Coming into the 2016 National Pro Fastpitch summer season, the Chicago Bandits were surrounded by questions: How would the pitching staff look without longtime ace Monica Abbott to lead them? Who would fill the role of staff ace and innings-eater? How would veteran infielders Amber Patton & Tammy Williams be replaced? How would a small draft class and the team’s legendary undrafted free agent signees perform at the next level after college?
On August 23, 2016, only one question remained – who would be the first to hoist the team’s second-consecutive Cowles Cup?
You can count me among those who wondered how competitive the Bandits would be in 2016… losing Abbott was the move that dominated headlines and left the largest gaping hole, but Williams and Patton left no small pairs of shoes to fill. Not only were the three stellar offensively and defensively, but their leadership in the clubhouse was arguably their most irreplaceable trait.
With only a handful of draft picks at their disposal, the Bandits would have to rely on their infamous penchant for plucking a handful of unsung heroes out of the Undrafted Free Agent pool and turning them into their team’s saviors.
As the season wore on, the Bandits stayed in the playoff hunt. First-year club the Scrap Yard Dawgs, also known as Abbott’s new home, surprised many and wound up with the No. 2 overall seed in the postseason, pitting the Bandits against their former ace in the best-of-three series to open the NPF playoffs.
Abbott pitched in all three games for the Dawgs, and the Bandits got to her more than a couple of times, taking home games one and three and heading to the NPF championship series.
Facing the USSSA Pride in the championship final, it wasn’t quite David and Goliath, but that comparison wasn’t far off. The Pride, stacked from beginning to end with ex-Olympians and collegiate all-Americans, had retained first place in the standings nearly all season long and were the heavy favorites to take home the championship crown.
Instead, thanks in large part to rookie Shelby Turnier and one of the afore-mentioned UFA-signees Angel Bunner, the Bandits would take home their second-straight championship and add another Cowles Cup to Bill Sokolis’ trophy case in Chicago.
With a group of players seemingly mismatched together, the Bandits put together a fine season and played their best ball of the year right when they had to, in the postseason. And in doing so, they proved the old adage – Nothing is for sure. You can’t take anything for granted. And there’s a reason why you play the game.
Justin McLeod is the founder of Justin’s World of Softball and will contribute commentary for Fastpitch News. Access all of his JWOS content here: www.justinsworldofsoftball.org
