MLP Austin Preview - Stop #4 of the Season

I feel like I blinked and we are now entering week four of the 2026 Major League Pickleball (MLP) season.

The St. Louis Shock have a commanding point lead, having played the first three events of the year. The New Jersey 5s and Columbus Sliders are in Austin, both hoping to win the event to boost themselves into top four contention.

For the second straight year, the Austin Pickle Ranch is hosting the event. In my opinion, this is one of the nicest indoor facilities in the country. The pros are playing on outdoor courts, which were built last year for this event. 

As I mentioned, the New Jersey 5s and Columbus Sliders are the favorites to make it to the main match on Super Sunday, but other teams are looking to play spoilers. 

The Texas Ranchers are hosting the event, and recently traded for Nico Acevedo with the highest profile trade during the season thus far. They shipped Dylan Frazier off to Miami with cash in exchange for Acevedo.

The Dallas Flash haven’t played since they hosted MLP Dallas three weeks ago - they earned 10 standings points, finishing that event in fifth place overall. Can they earn more points in Austin?

Weather Outlook for Austin

This is the first outdoor stop of the 2026 MLP season, and there is some worry about precipitation headed into the weekend. Hopefully play is not delayed or affected by the weather. If you are attending in person, be prepared for the heat - not only is it hot, but it is also going to be extremely humid. The ball will definitely be playing a bit slower than it has in the previous indoor events this year.

Breakdown of Teams and Pools

Group A 

• California Black Bears 
• Carolina Hogs 
• Columbus Sliders 
• Miami Pickleball Club 
• SoCal Hard Eights 

Group B 

• Atlanta Bouncers 
• Bay Area Breakers 
• Dallas Flash 
• Florida Smash 
• New Jersey 5s 
• Texas Ranchers 

How to Watch MLP Austin and Broadcast Schedule

All times listed are local CT

All matches available on Pickleballtv and the Pickleballtv App, in addition to:

Sunday, June 14

• All day on MSG Network 11AM ET - 5PM ET (9AM - 4PM CT Local)

Team by Team Quick Glance

Group A 

California Black Bears 

• Roster: Sahra Dennehy, Kiora Kunimoto, Anouar Braham, Emma Nelson, Joey Wild, and Jamed Delgado (Luca Mack on IR)

Carolina Hogs 

• Roster: Brandon French, DJ Young, Michael Loyd, Aiko Yoshitomi, Nicole Conard, and Abbigal Hatton

Columbus Sliders

• Roster: Andrei Daescu, Parris Todd, CJ Klinger, Danni-Elle Townsend, Alex Crum, and Judit Castillo

Miami Pickleball Club

• Roster: Dylan Frazier, Yuta Funemizu, Estee Widdershoven, Isabella Dunlap, Clayton Powell, and Rika Fujiwara

SoCal Hard Eights 

• Roster: Meghan Dizon, Armaan Bhatia, Cailyn Campbell, Will Mackinnon, Rafa Lenhard, and Naomi Nguyen

Group B 

Atlanta Bouncers 

• Roster: Jaume Martinez Vich, Jay Devilliers, Jessie Irvine, Kaitlyn Christian, Keilly Ulery, and Donald Young

Bay Area Breakers

• Roster: Pablo Tellez, Genie Erokhina, Luc Pham, Mya Bui, Len Yang, and Ella Yeh

Dallas Flash 

• Roster: JW Johnson, Hurricane Tyra Black, Augie Ge, Brooke Buckner, Ivan Jakovljevic, and Albie Huang

Florida Smash 

• Roster: Travis Rettenmaier, Martina Frantova, Cason Campbell, Paula Rives Palau, Chris Crouch, and Zoey Weil

New Jersey 5s 

• Roster: Anna Leigh Waters, Jorja Johnson, Will Howells, Noe Khlif, Martin Emmrich, and Lina Padigemaite

Texas Ranchers 

• Roster: Eric Oncins, Lea Jansen, Layne Sleeth, Nico Acevedo, Matthew Barlow, and Marcela Hones