Top Gun Events Notebook
Kansas City played host to two of the top recruiting tournaments of this early summer
season in the Team 1 Elite Club Invite and the 2024 Top Gun Invitational. The weather
was heating up and the competition was even hotter. Both tournaments scheduled pool
games for the first couple of days setting up a competitive single-elimination bracket
format.
Several college coaches scoured the fields and lined the backstops in search of
the next up-and-coming stars. The athletes certainly did not disappoint. From diving
catches to home runs to pitches that slid off the table- here’s the Softball America
roundup:
Team 1 Elite Club Invite:
(Note- ties were broken by Run Differential in pool play)
14U Pool Winners
Aces FP
Iowa Premier 14U National
IN Gators Premier- Carden
Vision Gold 09
Midwest Speed 13U National- Schweich
16U Pool Winners
Impact Gold National- Jazz
Williamsburg Starz- Bunn
Iowa Premier 16 National – Shannon
Iowa Premier 16 National- Carroll
Michigan Finesse Ross
Hotshots 16 National Galloway
IN Gators 16 U Premier Lloyd
Hotshots Premier (LA)- Falterman
St. Louis Chaos 16 National- Roth
IN Bombers 25/26 Keown
Heartland Havoc 07
Peoria Sluggers 16U Gold- Gass
IN Gators Premier- Meahl
Legends FP- 16U National
Iowa Premier 25/26 National
KC Rebels 16 National-Olsen
Eagles KB
TBSA Wahoos 16U-Carter
18U Pool Winners
Fury Platinum X-Higdon
IN Magic Gold 18U- Green
EC Bullets 18U-Cornett
St. Louis Chaos- Mazzola
Iowa Premier National- Yegge
TX Glory Co- Agnew
KS Renegades 18-Forney
Galaxy Elite 18U
IL Firecrackers- Adkins
Kansas Shockers
Bracket play began on Saturday providing an opportunity to see which teams would
survive the heat, put it all on the line and compete until the final out. The final four in the
14u Division included the IN Magic Gold- Zachary vs the Aces Mid MO 14u-Holt as well
as the Vision Gold 09 vs the SF Inferno-Donalson.
The 16u Division featured several bright young stars included on our Hot Watch Lists
proving their success through championship play. The final four featured Jazz’s Impact
Gold vs. Hotshots Premier- Falterman and the Louisville Lady Sluggers Norwood/
Huecker vs. the Aces FP.
Finally, the 18u bracket concluded with Ryan Taylor’s Aces coming out on top in a 3-0
final vs. TX A’s Mercado Frausto/ Bonola.
Notable performances:
Goose Hutchens is a young (2027) catcher on Greg Dickel’s 18U Iowa Premier team.
This one can absolutely swing the bat. She already has several top Power 4 programs
keeping eyes on her as she has a swing with power and explosion. She can cover the
plate, command the field, and will absolutely be an RBI monster this summer.
Abreya Perry is a 2026 triple-threat outfielder on Ryan Taylor’s 18U Aces team. She can
cover significant ground in the outfield, is a stolen base threat each time she reaches
base, and can spray the field when at the dish.
University of Oklahoma 2025 commits Lexi McDaniel and Allyssa Parker (Oklahoma State Gatorade Player of the Year) both had solid performances and continued to impress.
Analise Dewitt (2026 Iowa Premier 16U National- Shannon) is hitting .417 on the young
summer season with a double and two triples over the weekend. She’s a tough, lefty
swinging middle infielder with next-level skills.
Jenna Mannon (2027) from the Indiana Magic Bennett/Goddard team is a strong player
who is easy to watch. She pounded out 13 home runs in her high school season, has
power at the plate and notably is the younger sister of Brooke Mannon who just
completed her freshman year at the University of Arizona.
Top Gun Invitational:
The Top Gun Invitational, led by Rob Behymer and Jeremy McDowell, has grown
exponentially over the years with 6 bracket divisions in the 2024 field (12u, 14u, 16u
Maverick, 16u Viper, 18u Maverick, 18u Viper) played on fields spanning the greater
Kansas City area from Lee’s Summit, MO to Shawnee, KS.
In the 12u Division, Aces Fastpitch 12u National, Indiana Magic Developmental-
Fritsche, Select Fastpitch-Jones, and Nebraska Gold National-Raabe all finished pool
play undefeated.
The 14u Division was just as competitive with OK Epic Fastpitch National- Smith, Unity Amsler/ Johnson, Select Fastpitch- Dragon, Unity Siftrit, and Select Fastpitch Regional- McBrayer finishing undefeated atop their respective pools.
The highly competitive 16u Maverick Division saw many of the brightest future stars
battle it out in pool play. One of the most exciting matchups featured an incredible battle
between Dana Fusetti’s Carolina Elite and Chad Moran’s Beverly Bandits with the
Carolina Elite winning this pitcher’s duel 1-0. This game featured Lexi Hames (2025
Clemson commit) vs. Ava Lorenzatti (2026) and did not disappoint.
BK Lanier (2025) logged the winning RBI on a walk-off single in the seventh to take this one. Hames threw an absolute gem with a one-hitter and 11 strikeouts. Lorenzatti held her own with seven strikeouts and four hits. Perhaps a key highlight in this one was an absolute web gem in center field by Jadin Dandy (2026) robbing Ava Ratliff (2026) of extra bases.
The equally talented 18u Maverick division continued to provide a competitive stage for
several Division I commits to show off their skills. The final four came down to John
Corn’s Lady Lightning Gold, GA Impact-Caymol, Unity Johnson/ Ricks, and the Rock
Gold-Manetta.
Notable performances:
Alexis Nysirios (2027) pitcher from Dave Lotti’s RI Thunder 16u national team shows
real upside as a two-way player.
Ava Papaleo (2026) has power at the plate with a monster homerun vs. GA Impact-Caymol. It is important to note, that several other talented athletes on this roster were not here as they were competing for their respective state championships.
Addison DeRoche (2027) RHP from the Mojo-Lewis 16u has an incredibly high ceiling
and garnered a lot of chatter among the top programs in the country. She can spin the
ball, carve up hitters, and will be one to watch as one of the best prospects to hail from
the state of Maine.
DeRoche flew home to lead her team to a state title while striking out 21 in the championship game. She has already earned Gatorade Player of the Year honors as a freshman.
In addition, 2026 shortstop Halle Bailey is a highly skilled middle infielder helping to solidify the defense on this talented Mojo roster.
Shelbi Stevens (2026) is a power-hitting catcher on the Texas Hotshots National-
Naudin/ Villegas. She showed incredible offensive prowess at the plate all weekend,
hitting 5 home runs (one of which was a grand slam) and bouncing several balls off the
outfield fence.
Emma Newsom (2026 catcher) and Camryn Winiarski (2026 pitcher) proved to be a
solid battery among many talented athletes on Josh Johnson’s 16u Unity team.
The Unity battled through one of the toughest pools in the Maverick division to finish
undefeated in pool play before getting knocked out by a very talented Impact-Caymol
team in bracket play.
