After enjoying some “home” cooking for a couple of weeks, the Bandits are ready to hit the road.
“Honestly, I think we’re ready for a scenery change,” said head coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz. “We’ve been here for two weeks – actually more than that. Don’t get me wrong. We’re comfortable here. We’ve got our routine, but I think all of us are excited to be somewhere different and just kind of hit the road and bring on whatever that brings on.”
The Bandits played before three sold-out crowds in their historic opening series, winning two of three against the Talons in Rosemont, Illinois.
They definitely felt a homefield vibe, as many of the fans remembered the Chicago Bandits of National Pro Fastpitch.
“There’s a lot of ‘Go Bandits’ cheers going on,” said center fielder Morgan Zerkle. I’m trying to imagine it like it is our home field and we’re the home team. For sure.”
The Bandits are headed to Sulphur, Louisiana, to play the Volts, winners of two of three against the Blaze in their opening series. The Volts outscored the Blaze 16-7 over the three games.
“They’re a very offensive team, and they’re a very veteran team,” Nuveman Deniz said. “They’ve got a lot of experienced professionals and national team players. So yeah, they’re ballers. They’re confident. They’ve got a lot of swagger.
“That’s the thing about this game. It doesn’t matter how you start. You’ve got to show up every day with the same intensity and focus and intent. We’ll bring our stuff, they’ll bring theirs and we’ll go to battle.”
Two of those veteran Volts players – Jessi Warren and Amanda Lorenz — hit safely in all three games. The Bandits will be challenged on both sides of the ball. Volts hitters posted a .311 batting average and a .386 on-base percentage against the Blaze, and their pitchers turned in a sparkling 1.67 ERA.
The Bandits used a balanced offense to take their series. Included was an 8-0 victory in Tuesday’s finale, which ended with the run rule invoked. Over the first three games, the Bandits outscored the Talons 14-7, with four home runs, a .286 batting average and a .367 OBP, fueled in part by seven walks.
“That’s our game,” Nuveman Deniz said. “Sometimes you’ve got to play small ball and station to station. I think that’s what I really like about our team in general. We have good weapons to do both. We can steal bases and can take the long ball, as well.”
In the circle, Lexi Kilfoyl is 2-0 with a 1.40 ERA, and Bandits pitchers posted a 2.58 ERA against the Talons.
“We have a very deep staff, and they’re all very willing to do whatever it requires,” said catcher Jordan Roberts, who was behind the plate for all three games of the opening series. “I think it’s been really fun for me. That’s my bread and butter. I love hitting, but as I’ve been in this league catching, getting to work with different pitchers, figuring out what makes them tick, how we can utilize what they have that works so well against these hitters, that makes me so happy. I can’t even explain that to you. It’s so fun to get to work with each of them, and I can’t wait to see the rest of them throw.”
Like her coach, Zerkle expressed eagerness to head on the road.
“I think that’s what we are used to in college,” she said. “So to be back into, ‘Hey, we’re all in this together, attacking the other team,’ we’ll be in rental cars together and on the road in buses. That will be fun to have a lot of moments together.”
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
