Rebranded Chicago Bandits permanently returns to Rosemont with first home game in June
The rebranded Chicago Bandits are returning to Rosemont as part of the Athletes Unlimited Softball League.
The AUSL is switching from a touring model to six city-based teams.
Softball legend Jennie Finch pitched five seasons for the original Bandits, starting with their 2005 debut. Now, an advisor and ambassador, she is happy to have them back.
"Forever indebted, so thankful to have been a Bandit over 20 years ago, which is crazy, I wasn't going to say that, but for two decades, just wild, and Bandit Nation is still going strong in their orange and black gear. Chicago knows how to support a team," Finch said.
"We had eight games this past summer, and they were all sold out," said AUSL Commissioner Kim NG. "That tells you about the appetite that the Chicago fans have for this. Type of situation with pro softball. So, just incredibly excited, obviously strong history, this is the birthplace of softball. The first pro softball stadium in the country. Probably, actually, in women's sports, dedicated for women's sports, and so, again, this was a no-brainer."
My freshman year of college, I never expected to play in a professional softball setting like this one, so it means everything to me, and I can't wait to see where it continues to go," said Erin Coffel, Bandits infielder and 2025 AUSL MVP.
The coming season begins in June for the Bandits with their first home series in Rosemont starting on Saturday, June 13.