Athletes Unlimited Softball League debuted in Rosemont much to the delight of three straight standing-room-only crowds. The new Chicago Bandits won two of three, and Bandit Nation was ecstatic.

Women’s professional sports organization AU was founded in 2020 by Jon Patricof and Jonathan Soros. For the first five years, all sports utilized a unique points system to crown individual champs instead of teams. This season AU added AUSL, a traditional softball league.

AUSL consists of four teams, including the Bandits, playing games in several cities. Although no city affiliations have been named yet, bringing back the Bandits name leads me to think that team will once again be based in Chicago, as it was in the now-defunct National Pro Fastpitch League.

As we arrived Saturday for the season opener, I saw a huge crowd waiting to enter the ballpark. By game time, all 2,000 seats were filled, with a couple hundred fans standing.

Before going to our seats, we chatted a bit with Patricof and AUSL commissioner Kim Ng, who was the first female general manager in Major League Baseball. Both beamed with pride at the filled park.

We also met softball legends and Olympians Jennie Finch, Jessica Mendoza and Natasha Watley. A former member of the old Bandits, Finch is so respected here, the ballpark is on Jennie Finch Way.

By the third game, more AU staffers were added to help with the huge crowds. Everything reached a new level of professionalism.

There is excitement in every city AUSL plays. This is a great start for the league and a big deal for current and future players. Hopefully, AUSL succeeds where other leagues failed. For now, I am simply enjoying the return of pro softball.

— John Wroblewski, online writer