If, as Marilyn Monroe sang, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” then women softball players and fans in Kansas City have reason to celebrate. The Kansas City Diamonds have announced they will compete as a founding member of the newly formed Professional Softball League.
One of seven founding teams, the Diamonds will play its home games at Legends Field in KCK, where the Monarchs play too.
“This is a defining moment for softball in Kansas City,” says Jeremy McDowell, KC Diamonds president. “The KC Diamonds represent opportunity, visibility and growth for professional women’s sports. Kansas City has already proven it shows up for softball, and now it has a team to call its own.”
McDowell—who has been running high-level, large-scale amateur tournaments around the United States for the past two decades—explains that KC was “an easy choice” when it came to selecting a franchise site because it’s nationally known for its support of women’s sports. Kansas City, of course, has the Current, but it also has hosted the NCAA Division I women’s volleyball and soccer finals in the past year and has hosted the women’s Big-12 basketball tournament since its inception in 1997.
“Bringing a franchise to Kansas City just reinforces the region’s growing reputation as a national women’s sports destination,” McDowell says. “KC is just the right-size city: big enough but close knit enough.”
He said the PSL is already working to expand in 2027, adding a franchise in St. Louis and perhaps other cities. The Diamonds are also working on scheduling some exhibition games with the USA national team, which will name its roster for the next Olympics at the end of this year.
Diamonds tickets went on sale Feb. 1, and the team reported they sold more than 2,000 tickets on day one alone.
“We were very excited about our day one ticket sales,” McDowell says. “If we do this well, we’ll get butts in seats.”
With softball returning to the Olympic games in 2028, the sport has never been more popular. “This is a milestone moment for professional fastpitch softball,” PSL spokesperson and owner of the Florida Vibe Ryan Moore told USA Today. “We’ve seen the momentum build year after year.”
The league has secured the rights to broadcast its contests exclusively on the All Women’s Sports Network, which is featured on various platforms, including Amazon Prime, Pluto TV and DirecTV.
Team Manager
The Diamonds recently named Georgia’s Valdosta State University head softball coach Thomas Macera as the team manager for its inaugural season.
Macera, currently in his 19th year at the helm of his alma mater, is the winningest active coach in NCAA Division II softball. He’s reached 1,000 career wins faster than any coach in NCAA softball history.
Under Macera’s leadership, the VSU Blazers have consistently ranked among the top 25 teams, have made 14 consecutive NCAA South Regional Tournaments and three NCAA Division II National Championship Tournament finals appearances. His 2004 team went 53-4, earning him NAIA Coach of the Year honors.
“Fundamentals are number one for me,” Macera says, “but I’m also pretty big on hitting. Home runs are always great, but you’ve got to be able to get baserunners because without baserunners, you don’t score.”
Macera says his family, including his wife, Tana, will remain in Georgia during his first season in Kansas City.
“My first job is just trying to help solidify the team,” says Macera, who admitted he has never even visited Kansas City. “Our biggest challenge is going to be learning how to play together in a very short period. It’s going to be an adventure, but I am going to try to enjoy it.”
Macera’s resume includes professional coaching experience. He served as the hitting and infield coach for the Chicago Bandits, who won the 2008 title in the now defunct National Pro Fastpitch League.
“It is a blessing to be out there, just an honor to be around that level of player,” Macera says. “These women are pros and carry themselves as such and train hard and do everything they can to perform at the highest level.”
McDowell says Macera was the clear choice to lead the Diamonds.
“He brings a rare combination of professional experience, player development and championship culture,” McDowell says. “Thomas has developed a reputation as one of the top hitting minds in the game, and more importantly, knows how to develop athletes and build winning environments. We’re building something special in Kansas City, and bringing in a proven leader like Thomas gives our players and our fans confidence that the Diamonds will compete at the highest level from day one.”
The PSL
The PSL has no affiliation with the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, which is backed by the MLB, who provides marketing, content distribution and operational support. Whereas the AUSL is league-owned (MLB reportedly has 20 percent equity), the PSL is franchise-owned.
“Entry to a professional league has always been expensive, and investors can lose millions,” McDowell says. “But because we have independent franchises, we don’t have a barrier to entry. This allows for business groups who have a passion for the sport to be involved.”
The AUSL employed a traveling exhibition format last year but is switching to city-based teams in 2026 with six hosts, none of which have an MLB team (unlike the PSL). The two leagues run concurrently, but the PSL playoffs will occur the week after the AUSL concludes its season.
“We’re not anti-AUSL,” McDowell says. “We all just want to support the game.”
For years, hundreds of U.S. women have had to go to Mexico, the Netherlands, Germany, Taiwan or Japan to find opportunities to keep playing after college. These leagues allow women who love the game and want to keep playing more opportunities to play and stay at home.
“We want to disrupt the status quo of the professional game,” McDowell says. “For so many years, we’ve seen leagues come and go, but that’s because they had no broadcasting deal, no game-day experience, and we’re changing that.”
The league’s other teams include the Atlanta Smoke, Chattanooga Chill, New York Rise, Tampa Bay Breeze, (Viera) Florida Heat and (Bradenton) Florida Vibe.
The PSL’s opening day is June 11, just after the Women’s College World Series concludes. Each team, with a roster of 20 players, will play 10 consecutive weeks.The league will host an exhibition series against teams of current juniors in college from Columbia and O’Fallon, Missouri, and Normal, Illinois, the week of July 28 and conclude with a postseason tournament August 5–9.
The Diamonds will make four road trips this year—two to Florida between visits to Atlanta and New York.
Kansas City’s home opener is June 17. The Diamonds will host six different three- and four-game home stands: June 17–19 and July 19–21 against the Vibe; June 29–July 1 and July 23–26 against the Smoke; July 2–4 against the Rise; and July 13–16 against the Heat.
“The setup is nice, especially when you’re building and the thing is in its infancy,” McDowell says.
Monarchs Partnership
The Diamonds have partnered with the Kansas City Monarchs, who will not only allow the Diamonds to use their Legends’ facility for its games but are also providing the softball team with access to their personnel, including their box office and operations.
“They approached us, and we negotiated a partnership that worked both ways,” McDowell says.
With a maximum capacity of 6,500, the stadium will be the “biggest by far in the PSL,” McDowell says.
“We want the players and the fans to have a good experience,” he says, “and the fact that we don’t have to build an infrastructure for all that is extremely beneficial.” The goal is to eventually have their own stadium, but McDowell said that would probably take a STAR bond.
Of course, the field at Legends will have to undergo a few changes to accommodate softball. The Diamonds will purchase and install temporary six-foot green mesh fencing featuring sponsors’ names and messaging in the outfield; place their own bases around the diamond; and outline a pitcher’s circle in front of the pitcher’s mound, which will remain in place during games.
The Diamonds will practice at Avila University, where they will also be housed along with the opposing teams while the World Cup is in town.
“We visited all over the metro and even had a couple of former pro players help us decide where to reside—women who would know if the accommodations, security and practice facilities were suitable for a professional women’s team,” McDowell says. “It’s a win-win for Avila (whose dorms would otherwise be empty during the summer) and us.”
Learn more about the Diamond’s season by visiting thekcdiamonds.com.
