HOBART | What's the difference between a Chicago Bandit and an Indiana Slammer?

"Well, for one the Bandits get paid," Indiana Slammers coach and founder Bob Zivic said. "(The Bandits) were all top players in college, and now they are among the top professionals."

Last month, the Slammers played the Bandits in a doubleheader exibition. The Bandits won both games (4-0 and 7-0), and only yielded a handful of Slammer hits.

"But they didn't 10-run us like they do to many teams," Zivic said. "We were able to hang with them for the most part."

This season, the Slammers repeated as champions at the USSSA 18-and-Over World Series held July 24-26 in Rockford. They defeated the Lady Rage 6-3 in the championship game.

Valparaiso University senior Sadie Conner was named tournament MVP.

"It's unusual that a third baseman or any position player gets named MVP," Zivic said. "It often goes to a pitcher. But Sadie hit over .400 during the tournament, and she's one of the best players I have ever coached."

Slammer ace and co-head coach Casey Clutch-Creakbaum was named Most Valuable Pitcher, and teammates Brittney Fisher, Torie Bunzell and Liz Smith were named to the All-Tournament Team.

The following weekend (Aug. 1-2) in Peoria, the Slammers took fourth at the NSA 18-and-Over World Series and finished the season with a 27-5 record. During the past two seasons, the Slammers are 54-8.

Zivic founded the Slammers in the 1990s as a youth traveling softball team based in Hobart.

"I started when my daughters were still playing softball," Zivic said. "It's been about 10 years since they stopped playing, but I still love coaching."

Though the team is still based in Hobart, it draws players from throughout Indiana and Illinois.

"We have players from V.U. (Conner, Jill Jacobson from Beecher, and graduate assistant coach Sydney Lisy), Butler (Bridget Pain, Jenny Jacobs), Notre Dame (Dani Miller)," Zivic said. "We have the best talent from the Midwest."