutely love it! says Kempf. They'll say, Hey, could we get so-and-so miked up next time?

ESPN's coverage includes the single-elimination Play-In Game on ESPN and ESPN Deportes and the complete best-of-three AUSL Championship series across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN Deportes. Postseason action begins Thursday at 9 p.m. ET, when the No. 2 seed Chicago Bandits face the No. 3 seed Portland Cascade in a win-or-go-home Play-In Game. The winner will advance to face the No. 1 seed and defending champion Utah Talons in the AUSL Championship.

The AUSL Championship series begins Saturday, July 25, at 1 p.m. ET on ABC - marking a historic first for the sport: the first professional softball game ever televised on a U.S. broadcast network. The landmark telecast will be further enhanced by special Disney and Pixar's Toy Story 5 activations bringing together ESPN, Pixar, and the AUSL, extending across the ABC broadcast, ESPN social content, and the fan experience at Davis Diamond. Game 2 will air Sunday, July 26, at 2 p.m. on ESPN, followed by a decisive Game 3, if necessary, Monday, July 27, at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. All championship action will also be available in Spanish on ESPN Deportes.

This unique

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