The Bandits are looking forward to this weekend, when they travel to Tuscaloosa to meet the Talons in the first Athletes Unlimited Softball Championship.
But first, there is the little matter of a two-game series against the Blaze in Rosemont to end the regular season.
The Bandits regained some of the momentum they had lost in the middle of the season by taking three of four from the Volts over the weekend and clinching a postseason spot.
Even though they have a record of 14-8, they don’t want to get caught looking past the Blaze, who are fourth in the league at 6-16.
“It’s obviously a huge honor to be in that final in Tuscaloosa come the end of July,” said shortstop Skylar Wallace, who hit three home runs against the Volts. “But I think our main focus is just doing the little things for tomorrow’s game. That’s nice that we clinched and have that on lock. But it’s really just focusing on how we can have better swings, at-bats. How can we move runners? How can we have crisp defense? How can we make better pitches? We’re just focusing on that so that when we get there, we’re ready to go.
“We came back from that (midseason) break and got punched over and over again and just had to figure some things out. Now let’s find our groove and just stay with that and keep rolling.”
The Bandits and Blaze have met six times this season, with the Bandits taking four games while outscoring the Blaze 49-39.
The two teams were involved in a deadline-day deal, with the Bandits sending infielder-pitcher Devyn Netz to the Blaze for first baseman Danielle Gibson Whorton.
Gibson Whorton has fit seamlessly into the Bandits lineup, where she bats third.
“I came in knowing that if I wanted to have a seamless transition, I wanted to acclimate as quick as possible,” Gibson Whorton said. “What I mean by that is (I am) mature enough to understand that I’m coming into a system that I really, really respect, just coming from an outside perspective. But also, ‘What is the group lacking that I can be a part of that maybe even isn’t who I am normally?’
“Gratefully, I’ve been able to come in and be my offensive self and feel like I pour everything in that I can. For them and the group and the tremendous respect I have for this group of women, I wanted to come in and be of service to them from the jump. And I think it’s reciprocated, and it shows to their character and obviously what Coach Nuvey (Stacey Nuveman Deniz) has built so far.”
No doubt Nuveman Deniz will use the final two games of the regular season to make any lineup tweaks she feels are necessary to give them an edge over the Talons in the Championship.
On the “hot” side of the ledger:
- Wallace has a nine-game hitting streak during which she is 16-for-33 (.485).
- Sydney McKinney has hit safely in eight of her last nine games, going 15-for-31 (.484).
- Morgan Zerkle has hit safely in eight of nine, going 17-for-41 (.415).
On the “cold side, Erin Coffel was 1-for-13 against the Volts, with her lone hit coming in her final at-bat of the series. Still, she emerged from that drought with a season batting average of .415. Nuveman Deniz did not seem worried.
“Erin Coffel’s had a tough weekend,” the coach said. “Does that change how we believe in her? Not one bit. Do I think every at-bat she walks up there is the one she’s going to bust out? Yes, I do. It’s a matter of her believing that.
“So I think those are the kinds of things where you’ve put the hay in the barn up to this point in the season. Now, you’ve just got to like cash in. You’ve just got to enjoy the moment, the ups and the downs. Ride out the tough days and just get to the next day and get back to being who you can be. That’s going to be the big challenge. Everyone’s not going to go 3-for-3 every day. It just doesn’t happen like that.”
Nuveman Deniz will also use the series against the Blaze to get a handle on who will pitch against the Talons. Lexi Kilfoyl had two wins against the Volts, improving her record to 5-1 with a 2.47 ERA. Lefty Taylor McQuillin picked up the other victory in the series and also earned her third save of the season. She is 3-0 with a 4.36 ERA. Odicci Alexander is 4-2 with a 3.58 ERA.
“When Jenny (GM Dalton-Hill) and I drafted this team, this is what we wanted from the get-go, and this is what we thought we put together in terms of the roster,” Nuveman Deniz said. “The versatility, offensively, defensively, in the circle, all of those things. It’s really cool to just kind of see it come together in maybe a little bit different way than we thought.
“We started off so hot. It’s been a little bit of a grind the last couple of weeks. It’s good that it’s happening now. We have a chance to make some corrections and to figure some things out and get on a roll.”
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
