The Bandits are back in Chicago, and now, Chicago is officially a Bandits kind of town.
That was quite evident on Saturday at the Parkway Bank Sports Complex in Rosemont, Illinois, where the Bandits opened the home portion of their season against the Oklahoma Spark.
The only thing spoiling the festive day was that the Spark came in and made themselves right at home with a 9-1 victory in a game ended after five innings because of the run rule.
A pregame walk through the stands and concourse yielded a rich harvest of Bandits jerseys, with fans sporting “ALEXANDER-BENNETT, “COFFEL” and “ZERKLE” on the backs of their blue jerseys.”
Although the Bandits played all of the home games in Rosemont last year, the first season of the team-based AUSL, there were no designated home cities. Informally, folks around the Chicago area adopted the Bandits as their own, just as they did a few years ago when the Bandits were a team in National Pro Fastpitch.
Now the Bandits are home for good.
“Twenty years ago, I remember the history,” said first-year Bandits head coach Shonda Stanton, whose team is off to an 0-4 start. “We’ve got a great foundation. Our expectation is that we’re building. Their (the old Bandits) ceiling should be our floor. We’ll get the Bandits there. Jenny (Dalton-Hill) is an incredible general manager, a first-class woman, and character drives winning.
“We have a great group. We have a very internal group. We’re pretty cerebral. We’re pretty calm. And it’s my job as a coach to be able find that fire within them. There’s greatness in each one of them. We’ve got to find that winning combination and what’s going to work. We’ve got to have that exciting brand on the field, that product, because fans who are used to seeing that, we want them coming back and understanding that’s the product you’re going to get here.”
Just to make it feel a little more like old home week, the Spark jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning on a three-run homer by Bubba Nickles-Camarena, who played last year for – you guessed it – the Bandits.
There’ more when it comes to the ex-Bandits factor. Catcher Delanie Wisz, who also played for the Bandits last season, hit a pair of home runs as the Spark scored three runs in the first inning, four in the second and one run each in the third and fourth.
“It’s fun to compete against any team, but I think just the historical presence that the Bandits have, not only in this league, but in the past softball leagues, I think it a testament to who they are as a program. To be able to come in and compete is fun for me.
“I think the Chicago community really pours in. It was special to be a part of, but I’m really excited to be a part of the Oklahoma City Spark now and being part of that community as well.”
The other homer hit by the Spark came off the bat of Sydney Sherrill, who hit a two-run blast in the fourth inning.
Oklahoma City batters have been crushing the ball, hitting six home runs in their season-opening series at home against the Volts before adding four on Saturday.
“I think our coaches do a really good job of preparing us,” Sherrill said. “Coach Kirk (GM Kirk Walker) did a really good job of recruiting the best hitters. So just a testament to all of that. We vibe really well as a team, and I think we’re just all getting along really well. Just up and down the lineup, we have really good character people and just really good softball players.”
The Spark got it done in the circle again with rookie Maya Johnson improving her record to 2-0. Johnson worked four innings, giving up one hit and no runs while walking two and striking out four. She lowered her ERA from 5.88 to 3.97.
Most important, Johnson has showed amazing poise for a rookie.
“I think we feel that as a coaching staff because there’s a lot of trust there with her,” said Spark coach Amber Flores, whose team is off to a 3-1 start. “She’s incredibly talented, but she has a plan. She knows what she wants to do. She executes things really well. And she’s tough. I think that’s the thing we always take away as a coaching staff – she wants the ball in her hand at all times. She’s tough. She competes. She never really gives in.
“To have her leading the staff and leading the way, it’s been special. I think she and Wisz have done a really good job together. Wisz is really in charge of the staff. She has a large role and a large responsibility. To she what she’s done with a young, young staff is truly impressive. It’s really, really impressive.”
Bruce Miles has covered sports in the Chicago area for 47 years, including baseball, hockey, football and Athletes Unlimited Softball League. 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
