Set to debut in the summer of 2026, the Kansas City Diamonds are one of seven teams in the new Professional Softball League. The team will play at Legends Park in Kansas City, KS, with its first game on June 11, and will end the season with postseason play in August.
While the team’s roster is not finalized, some players, like catcher Leah Boggs, have already signed with the Diamonds. Boggs played college softball at the University of Virginia, but she said she’s still most excited about playing in front of the Kansas City fans.
“There is something different about the Kansas City community and the way they show up for their athletes,” Boggs said. “I’m ready to play in front of our fans and experience the city of champions firsthand.”
Softball has seen a large increase in viewership over the last few years, with a record number of 1.3 million average viewers during the Women’s College World Series. Boggs said the formation of the PSL will continue to help grow the game while providing opportunities to more female athletes.
“The PSL forming is such an incredible testament to the growth of softball and women’s sports in general,” Boggs said. “There are so many talented athletes who deserve an opportunity to continue their career and with the formation of the PSL and new teams like the Diamonds, they continue to create more opportunities. I know that this growth is only going to continue, and I’m excited to see where we end up.”
Since they will be playing so close to Lawrence, junior softball player Hallie Vail said she thinks the Diamonds will hopefully help continue to increase the popularity of softball locally.
Sophomore softball player Presley White said a new professional team could attract more people to the sport and hopefully bolster the number of people participating in women’s sports as a whole.
“I am really excited to watch good softball close to home. It will be fun to support a new team,” White said. “It can bring more attention to women’s sports, and it might get more girls interested in playing.”
Boggs said building chemistry could be tough to do with the team being in their first year, but she said it’s easy to connect with people who all value the same things.
“When you have a group of people who all value and want the same thing for this sport, it ends up being effortless,” Boggs said. “I’m grateful to have a head start on building relationships with those who I’ll be playing next to this season.”
