Good Bye and Good Luck Sammy Marshall, Shelby Turnier and Emily Carosone of the Chicago Bandits

The softball world and Bandit Nation was stunned on Saturday, December 15, when the Chicago Bandits announced a trade. Sammy Marshall, Shelby Turnier and Emily Carosone had been traded to the Cleveland Comets for Jenna Willey, cash and a draft pick.

Like most softball fans, I never saw this coming. I had noticed that Sammy and Shelby had started a new company with former teammate Kristen Brown. Sammy and Shelby had only recently been announced as the trainers at the newly created Bandit Academy. Despite that situation, I never thought either of them (or Emily) would be traded.

I thought Sammy was a lifer with the organization. She grew up in Naperville, starred at Western Illinois, was a drafted by the Bandits and grew into a star. She also was a team leader on and off the field. Her family was present at every game and function. It seemed like the perfect situation.

A native of Florida, Shelby was drafted by the Bandits and asserted herself as one of the best pitchers in the NPF last season. Her gritty and unexpectedly fantastic performance in the 2016 playoffs earned her legend status. Her parents were frequent visitors at the park, despite still living in Florida.

Not to be lost in all of this is Emily. Also a Florida native, Emily starred at Auburn, before being drafted by the Bandits. She was among the league leaders in several categories, while playing a solid 2nd base. Like the others, Emily's family supported her and the team.

There you have three great players and that is not just an adjective I tossed lightly. Sammy, Shelby and Emily are premiere players. In addition to that, they are class acts on and off the field.

I have had many chats and interviews with these three and I was always impressed with their maturity. Fortunately, I told them and their parents the same thing many times. This isn't hindsight. I always spoke highly of these three.

I feel bad for Jenna, too. She didn't ask to be traded. She is in the middle of a shocking trade. Fortunately, I know Bandit Nation will embrace her quickly as one of their own.

What caused this trade? How could this trade be good for the Bandits? How has Bandit Nation reacted and how will they continue to respond? 

Eric Lopez of Fastpitch News invited me on the In the Circle podcast to address these questions and to talk about the players involved. That podcast can be found at Rachel Lawson, Rule Changes, Kentucky Softball and NPF Trade News.

I understand trades and departures are part of sports. Michael Jordan left the Bulls. Monica Abbott left the Bandits. Those were choices by the players though. This trade seems unwanted by all except the management of both teams.

With all of that being as is, the Bandits will go on. As stated, Monica left and the Bandits still won a championship. The Bandits have plenty of talented players and someone will step up on and off the field. As fans and even as a beat reporter, we don't know everything involved. Whatever the reasons, the Bandits' management felt this trade was needed. We might not like it, but we must accept it.

GM Toni Calmeyn has done a fine job with this team. She took over when things looked bleak. She has led the effort to promote the team. She is at every game, facing the fans and I expect she will continue to do so.

As fans, we cheer for the team. We will always love Sammy, Shelby and Emily, just like we love Monica, Taylor Edwards, Brittany Cervantes, Amanda Kamekona, Megan Wiggins and all of the other Bandits who have gone elsewhere to play for whatever reason. Bandit Nation has a unique relationship with players, past and present (as I also discuss on the podcast). I am sure Sammy, Shelby and Emily will get a warm reception whenever they play in Rosemont. In the end though, we will still be cheering for the Bandits.

I was already looking forward to the season, but now it got just a bit more interesting. Go to ChicagoBandits.com for more info and news on the team. You can also check here, as I will once again be covering the Bandits.

Thank you to Sammy, Shelby and Emily for all they did here. Thanks for their friendship and for always having time to talk in and out of interviews. Thanks to them and their families for the support over the years. Good luck with the Comets. Merry Christmas Comets fans. Enjoy these three gifts!

Emily Carosone, Sammy Marshall, Shelby Turnier and me in Rosemont, IL-Summer 2018.

Shelby Turnier: National Pro Fastpitch All NPF Team Pitcher 2018

Shelby Turnier was a star on the mound at Central Florida. The Chicago Bandits selected her with the 11th overall pick in the 2016 NPF draft.

She went 5-4 in her rookie season and followed it with 2-6 in her second year. Although her stats didn't show it, there were plenty of signs that Shelby was on the rise.

It all came together this season. Shelby went 5-0 with an ERA of 1.12. Those are numbers of staff aces.

There was talk all season that Shelby was among the elite pitchers in the NPF. At the end of the season, those talks turned to truth as she was named to the All NPF team.

I am so happy for Shelby and her parents, who make several trips from Florida to see her pitch. She is a mature young lady and a real fan favorite.

I had the pleasure of interviewing her earlier this season. My interview can be found at On the Beat With Shelby Turnier of the ChicagoBandits 2018.

For more info on Shelby and the Bandits, check out ChicagoBandits.com. Also, check TheBanditAcademy.com for info on softball instruction by Shelby, Sammy Marshall and others. Check, Johngy's Beat, too, for recurring coverage of the Bandits.

Shelby Turnier and me in Rosemont, IL-August 2018.

On the Beat With the Chicago Bandits (Interviews Part 6)

The Chicago Bandits are firmly in second place with a record of 28-7. They trail the first place USSSA Pride by 5.5 games, but they do have 3 more games at home against the Pride. First place is not out of the question, but either way, it will be these two teams when the NPF championship series starts in mid August.

