The Bandits have looked almost unstoppable over the first two series of the season.
How are they doing it? Let us count the ways as they take their 5-1 record into Wichita this week for a rematch against the Talons (4-2) in a two-game series.
The Bandits have been getting outstanding pitching, particularly in the form of shutdown work by their relievers. In the series finale against the Volts, a 6-0 shutout victory, Taylor McQuillin earned her second save of the season by working three hitless innings, striking out six.
In the middle game, Devyn Netz worked 3.1 scoreless innings to help preserve a 6-1 victory. Odicci Alexander shouldered the load in a series-opening, nine-inning 6-5 victory by coming in and pitching five innings of two-hit ball, giving up only an unearned run.
The other way the Bandits are winning is with a relentless offense that contains threats from top to bottom in the batting order. The Bandits have outscored their opponents 32-13 over the first six games of the season. The team leads the Athletes Unlimited Softball League in batting average (.327), doubles (10), total bases (92), sacrifice bunts (3), slugging percentage (.579) and triples (3). Skylar Wallace has scored at least a run in each game, totaling seven for the season.
“I think it’s super important,” said third baseman Sydney McKinney, who is 8-for-18 (.444) and bats ninth in the order. “I think that we’ve seen with one through nine, we all trust each other. It’s just pass the bat. We know whoever it is at bat is going to get the job done. If they don’t and if you don’t, the next person is going to do it. I think it’s really cool to find that trust really early. We talked about leaning into each other a lot. I think it’s showing on the field.”
As for batting at the bottom of the order, McKinney says it’s no problem. In fact, she seems to relish it.
“I take a lot of pride in the nine spot,” she said. “It’s really important to flip the lineup over and just keep it going. I feel like all of us down there take a lot of pride in just being able to get the job done and being able to do whatever it takes, whether it’s a bunt, whether it’s a sac fly, whether it’s a single up the middle. Whatever it is, we really want to do it for our team. No matter where I’m at, one through nine, as long as I’m in the lineup and I get the opportunity, I take a lot of pride in just being able to be a part of it.”
The Bandits took two of three from the Talons in Rosemont during the opening weekend of the season. The Talons are coming off a weekend sweep of the Blaze, scoring 31 runs and winning by scores of 14-12, 7-6, and 10-8. Their 38 runs scored for the season lead AUSL, and they also top the league in on-base percentage (.436), walks (27), home runs (10), and RBIs (37).
Bandits coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz cautions against her team taking its foot off the gas now, especially with a potent Talons lineup waiting and looking for revenge.
“My one critique of the weekend is we’re getting a hot start and we’re kind of just settling for … putting up some zeroes multiple innings in a row,” she said. “That’s just maybe getting a little lackadaisical, maybe a little taking our foot off the pedal and just being happy with the leads that we have. We know this league. That will come back to bite us if that’s our m.o. We’ve got to be able to keep pushing, keep scoring runs and just put them away earlier.”
In addition to pitching and offense, the Bandits feel they also have something else going for them: team chemistry. Several players have cited a tough “spring training,” when Nuveman Deniz tried to mold a strong unit in a short time.
It’s working so far.
“I feel like everybody is authentic to themselves and can be accepted that way,” McKinney said. “We’ve got the crazy. We’ve got the chill. We’ve got calm. We’ve got the party. We’ve got the goofy. I feel we have all the personalities on the team, and they just really mesh well together. And I feel like I can absolutely be myself here, and everybody else can. So I think that when you’re playing as yourself and playing authentically, that’s when you do your best. I feel like that’s why we’ve had the outcomes we’ve had so far.”
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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