Back On the Beat With the Chicago Bandits

The Chicago Bandits start a homestand tomorrow with a game against the Canadian Wild. They host the Wild and the Cleveland Comets for a total of ten games over nine days.

The Bandits currently sit in 2nd place in the NPF (National Pro Fastpitch) with a record of 8-3. They trail the USSSA Pride (12-3) and are ahead of the Wild (13-6). The Comets (6-11), the Aussie Peppers (4-10) and the Beijing Eagles (5-15) round out the NPF standings.

Despite playing the fewest games so far, the Bandits have a few players among the league leaders. Kristyn Sandberg is 3rd in rbi's (11), 5th in on base percentage (.462), 3rd in slugging percentage (.727) and 3rd in doubles (5). Hannah Flippen is 4th in runs scored (9), 5th in batting average (.379), 2nd in slugging percentage (.750) and 1st in triples (3). Brenna Moss is 5th in stolen bases (7). Emily Crane is 2md in on base percentage (.500) and 1st in slugging percentage (.769).

On the pitching leaderboard, Aleshia Ocasio, Haylie Wagner and Danielle O'Toole are tied for 4th in wins (2). I expect more Bandits representation once the amount of games played starts to even out around the league.

While the Bandits are in 2nd place in the NPF, they also proved competitive against the best the US has to offer in the form of Team USA. The future Olympians were in Rosemont for a week of practice and exhibition games against the Bandits and the Pride. They took 2 of 3 from the Bandits, but the Bandits were tough competition, especially considering they were missing a few players, who were playing for Team USA.

Mostly through the first month of the season, things will really heat up in July. Veterans are in mid-season form and rookies have had a month to adjust. Seperation should start occurring in the standings. I am predicting a 1-2 finish for the Pride and the Bandits, but the Canadian Wild could make it interesting. The Comets, Peppers and Eagles just don't have quite enough to escape the lower end of the standings, although they have already proven to be competitive.

The NPF championship series starts August 15 and is a best of five series. Despite the Pride beating the Bandits last season, the championship series was one of the highlights of my summer.

In addition to the great softball action on the field, there will also be plenty of fun around the ballpark. There will be a couple of jersey auctions on Silver Lining Night and Salute Night. There's also Christmas in July, Mascot Night, Star Wars Night and many other fun theme nights.

Not only is there a lot of entertainment to be had at the ballpark, these young athletes deserve our attention. Having covered the team for 6 seasons, I have gotten to know the Bandits and even the other teams very well. They are dedicated, focused, fan-friendly athletes. They usually have full team autograph lines after the games and opposing teams also join that fun. In a city like Chicago, with so many entertainment options, the Bandits deserve our support.

I'll be at most games throughout the season and I will report back here as the season progresses. I sincerely hope to see and encourage everyone to come out and enjoy the Bandits!