Marengo Softball to take on Richards in Friday night life series
The first game, scheduled for Friday, April 13, will feature the reigning 3A IHSA State Champion Marengo Indians vs. Richards High School. The game will feature six of the Top 100 High School Softball players as chosen by the Chicago Sun-Times. On the list from Richards are Brianna LeBeau and Hannah Jenkins; Marengo is represented by Lindsay Melson, Stephanie Cartwright, Reed Karsten and Megan Semro.
Two of Marengo's seniors have committed to collegiate softball programs for next season with Melson headed to the University of Illinois-Chicago and Karsten to Winona State. Karsten was most recently named to the IHSA Super 60 All-Star team.
"This is an amazing opportunity for our team," said Richards head coach, Julie Folliard. "We are so appreciative towards the Chicago Bandits for allowing us the opportunity to play a top level team in one of the premier stadiums in the world."
"Playing this game at The Ballpark at Rosemont certainly heightens the whole atmosphere. I know the girls will remember this for a long time and hopefully one day we will get to see them back here playing professional softball."
Marengo will also take on Glenbard South high school in the second game of the series on Friday, April 27.
"We are playing two great opponents in Richards and Glenbard South," said Marengo head coach, Dwain Nance. "It is a big time stage so hopefully it will help us prepare for the post season and our players will certainly enjoy the experience. It's something that they will remember especially with both games anticipated to be high quality softball."
With a third place finish in the state tournament in 2011, Glenbard South's roster also features a member of the Chicago Sun-Times Top 100 High School Softball players. Danielle Chitkowski, a senior at Glenbard South, has committed to Syracuse for next season.
"We saw Friday Night Lights at The Ballpark at Rosemont as an exciting opportunity," said Chelsea Wilson of Worth Fastpitch. "Not only because of the blend of our markets, amateur and professional, but also the chance to show these young women there is a future in fastpitch and how it feels to be treated when you reach that level."
Each "Friday Night Lights" game will feature a PA Announcer, walk-up music, use of the scoreboard and videoboard, live audio streaming of the game and a press release after the game which will be sent out to local media members.
Spots for the "Friday Night Lights" series are still available. Teams from all four classes of play (1A-4A) can submit registration forms to the Bandits for the chance to play under the lights. If selected to play, each participating team will be required to sell a minimum of 150 $5 raffle tickets or pay a flat rate of $1,000. Prizes of the raffle will range from gift packages to cash.
Any high school team is eligible, but they must be able to move a previously scheduled game from their schedule to the stadium. The originally scheduled home team will also be responsible for the payment of game officials.
For more information or to register a school, please contact the Bandits office at (877) 722-6348 or visit www.chicagobandits.com [2].
The Bandits kick off the 2012 season on Saturday, June 2 with a special day designed for fans, including a meet-n-greet. Opening Day is scheduled for Thursday, June 7 when the Bandits host the USSSA Pride at The Ballpark at Rosemont.
Looking for other ways to connect with the Bandits? Follow us on Twitter, @NPFBandits [3], and visit our Facebook page at facebook.com/ChicagoBandits [4].
