I don’t even know where to begin this final Pro Life post. I guess I can start by saying your Chicago Bandits are BACK-TO-BACK NPF CHAMPIONS! It feels so good to be typing that glorifying word, CHAMPIONS. It has been five days since we were re-crowned with the title, and I still don’t have the words to express how I feel. I can say this though, we had our backs up against the wall ALL season long. We fought and clawed our way through the entire season and went into Championships as the underdogs, and came out on top as Champions! Let’s take a look back on the busy week at Rhodes Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
We opened up Tournament play on Friday, a best out of three game series against the Scrap Yard Dawgs. We were fired up and ready to play that game. Our bench was UNREAL. The noise and the energy we produced as a collective group that game was unlike anything we had been a part of all season. We always talked about how it takes a team to win a championship and every single person, starter or bench player, has a role at all times. Well in that game, we all bought into those roles and it was noted that the Bandits TEAM was there to compete. After taking game one from the Dawgs, we dropped game two in five innings (the game was shortened due to rain delays). Then came game three, the winner takes all, the survive and advance game. We brought the same energy and intensity as game one of the series and came out with a 2-1 victory making us Championship bound.
In our first championship game, we faced off against the USSSA Pride right after the completion of game three with Scrap Yard. It was a quick turn around and we came up short in game one, losing 3-1. We went to bed that night hungry for game two, and after a night of rest, we were ready to hunt. We took game two from the Pride and headed into game three hungry and confident. Game three was a battle. The game was a pitcher’s duel on both ends until we got on the board by recording back to back home runs. The Pride answered with a solo home run of their own shortly after, but it wasn’t enough. We won the game by a score of 2-1. GO BANDITS!
Winning this Championship was a completely different experience than winning it in last summer in 2015. Last summer, the Championship showdown was also between the Bandits and the Pride, but it was broadcasted as the showdown between the top two pitchers in the world, Monica Abbott vs. Cat Osterman. This year there weren’t any big name pitchers going at it in the final stand. This year it took 23 individuals, two coaches, and one trainer to win the title. This year, every single person on the Bandits left the field exhausted and without a voice, after giving 110% and leaving it all out on the field and in the dugout. This year was a fight for our team to even make it to Championships and what’s crazy is that our final win put us at a .500 record for the entire season! How often does that happen?
Words can’t express how proud I am of our team. This team faced adversity numerous times this season and we found a way to stick together and fight through it. It takes a TEAM to win a Championship and your 2016 NPF Champions, the Chicago Bandits, are living proof of that.
We head into the off season as back-to-back NPF Champions. It’s time to get back to normal life, which is different for every player in on our team and in the league. A few of our teammates are heading to Italy and Japan to continue playing. Several players coach college teams or give private instruction and clinic work and spend much of the off season traveling the country. Some even have “normal” nine-to-five jobs. We are very blessed that we are able to come together in the summer months and continue to play the sport we love. Thank you for reading along all summer and hopefully these weekly posts gave a small glimpse of what the life of a Pro Softball player is all about. Who knows, it could be you writing these posts one day!
Sara Moulton is a current Pitcher for the Chicago Bandits of the National Pro Fastpitch League.