I was back "On the Beat" Friday and I interviewed shortstop Abby Ramirez, pitcher Ally Carda, infielder DJ Sanders and pitcher Shelby Turnier. Again it was a nice mix including a rookie (DJ), second year Bandit (Abby), a second year NPF, a first year Bandit (Ally) and a veteran (and 2016 NPF championship series hero Shelby).

Each athlete brings something interesting and different to the interviews. These world class athletes have played all over the world with different dreams, goals and futures and all landed here in Chicago for the 2018 season.

Once again I thank Director of Media Relations Jason Lowenthal for facilitating these interviews. I thank the Bandits organization for the opportunity and access. I thank the elite athletes for their time and consideration. I thank Bandit Nation for the continued support. I thank Mark Pandocchi for his fine video work always.

There are still 3 more home games (August 10-12) for the Bandits. The NPF championship series starts Thursday, August 16 and is a best of 5 on successive days as needed.

Go to ChicagoBandits.com for more info, updates and scheduling. You can also check the Bandits Facebook page for timely updates and fun stuff. Of course, I'll have continual coverage here as always!

Friendly Encounters: Shelby and Jim Turnier

This is a weekly series featuring friends who have met celebrities.

Once again, I am featuring a Chicago Bandit with a fan, who happens to be her dad.  Proud Pop Jim Turnier was often seen at the ballpark in Rosemont.
Shelby is a fine young pitcher, who starred for the University of Central Florida before being drafted by the Chicago Bandits in the 2016 National Pro Fastpitch draft.  In her rookie season, she went 5-4 with a 3.69 ERA.  She shined in the playoffs, pitching 10 innings of scoreless ball.
In 2017, Shelby's stats were a bit deceiving.  She went 2-6 with 2 saves, but an ERA of 3.99.  She had 52 strike outs in 61.1 innings pitched.  In other words, she pitched better than her record would indicate.
I have high hopes for the future of this young pitcher.  She has the talent and the mindset to do great things in the NPF.  I look forward to watching her develop.
Her father has seen her develop from birth and is obviously very proud of her.  It's always fun seeing parents at the ball games.  These players deserve the love and support from all the fans, not just their family, but the families are a huge source of strength for them.
I look forward to seeing Shelby pitch again next season.  I also look forward to seeing Jim Turnier at the ballpark next season.

Shelby and Jim Turnier in Rosemont, IL-June 2016.

On the Beat With Shelby Turnier of the Chicago Bandits 2017

We were back "On the Beat" with the back-to-back reigning National Pro Fastpitch champion Chicago Bandits and back interviewing players.  Today, the Beat brings us to pitcher Shelby Turnier.

Shelby starred at the University of Central Florida, becoming the first All-American in UCF softball history after earning First Team honors in 2015.  She was a 3x All-Conference player and she holds the single season UCF ERA mark with an outstanding 0.87.

Shelby was selected by the Bandits in the second round (11th overall) in the 2016 NPF Draft.  She is the highest draft pick in UCF history.

In her rookie season with the Bandits, she was a solid 6-4, with a 3.22 ERA.  She really shined in the post-season though.  Breanna pitched 10 scoreless innings, notching a win and 2 saves.   She also pitched a 1-2-3 7th inning in Game 3 to propel the Bandits to their second consecutive NPF title.

This season, Shelby is 1-3 with a 4.74 ERA with 30 strike outs in 31 innings.  She has appeared in 14 games, starting 5.

In the interview below, we talked about winning the title in her first season, having her family come to games, her career plans and more.  Shelby gave some interesting insight into what she tries to convey to young pitchers.

Thank you to the Bandits for their continued hospitality.  Thanks, also, to Shelby for her time and consideration.  Check out ChicagoBandits.com for more info on this exciting team.

On the Beat With Shelby Turnier of the Chicago Bandits 2016

Today our coverage of the 2015 National Pro Fastpitch champion Chicago Bandits continues with rookie piitcher Shelby Turnier.  Welcome to Chicago Shelby!

Shelby had an outstanding career at the University of Central Florida.  She was named the 2015 American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year and was also the first All-American in UCF softball history.  Among other great stats, she ranks first on the UCF all-time wins list (79) and has the lowest single season ERA (.87).  Her career at UCF was capped by being the highest draft pick in UCF history after the Bandits selected her  with the 11th overall pick in the 2016 NPF Draft.

So far in this young season, Shelby is 1-1, with a 4.71 ERA in 16 1/3 innings.  Shelby also has 12 strikeouts and only four walks.

Along with welcoming Shelby to the Bandits and Chicago, we talked to her about joining the champions and adjusting to the NPF.  We also talked about pitching in her native Florida.

Shelby showed real poise and maturity in discussing joining the NPF and not the USSSA Pride.  She made some very interesting and refreshing points.

We also talked about seeing Chicago.  Shelby has seen "The Bean," unlike her teammate (and yesteday's interview subject Tatum Edwards LOL).

I walked away from the interview with Shelby very impressed by her maturity and character.  I am not surprised though.  This is what the Bandits do.  They bring in talented players with upstanding and outstanding character.  Shelby will do well in the league and I look forward to following her progress.

You can head over to ChicagoBandits.com for more info on Shelby and the Bandits.  You can also check back here for our continuing coverage.  My best advice though, is to go see a game!