Bandits General Manager Jenny Dalton-Hill added a friendly amendment to a reporter’s assertion that her team’s first-half success in Athletes Unlimited Softball League was due to pitching depth and a “relentless” lineup from one through nine. 

“I’m going to say our offense is relentless 1-12,” she said. “We’ve got bats that are able to come off the bench and come into key situations. So while 1-9 has been really important for us and has been coming through for us, in lots of different situations, I’m really grateful for the bats we have that are able to come off the bench as well and produce.”

Score one for the GM whose team scored 78 runs and allowed 45 to sprint out to a 9-3 record. The Bandits will open the second half of the AUSL season on Monday in Rosemont with a game against the Volts, followed by a pair with the Blaze on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Yes, the Bandits got it done in so many ways with so many people on the way to a first-place tie with the Talons at the midway point. 

Let’s start with the player who gets things started for the Bandits. Leadoff hitter Morgan Zerkle has a slash line of .432/.457/.864 with an AUSL-high five home runs to go along with 13 RBIs. Zerkle leads the AUSL in hits with 19 and is followed closely by teammate Sydney McKinney (17). 

Erin Coffel, a co-candidate with Zerkle for MVP honors, leads the league in on-base percentage, slugging percentage (.1.174), RBIs and hit by pitches (7). 

As a team, the Bandits lead the league in batting average, OBP, slugging, runs, hits, doubles, home runs and stolen bases. They scored 11 runs in a game twice and eight runs twice. 

On the other side of the ball, Bandits pitchers posted an ERA of 3.76, good for second in the league. Lexi Kilfoyl has the third-best ERA (2.66) while Odicci Alexander is fourth (2.68). Veteran Taylor McQuillin leads in games finished (6) and is tied for first with two saves. 

Dalton-Hill and head coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz planned it this way, going with six pitchers while the league norm is five. 

“The pitching depth for us, I think, has helped,” Dalton-Hill said. “We’ve got some hitting pitchers who have really helped us, as well.”

One of those pitchers is rookie Devyn Netz, who has pitched in four games and batted in all 12 and compiled a line of .308/.357/.513 with two homers and seven RBI.

“I was super impressed with the way that our collegiate athletes hit the ground running,” Dalton-Hill said. They came in so hot and so ready to go. That really helped us a lot, especially Devyn Netz. Her bat has been so important for us. She’s picked up some innings in the circle that I did not anticipate because I didn’t pick her up as a pitcher. While she was an added arm, an extra arm, a No. 6 pitcher for us, she has actually been integral to some of our wins.”

Both Dalton-Hill and Nuveman Deniz say they like the way the team has come together after a purposefully rigorous spring training orchestrated by the head coach.

“It really does feel like it’s firing on all cylinders,” Nuveman Deniz said. “The trust is there. The fun piece. I’m big on that. We’ve got to enjoy what we’re doing. If it feels like a grind, then that’s what it will be. But I feel right now like we’re playing with a lot of joy. This game is fun. There’s a lot of enjoyment of what we’re doing, no matter how hot it is, no matter what the score is, no matter what location we’re in, humidity or whatever, we’re just getting after it. I think the group is really enjoying each other’s company and going to battle together and competing.”

A need to come out strong

The Bandits will open the second half of the season against teams with sub-.500 records. The Volts are 4-8, and the Blaze is 2-10. In the middle of June, the Bandits swept three from the Volts in Sulphur, Louisiana, outscoring them 18-6. 

They took three of four from the Blaze in Wichita to end the first half. If there is a cautionary tale, it came in the series finale against the Blaze, who salvaged a game with a run-rule 11-3 victory over the Bandits. 

“I need this team to not have lapses,” Dalton-Hill said. “I think that’s what happened against the Blaze, that run-rule loss. That was so uncharacteristic of our team. But I think this midseason break actually came at the perfect time. Everybody had been on the road for a long time and just needed a little rejuvenation.

“So being able to get home for a couple of days, be back with their people, have some regular moments – get back to their regular coffee shop or a nice night out, whatever it was. Just see their people. I think it’s going to rejuvenate them. It’s kind of cool to see the text-message chains, how they miss each other and want to get back together. That’s what you want. You want your team to miss being together, and that’s what this team is right now.”

The Bandits will be without expected No. 1 catcher Mia Davidson, who will not be available after missing the first half of the AUSL season while finishing her pro season in Japan. 

On the bright side, the Bandits have gotten more than solid work behind the plate from Jordan Roberts, who not only has the trust of the pitchers but also hit a pair of homers in the first half. 

“Jordan Roberts was that at-large pick, that free-agent pick for us,” Dalton-Hill said. “We actually felt that was going to be an integral part of how we were able to perform. We thought Mia Davidson would be our ace behind the plate leading the charge. But Jordan Roberts has actually become that for us. And she’s been such a great asset to our pitchers. She’s calm. She calls a great game. She communicates well. She has all the pieces that a good catcher needs, and she’s come through with some really big home runs in games for us.”

So if there is a formula for the second half, it just might be not to mess with success.

“Just continue what we’re doing,” Coffel said. “You don’t want to change what we’re doing. We’re just playing so freely and having fun. I’ve said it, and I know everybody on our team says it: This is the most fun we’ve had playing softball in a long time. To do it at this level and against this competition says something about our coaches and our teammates and who we surround ourselves with. It’s been such a fun ride. It’s only the first half. I can’t wait to see what else we do.”

Bruce Miles has covered sports in the Chicago area for 46 years, including baseball, hockey, football and Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball. He covered the Chicago Cubs in their historic run to the World Series title in 2016. He has written stories for Athletes Unlimited since 2020.

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