New Jersey Fives Cruise To Major League Pickleball Austin Title To Keep Pressure On Rivals

BusinessSportsMoneyNew Jersey Fives Cruise To Major League Pickleball Austin Title To Keep Pressure On RivalsByTodd Boss,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Todd Boss writes about Pickleball, the fastest growing sport in USAFollow AuthorJun 15, 2026, 09:54am EDTThe Pickle Ranch in Austin remains one of the best venues in the MLP rotation.Major League PickleballMajor League Pickleball (MLP), presented by DoorDash, headed to Austin last weekend for the 4th event of its 2026 season. It has been a torrid start to the season, and after just three events we’re starting to see the standings form into the expected shape, with the five expected title contenders (NJ, LA, STL, Columbus, and Brooklyn) bunched up at the top of the standings, and the known rebuilding teams (Bay Area, California, SoCal, Phoenix, Carolina, and Miami) at the bottom of the standings, already well behind the leaders.After its first three events were held indoors, Austin was held outdoors at the Austin Pickle Ranch during what can only be described as a massive heat wave. Record highs were seen throughout the Midwest ahead of the event, and the players were playing in mid 90s heat and 60-70% relative humidity. These factors wore on the players, slowed down the ball, and made play much more conservative.Key links for tracking the event this weekend, which feature livestreams from the primary courts at the facility on MLP’s YouTube channel and on PickleballTV.com. I also have data-centric links at the bottom of this recap.MLP Austin Week 4 Event home pageLeague Standings and Team/Player StatsMLP 2026 Schedule along with Rosters for the 20 Premier League TeamsTransaction Recap & Player NewsAhead of the weekend, the following transactions were announced:Columbus’ No. 1 female Parris Todd has opted out of the event due to illness. This will put Danni-Elle Townsend back in the driver’s seat for the Sliders, and will bring newly acquired Judit Castillo to the...