First base at Wilkins Stadium in Wichita, Kan., is such a familiar place for Sydney McKinney that there wasn't much fanfare when she got there a couple times on Friday.
In fact, she looked right at home.
The former Wichita State softball star returned to her old stomping grounds and drove in three runs with a pair of run-scoring singles as her Bandits took an 11-2, five-inning run rule from the Blaze. The run-rule was in effect because the Blaze led by at least eight after five innings.
ATHLETES UNLIMITED SOFTBALL LEAGUE
McKinney also had a pretty slide into home to steal a run in the fourth and caught the last out of the game at second base.
The teams are playing a four-game Athletes Unlimited Softball League series in Wichita this weekend, and the Bandits took the first game behind McKinney and the timely hitting of her teammates.
McKinney played five seasons as an infielder WSU and nearly increased her batting average every season, even after batting .328 as a freshman. She got all the way up to .522 in her fourth year, following that up by batting .520 in her extra Covid year.
Even though McKinney batted at the top of the lineup for the Shockers and is now batting ninth for the Bandits, not much else has changed. After a strikeout looking in the second inning, McKinney helped the Bandits cash in a four-run fourth with a two-run single up the middle.
An inning later, McKinney drove in Bella Dayton with a single to right field. When McKinney arrived at first base, there wasn't a celebration or even so much as a smile.
McKinney, after all, had been there before. Many times.
She set single-season and career records at WSU for hits, runs and batting average. In a different iteration of Athletes Unlimited in 2024, McKinney led the league with a .429 batting average, 20 points below her career mark (.449) at WSU. This season, she has 12 hits in the Bandits' first nine games.
McKinney, according to the AUSL website, is pursuing a master's degree in criminal justice and is an assistant coach at Marshall. She enjoys slime, dogs and coffee.
And, in her spare time, she's still really good at softball -- on territory both familiar and foreign.
Talons 3, Volts 2
The Talons led 3-0 after three innings then held on after the Volts pulled to within a run in the seventh before leaving the bases loaded.
The Volts had a run in, one out and two runners on when Talons reliever Megan Faraimo struck out Danieca Coffey. After an intentional walk loaded the bases, Faraimo struck out Women's College World Series hero Mia Scott to end the nightcap in Norman, Okla.
Faraimo pitched the final three innings in relief of Raelin Chaffin, striking out five while allowing one run.
Caroline Jacobsen had two hits for the Talons, and Rachel Garcia homered for the Volts.