Chicago has its Bandits again. Athletes Unlimited Softball League announced the Bandits will be based in Rosemont.
Women’s professional softball league AUSL debuted last year with no city affiliation for its four teams. The Bandits, Talons, Volts and Blaze played games in several cities, with plans to name home cities for the 2026 season.
Chicago softball fans had hopes and expectations of landing the Bandits, since the name harkened back to the Bandits of the now-defunct National Pro Fastpitch league. It would be a strange choice of names if they did not become Chicago’s team.
For its 15 years of existence, the Bandits were one of the most stable, successful and popular teams in NPF. Chicago has been without a pro team since the league folded in 2020.
AUSL also expanded to six teams for this season. Besides Chicago, Portland, Salt Lake City, Round Rock, Oklahoma City and Durham were given teams. Teams play a 25-game schedule starting June 6.
The Bandits play at Parkway Bank Sports Complex, featuring a beautiful 2,000-seat stadium, the first venue built specifically for women’s softball. Located between expressways and Chicago O’Hare International Airport, it offers unique views of air and road traffic.
AUSL is full of former college softball greats, and the Bandits roster is loaded. It includes a few players I know a bit from my years of following softball on all levels, including Odicci Alexander, Morgan Zerkle, Jocelyn Alo and Taylor McQuillin, who appears in the GT Talking Travel interview series.
Odicci Alexander
Morgan Zerkle
Jocelyn Alo
Taylor McQuillin
Several loyal Bandits fans from years ago immediately started messaging each other planning events and ticket purchases to sit together. While these Bandits are not specifically connected to the old Bandits, we are just happy to have softball back!
— John Wroblewski, podcaster
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