The stage is set.
The combatants are ready.
It’s go time.
The first late-season showdown of the inaugural Athletes Unlimited Softball League season takes place Friday-Sunday in Omaha, and softball fans could not ask for a better matchup.
The Bandits will stride onto Connie Claussen Field with a record of 10-5. They slumped a bit lately, losing a season-high three games in a row, but scored an important 5-4, eight-inning victory Wednesday in Rosemont against the Blaze.
Opposing the Bandits will be the first-place Talons, a formidable bunch that sits atop the AUSL standings with a record of 12-3.
Bandits Head Coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz knows what’s in store over the weekend.
“I think it’s going to be a battle, a battle royal,” she said. “They (the Talons) are very confident right now. They’re swinging the bat really well, getting great pitching performances. So it’s going to be about which team can slug it out at the end of the day.”
The word “slug” certainly fits the Bandits. They lead AUSL in home runs (22), slugging percentage (.569), total bases (239), hits (141), runs scored (96), and batting average (.331). They also have speed on the bases, as their league-leading 19 stolen bases attest.
The statistical leaders are top-heavy with Bandits players. Co-MVP candidates Erin Coffel and Morgan Zerkle are 1-2 in batting average, respectively, slugging percentage, and RBIs. Zerkle leads the AUSL with five home runs, and Coffel is tied for second with four. Three of the top four players in total bases are Bandits: Zerkle, Coffel and Sydney McKinney.
The Bandits enjoy a plus-30 run differential, having outscored their opponents 96-66. In the circle, Lexi Kilfoyl (3-0 record) and Odicci Alexander (3-1) are 3-4 in ERA, at 2.77 and 2.85, respectively.
Even with all that, the Bandits find themselves looking up at the Talons, who have a plus-21 run differential. Pitcher Georgina Corrick is 4-0 with a league-leading 1.05 ERA, and veteran Hannah Flippen is among the leaders in key offensive categories.
“I just think they’re a very competent team,” Nuveman Deniz said. “They play with a good amount of swagger. When things are going well, that’s awesome. If you hit some roadblocks, that can be tough because it’s hard to keep swagger going if you’re not getting results. They’re getting the results right now. I think they’re just playing very competently. So we’ve just got to hope they hit a little adversity themselves in time for us to come in and swoop in.”
The Bandits and Talons are no strangers to each other. They opened the AUSL season in Rosemont last month, with the Bandits winning two of three and outscoring the Talons 14-7. The teams split a pair of games in Wichita, with the Talons taking the opener 5-4 in walk-off fashion and the Bandits taking the second game 8-4, thanks in part to a Coffel grand slam.
These will be the last face-to-face meetings of the season between these top two teams. They hold seemingly comfortable leads over the Volts (5-10) and Blaze (3-12) in the race to the AUSL Championship, July 26-28 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The top two teams will face off in that series.
Between now and then, there will be a lot of scoreboard watching.
“I think we have to,” Nuveman Deniz said. “It’s not obsessing over it, but (it’s) being aware of, ‘How are they winning? What’s working for them? What’s the successful combination, whether it’s pitchers or offensively? How are they getting on the board?’ So, yes, we are definitely paying attention to what’s happening with the other teams. The focus is primarily on us and what we need to do. But yeah, we’re definitely keeping track of everybody and knowing what we’re going to be up against.”
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.
Follow Bruce on Bluesky @brucemiles2112.bsky.social and on X @brucemiles2112
