On the Beat With the Chicago Bandits

When I last reported on the Chicago Bandits, they were a perfect 13-0. Since then, the Bandits ran into a longstanding obstacle known as the USSSA Pride. The Bandits lost 5 of the 6 games with the Pride and now stand at 19-5.

This isn't really shocking, nor is it a disaster. The season is shaping up to be a 2 team race, as expected. The Pride, at 18-1, are in 1st with the Bandits in 2nd. The Beijing Eagles (11-16) are in 3rd, the Cleveland Comets (7-18) are in 4th and the Aussie Spirit (9-24) are in last.

Individually, the Bandits are well-represented on the leaderboards.
Brenna Moss is in 1st place in hits (29), runs scored (20), batting average (.446) and stolen bases (9).
Emily Carosone leads the NPF with 8 home runs. Kristyn Sandberg is tied for 2nd with 6. Emily and Kristyn are also tied with Courtney Gano for 2nd place in RBI's with 16. Nadia Taylor trails them with 15.
Kristyn Is in 2nd with a .754 slugging percentage.
Emily Crane is tied for 2nd in triples (2).

They also appear several other times in the NPF top ten, as do Sammy Marshall, Delaney Spaulding, Abby Ramirez and Sashel Palacios, That makes 10 offensive players on the leaderboards. That's really spreading around the stats!

On the pitching side, 7 Bandits are in the NPF top ten for ERA. Those pitchers are Shelby Turnier, Danielle O'Toole, Rachele Fico, Aleshia Ocasio, Coley Ries, Ally Carda and Lacey Waldrop.
Strikeout percentage leaders include Haylie Wagner, Shelby, Aleshia, Paige Lowary and Lacey.
Wins top ten include Coley, Ally and Rachele.

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of interviewing rookie outfielder Jessie Scroggins, rookie shortstop Delaney Spaulding and veteran 1st baseman Megan Blank.

Th rest of my interviews with the Bandits over the last 5 seasons can be found on my Chicago Bandits playlist on YouTube.

The Bandits are catching a breather this week, as they do not play until Friday, when they host the Spirit. They have a doubleheader on Saturday against the Spirit. Then they host the Eagles for 6 games starting Sunday.

With the season not yet half over, the Bandits are in a good position. The top 2 teams will face off in a Best of 5 championship series in Rosemont on the Bandits home field. That series starts Thursday, August 16. That series promises to be a real battle. I'm trying not to get ahead of myself, but seeing the Bandits in a home playoff series would be awesome. Until then, I look forward to a lot of great women's pro softball action and a lot of fun at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex.