Chicago Bandits

USA Softball players

• Jennie Finch
• Victoria Galindo
• Eileen Canney
• Tammy Williams
• Amber Patton
• Ashley Holcombe
• Kristal Perez
• Natalie Hernandez

Franchise history

National Pro Fastball

2005

The Chicago Bandits inaugural season took place at Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois. Chicago recorded an NPF-best 41–7 record, but lost to the Akron Racers in the championship.

2006

Chicago posted a 30–12 record, which again was best in the NPF, but lost to the Connecticut Brakettes in the championship series.

2007

The 2007 Chicago Bandits went 23–21, but failed to qualify for the playoffs after finishing in sixth place in the league.

2008

The Bandits began their first season in Elgin with a 4–7 record, playing without Jennie Finch and Vicky Galindo of the United States National Team, and Caitlin Lever of the Canadian National Team, due to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Jessica Sallinger and Kristina Thorson each won 12 games and were Chicago's first duo to record double-digit victories since Jennie Finch, Amy Harrein 2005. After moving to their new stadium, the Bandits recorded 61 home runs in 2008, which was more home runs than in the franchise's first three years combined. The team's home run leaders were Stacy May (13), Rachel Folden (11), Jamie Clark (11)

The Bandits completed their season sweeping the Akron Racers, New England Riptide and Rockford Thunder to finish the regular season 32-16 and on a 12-game winning streak, earning the highest seed in the 2008 Championship Series.

In the Championship Series, Chicago won all three games and earned the franchise's first NPF Championship with a victory over the Washington Glory in the title game.

2009

The Chicago Bandits began their second season at Judson University in Elgin, Illinois, with the return of Olympians Jennie Finch, Vicky Galindo, and Caitlin Lever. Chicago finished the regular season with a 27–12 record, ranking first in the National Pro Fastpitch standings and earning the top seed for the playoffs in Akron, Ohio.

Despite having the best record in the NPF in 2009, Chicago was upset in the NPF playoffs by the USSSA Pride two games to one, and lost the opportunity to repeat as league champions.

2010

In 2010, the Bandits once again won the regular season title, but once again, the USSSA Pride ended the Bandits championship hopes, winning their first Cowles Cup title.

After the season, standouts Stacy May-Johnson and Jennie Finch announced their retirements from professional softball.

2011

The Bandits moved into their brand new home stadium, Ballpark at Rosemont, in Rosemont, Illinois in time for the beginning of the 2011 season. The team officially opened the stadium for NPF play on June 16, 2011, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony prior to the Bandits 1–0 walk-off win over the USSSA Pride. Caitlin Lever drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 7th.

Unlike the previous three years, the Bandits did not win the regular season title. They finished third in the four-team NPF with a 20–20 record, after losing six of their final eight games at home to close out the regular season.

The Bandits opened the playoffs in Sulphur, LA against the second-seeded Akron Racers and swept the Racers with two straight victories, capped off by a three-run walk-off home run in extra innings by Nikki Nemitz to advance to the finals.

In the finals, they once again met the Pride. In the first game, the Pride took an early 2–0 lead, but rookie Megan Wiggins hit a three-run double off Pride starter Cat Osterman. Two pitches later, Osterman went down with an arm injury, but the Pride came back to tie the game at 3 in the bottom of the 7th. In the 8th, Bandits right-fielder Amber Patton drove in the go-ahead run and NPF Co-Pitcher of the Year Monica Abbott made it stand up for a one-game lead in the best-of-three series.

The next afternoon, Chicago got on the board early and often, scoring five times in the bottom of the first. The Pride got two back, but that was as close as they would get the rest of the day, as the Bandits cruised to their second Cowles Cup championship with a 10–3 victory. They became the first NPF team to win multiple Cowles Cup championships.

2015

Before the season, the Bandits signed 2015 draftees shortstop Sammy Marshall of Western Illinois signed with the Bandits. and outfielder Brenna Moss of Fresno State AJ Andrews of LSU signed with the Bandits on June 12.

After tryouts, the Bandits signed free agents infielder Megan Blank of the Iowa Hawkeyes, and pitcher Lacey Waldrop of Florida State.

2016

The Bandits announced an agreement with radio station 1590 WCGO to broadcast all Bandits home and road games for the 2016 season.

After finishing the regular season with a 23–25 record (the first sub-.500 regular season in franchise history), the Bandits won their second consecutive Cowles Cup title, and fourth overall in franchise history, defeating the USSSA Pride 2–1 in a winner-take-all game three of the Championship Series finals.

2017

Head coach Mike Steuerwald stepped down and became assistant general manager of the Scrap Yard Dawgs.

On February 1, the Village of Rosemont announced it would be assuming ownership of the Bandits from previous owner Bill Sokolis. The transaction included a $50,000 licensing fee paid to the NPF. Rosemont employee Toni Calmeyn will take over as general manager and will hire a new head coach.

Later that month the Bandits hired University of Florida assistant coach Sharonda McDonald as their head coach. McDonald was an All-NPF player, playing with the Philadelphia Force in 2007 and 2008, the Racers from 2010 to 2012, and 2014 with the USSSA Pride. Later, Chicago hired as their assistant coach Kyla Holas, who coached University of Houston from 1999 to 2016. On June 8, the Bandits announced the hiring of Grinnell College alumna Annie Smith as assistant coach.

2018

The Bandits announced that McDonald would not be returning for the 2018 season. On September 19, they announced that their new coach would be Olympian medalist and NCAA champion Stacey Nuveman Deniz. Nuveman Deniz held the NCAA home run record of 90 from 2002 to 2015, when Lauren Chamberlain broke it. She played in the NPF for the Arizona Heat in 2005.

Athletes Unlimited

The team was re-introduced by Athletes Unlimited in 2025 during the inaugural season of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL). The franchise was brought to life again with new colors, although the team was officially referred to as the Bandits for the season before re-adopting the full Chicago Bandits identity for the 2026 season.

General managers

• Aaron M. Moore (2009–2016)
• Toni Calmeyn (2017–?)
• Jenny Dalton-Hill (2025–present)

All-time head coaches

Notes

Season-by-season

|- ||| 41 || 7 || 0 || 1st place National Pro Fastpitch || Regular Season Champions, Lost to Akron Racers in NPF Championship |- ||| 30 || 12 || 0 || 1st place National Pro Fastpitch || Regular Season Champions, Lost to Connecticut Brakettes in NPF Championship |- ||| 23 || 21 || 0 || 6th place National Pro Fastpitch || Did not qualify |- ||| 32 || 16 || 0 || 1st place National Pro Fastpitch || Won NPF Championship (Defeated Washington Glory) |- ||| 27 || 12 || 0 || 1st place National Pro Fastpitch || Regular Season Champions, Lost to USSSA Pride 2 games to 1 in first round of NPF playoffs |- | || 30 || 20 || 0 || 1st place National Pro Fastpitch || Regular Season Champions, Lost to USSSA Pride in NPF Championship |- | || 20 || 20 || 0 || 3rd place National Pro Fastpitch || Won NPF Championship (Defeated Akron Racers 2–0 in Semi-finals, Defeated USSSA Pride 2–0 in Finals) |- | || 25 || 19 || 0 ||2nd place National Pro Fastpitch|| Won Game 1 of NPF Championship series over USSSA Pride (Defeated Carolina Diamonds 2–0 in Semi-finals, Finals were rained out) |- | || 36 || 12 || 0 || 1st place National Pro Fastpitch || Regular Season Champions, Lost to USSSA Pride in NPF Championship |- ||| 30 || 18 || 0 ||2nd place National Pro Fastpitch|| Lost to Akron Racers 2 games to 1 in first round of NPF playoffs |- | || 31 || 17 || 0 ||2nd place National Pro Fastpitch|| Won NPF Championship 2 games to 0 over USSSA Pride, Defeated Akron Racers 2 games to 0 in NPF Semifinals |- | || 23 || 25 || 0 ||3rd place National Pro Fastpitch|| Won NPF Championship 2 games to 1 over USSSA Pride, Defeated Scrap Yard Dawgs 2 games to 1 in NPF Semifinals |- | || 25 || 24 || 0 ||4th place National Pro Fastpitch|| Lost to USSSA Pride 2 games to 0 in first round of NPF playoffs |- | || 37 || 10 || 0 ||2nd place National Pro Fastpitch|| Lost to USSSA Pride 3 games to 0 in NPF Finals |- | || 38 || 7 || 0 ||1st place National Pro Fastpitch|| Lost to USSSA Pride 3 games to 0 in NPF Finals |- |2025 || 15 || 9 || 0 ||2nd place Athletes Unlimited Softball League|| Lost to Talons 2 games to 0 in AUSL Championship Series |- !Totals || 463 || 249 || 0

Moments

• July 16, 2009, Jennie Finch pitches a perfect game for the Chicago Bandits in a 3–0 win against the Philadelphia Force.
• July 27, 2009, the Chicago Bandits played the Schaumburg Flyers of the Frontier League men's baseball team in what was dubbed as Battle of the Sexes 2. The game was played at Schaumburg's Alexian Field under softball rules. The Bandits won 4–2 before an Alexian Field record crowd of 8,918. The game was considered a success even though the original tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs garnered much more national press attention. For this event, the Chicago Bandits received the most press coverage than in the previous years despite winning the 2008 NPF league championship and playing with Jennie Finch. Just a few years earlier, the USA's best softball players played a team of MLB All Stars with that game televised on national television.
• July 9, 2010, Jennie Finch pitches a perfect game for the Chicago Bandits against the Akron Racers at Silver Cross Field in Joliet, Ill. Finch struck out 11 batters en route to a 2–0 win.
• August 21, 2011, The Bandits defeat the USSSA Pride 10–3 in Sulphur, LA to clinch their second NPF Cowles Cup championship. They are the first team in NPF history to win multiple Cowles Cup titles.
• August 15, 2015, The Bandits rode the left arm of Monica Abbott to a second-consecutive 1–0 victory in the NPF Championship Series finals over the USSSA Pride in Hoover, AL to clinch the franchise's third Cowles Cup championship. They are now tied with the Pride for most NPF titles at 3.

Retired numbers

The Bandits have retired the numbers of six players:

Players

References

References

1. (3 August 2021). "Chicago Bandits disband amid NPF suspending league operations".
2. (13 January 2026). "AUSL Brings the Chicago Bandits Back to the Windy City".
3. (13 January 2026). "Rosemont named AUSL host city, home of the Chicago Bandits".
4. (15 June 2011). "Brand New Ballpark For Bandits Women's Softball Team".
5. (16 May 2015). "Marshall officially signs with Bandits for 2015 season".
6. (26 May 2015). "Bandits Add Draftee Moss and Former Iowa Hawkeye to Roster for 2015 Season".
7. (12 June 2015). "Bandits agree to terms with second-round pick Andrews".
8. (28 May 2015). "Bandits announce signings of Jones and Galasso".
9. (29 May 2015). "Bandits agree to terms with first-round pick Waldrop".
10. (26 May 2016). "Chicago Bandits Announce Partnership with WCGO-AM 1590".
11. (18 January 2017). "Former Chicago Bandits Head Coach Steuerwald Named Dawgs Assistant General Manager for 2017".
12. (25 January 2017). "Chicago Bandits' Ownership Changes Hands".
13. (21 February 2017). "Sharonda McDonald Named Head Coach for the Chicago Bandits".
14. (27 February 2017). "Chicago Bandits Name Kyla Holas as Assistant Coach".
15. (8 June 2017). "ANNIE SMITH JOINS BANDITS COACHING STAFF FOR 2017 SEASON".
16. (14 September 2017}}{{Dead link). "BANDITS TO FIND NEW HEAD COACH FOR 2018".
17. (21 September 2017). "Bandits Name Stacey Nuveman-Deniz as Head Coach".
18. (December 4, 2024). "Athletes Unlimited Softball unveils team names, branding for debut season". Sports Business Journal.
19. (December 4, 2024). "AUSL Reveals Team Identities".
20. "Mike Steuerwald – Director".
21. Grossman, Hillard. (18 August 2018). "USSSA Pride, Kretschman win pro softball national crown".
22. Monagan, Matt. (27 July 2025). "Talons take title! Champs make history with 1st trophy in inaugural AUSL season".
23. "Finch perfect in Bandits victory :: Herald News :: Local Sports".
24. (10 August 2019). "Bandits Defeat Pride to Extend Winning Streak to 15 on Bandit Legends Night".
25. (5 June 2012). "Laura Harms, Stacy May-Johnson Banners to be Unveiled Thursday".
26. (19 August 2013). "Bandits Honor Veteran Vicky Galindo by Retiring Jersey".
27. (5 June 2012). "Bandits Open 2012 Season With A Win!".
28. "Bandits Players".
29. "Bandits Coaching Staff".