Sharonda McDonald Looks to Keep Winning a Priority with Bandits
- Mar 3, 2017
- 3 min read
Chicago, Ill - Not even a year ago they were storming the mound after earning their second consecutive Cowles Cup title and forth overall in franchise history. Now, the Chicago Bandits are undergoing a major overhaul ahead of the 2017 season.
Earlier this month, the Village of Rosemont announced that it will take ownership of the Bandits after the former owner, Bill Sokolis made a decision to step away from the franchise.
"We did it because it's about promoting women's sports" Mayor Bradley Stephens told the Chicago Tribune.
The new ownership went right to work in hiring Toni Calmeyn as the new general manager. The Bandits and Softball Australia finalized discussions, after months of talks with the league, and put together a Memorandum of Understanding. The agreement would allow for eight Australian athletes to experience the National Pro Fastpitch and play for the Bandits during the 2017 season.
New GM Toni Calmeyn made her first move hiring Sharonda McDonald as head coach of the Chiacgo Bandits and added Kylas Holas as the team's assistant coach in an announcement Monday morning.
NCAA veteran coach Kylas Holas, served as the head coach at the University of Houston from 1999-2016 and compiled an 563-376-1 record with the Cougars.
“We’re excited to bring Kyla Holas aboard for the upcoming season,” Calmeyn said. “She brings years of experience at the collegiate level and we’re looking forward to seeing her continue to develop players here in Rosemont.”
Holas will join McDonald in trying to keep the Bandits atop the National Pro Fastpitch.
Sharonda McDonald with Akron Racers in 2012
During her stint in the NPF, McDonald was honored as a three time All-NPF selection and earned the 2012 Diamond Spikes Award while with the Akron Racers. In 2014, Sharonda finished her career with the USSSA Pride and went on to become the associate head coach at Texas A&M before joining the Florida Gators staff the following year.
MyWSports got to speak with the six year NPF veteran and recent Florida Gators assistant coach, Sharonda McDonald.
"After playing for the league, being able to come back is such an honor" McDonald said "The expectation is to win here in Chicago, and to win championships, I'm excited to be apart of that."
The Bandits will begin the season with some new faces on the roster and return a young core group of players. The addition of the Softball Australia players will allow McDonald fill her roster but nothing will be easy for those fighting for a starting spot.
"This is a great opportunity for those players to come and compete. Nothing is going to be given to them, but we want to help them grow. In this league your are surrounded by so many great people that want to help you grow." said McDonald.
Chicago has already added some depth to the team with the partnership with Softball Australia. Chelsea Forkin and Taylah Tsitsikronis, both have played in the NPF before and have contributed to the success of Team Australia in national competitions.
McDonald and her staff are in a unique position, taking over a Chicago team that continuously has been a threat in the NPF. The rookie head coach knows what the expectations are for the Bandits and is looking forward to the journey.
"In the pros you have to manage yourself... you're going to fail a lot more than you ever have before but that's one of the biggest transitions in being a professional" McDonald said. "Talented teams and players play together as a team."
The Bandits signed Janice Blackman and Stacey McManus for a total of four players acquired through the partnership with Softball Australia.
Chicago has played in three of the last four Cowles Cup championships, winning the last two. Usually when you see a team go through this kind of overhaul it's because the team struggled or failed to reach certain expectations. This situation is quite the opposite, the Bandits four titles are tied for the most in the league and again they just won back to back Cowles Cups.
McDonald takes over a solid team and gets to improve it with some of the best international talent from Softball Australia. As one of the best softball minds in the game it will be no surprise to see Chicago back in the playoffs behind McDonald.
The regular season begins June 1, 2017 with the Bandits opening their season against the Akron Racers at home.
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