Jenny Dalton-Hill has traveled the country with AUSL softball this summer. As the general manager of the Bandits and a legend in the sport from her playing and coaching days, she likes what she sees. Dalton-Hill is bullish on her Bandits and the AUSL in general. During a one-on-one interview with Bandits beat writer Bruce Miles, Dalton-Hill shared her thoughts on the state of the sport at the pro level and what needs to be done to grow the game in the future. Here is an edited transcript of that wide-ranging interview:
Question: With the league in general, how have things gone over the first half of the season?
Answer: I’m just so impressed with how much support these athletes have. In the past, they’ve had the game of softball, but that’s been the only thing that’s been consistent – a lot of people coming in and out of the picture. The experiences weren’t the same from team to team. I am so impressed with how AU has come in and just put forward a very consistent approach to everything we’re doing. It’s the first time we’ve ever seen that done in our sport.
Q: Next year will be different because the league will be city-based. Looking at things now, are there any tweaks you’d make?
A: We were told starting out it would be a 15-team roster, and we fought for one more pitcher, knowing it was going to be a pretty big grind on the arms we have. AU listened and gave us 16 roster spots. The biggest change we’re going to see is the expansion teams next year. I don’t know that there’s anything I would change to how we did it. Because it’s never been done, everybody took some time to settle into what their roles are. While that’s uncomfortable, it’s something you have to go with. There’s no checklist you can give everybody like, ‘Here’s what a GM does. Here’s what a head coach does. Here’s what a coordinator does.’ So I think it just took some time for everybody to just kind of settle into how to move forward the right way.
Q: Has the team (the Bandits) come together the way you and head coach Stacey Nuveman-Deniz had envisioned?
A: I think it surpasses what we expected. We wanted a team that was balanced. We both talked about balance of plate power from both sides, different looks from the circle. But I think the thing that impresses us, the thing that impresses me the most, is the way that this team has come together and really connected with each other and owned their roles and supported each other.
Q: Is there a dovetail between an exciting Women’s College World Series and what AU does?
A: I think not only does it dovetail, I think the snowball just kept rolling. But more than that, the collegiate athletes that we chose out of the ranks have come and done very well. So it gives us that springboard to look at what you can do at the next level. That’s so important because if we had drafted a bunch of duds, all of a sudden it falls apart. But we drafted the best of the best, and they’ve come in and proved they can compete against the best in our country.
Q: Who do you rely on to make sure you’re getting good character in addition to good softball skill?
A: You’ve got to do your homework. You have to have relationships with the coaches. Not that coaches are going to paint a rosy picture or paint an ugly picture, but you have to have enough of a relationship to know when you’re telling me the truth because they want all of their athletes to play at the next level. Hopefully they tell us the truth enough to know that they’ll fit within the culture. I have the benefit of being able to call softball games (on TV) all spring long and talk to coaches all spring long. I feel that’s a benefit for me, to be able to know coaches in a different way but also evaluate talent literally every weekend to be able to know.
Q: What do you enjoy most about being a GM, and what keeps you up at night?
A.: I will say it took a little time to settle into what a GM in this space would do. I think all four of the GMs are used to coming to a facility and being between the white lines and making game decisions. So it was very difficult to step back and be a spectator, per se. It took me a week and a half or two to just realize what my job here is. So what keeps me up at night? I’m not going to lie. The thing that I struggle with is the fact that this group won’t be this group next year. This team has created such a unique bond with each other. And I’m not part of that. I am, but I’m not. They come to me with issues or problems and we talk through things, and I see their intentions. You hope you can capture that in a bottle and reproduce it next year. The thing that makes me – maybe “anxious” is the right word – is the fact that I will have to make changes next year.
Q: Where is analytics with softball?
A: It’s behind the baseball world, for sure. It’s a part of it, but I also think the analytics side has gone too far in the baseball world and taken out the human element. When you look at our team, we weren’t worried about analytics. We were worried about the much bigger picture. It was part of the picture, but not the whole thing.
Q: What do you see in a year, two years, five years, 10 years down the line for this?
A: When you fly into an airport – let’s say it’s Wichita or Sulphur – sometimes you see WNBA or NBA or baseball up on the walls I want to see AUSL up on the walls. I want these cities where we settle to embrace us. And that requires a team to embrace the city, as well. It goes both ways. But I think the most important thing for this league is, when we do settle into markets, is to make sure the city feels they’re a part of it. That, to me, is going to be the next big hurdle. I can’t imagine us not being in Chicago. With that projection, I need to do a better job of being in the community and having more touchpoints.
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 X @brucemiles2112
