Chicago Bandits Take Over First Place

When I last reported, the Chicago Bandits were in second place in the NPF (National Pro Fastpitch). They only trailed their longtime rival USSSA Pride. Looking at the standings now, the Bandits sit in sole possession of first place, with the Pride doing the chasing.

The Bandits have won five of their last seven games and stand at 25-7 for the season. I don't want to spoil the suspense, but it seems likely the Bandits will face the Pride when the NPF championship series starts in Rosemont on August 15.

Before heading into their current short break, the Bandits beat the Aussie Peppers on a perfect game by Rachele Fico. That win brought her record to 7-3 with an ERA of 1.86. She is second in the NPF in wins, trailing the Pride's Jolene Henderson who has eight.

On offense, the Bandits have several league leaders. Amanda Chidester with seven home runs, Brenna Moss with 19 runs scored, Abby Ramirez with a batting average of .400 and an on-base percentage of .486, Gwen Svekis with nine doubles and Hannah Flippen with three triples all top the leaderboards. There are also other Bandits among the top five in several categories, including Nadia Taylor, Abbey Cheek and Emily Crane.

This team is special. While the Pride always seems to have the edge against the Bandits, Coach Lauren Lappin has the team playing like winners.

Having last played on Sat, the Bandits are not in action again until Monday, August 26, when they begin a long Florida stretch of games. They face the Beijing Eagles in five games in Daytona Beach and and the Pride in Viera for three games. The Bandits return home on Monday, August 5 for their last homestand. They host the Eagles for three games and and the Pride for the final two games of the season.

That's eight road games and five home games for the rest of the season. There's lots of fun still to be had at the Ballpark in Rosemont. July featured Pink Out/Silver Linings Night and Salute Night, when player jerseys were auctioned to raise money for the Silver Linings Foundation and Salute, Inc (respectively). There was also Swiper's annual birthday bash, which featured several local mascots joining the fun and helping the Bandits mascot celebrate his birthday.

Upcoming in August is Superhero/Princess Night (8/5), Scout Night (8/6), Special Olympics Night (8/7), Jennie Finch/Bandits Legends Night (8/10) and Beach Day/Fan Appreciation Day (8/11). That's a lot of great fun in addition to the games.

Things only get better and more interesting when the NPF championship series starts. There will be pre-game tailgating to start each night. Last year, a couple of the Cleveland Comets were signing autographs and taking pictures. Several former Bandits also were in attendance. The NPF and the Bandits did a great job and this year should be equally awesome.

As the season winds down, I will be reporting more frequently. I'll be ”On the Beat” providing coverage, but don't just wait for my reports. I encourage everyone to come out and support these elite athletes.