College Prospect Series set for Unique Showcase Event
Mid America West Sports Complex located in Shawnee, KS will be the host of the first ever KC College Prospect Series powered by Top Gun Events this upcoming weekend. A unique feature of this event will allow athletes to be coached by college coaches during games. Teams will change fields each game to allow the athletes the experience of being managed by different college coaches.
Additional features of the College Prospect Series will include:
- Camp Friday night
- During pool play, college coaches will be in the dugout and on the field serving as head/assistant coach of the team assigned to their dugout for each game.
- Travel ball coaches will write their respective team’s lineup before pool play starts. Travel ball coaches will not be in the dugout during the game in pool play.
- Sunday will start bracket play. During bracket, Travel Ball coaches will then coach their teams and college coaches will be free to float as they recruit.
With 18 teams in attendance between a 16u Division and 18u Division, Top Gun Events Media has outlined details of some of the clubs attending this weekend’s showcase. Here’s a look at some of the key elements for squads participating, as indicated by their head coaches:
16u
Team Name: AFA Vasquez ‘08/‘09
Coach Name: Anna Vasquez
Twitter Handle: @AFA_Vasquez
2023 Spring/Summer Successes: Developing together as a team, so we can age to 16u this fall and be ready.
Key Players: All of our players play a key role on our team. Bella Diggs and Danielle Steenkamp are both 2026!
Expectations for 2023 Fall Season: We want to expose ourselves to 16u softball this fall. We want to be prepared for high caliber softball for the summer.
Team name: Purple Crush Platinum 16u
Coach name: Amber Slaughter
Twitter handle: @PCrush_Platinum
Spring/Summer 2023 successes:
We got our feet wet playing at the National level as a 14u team. We are a small town club from Pittsburg, Kansas competing with some bigger name/city squads. We beat and definitely competed with some top teams at bigger tournaments, such as both Tulsa Elite events, Team One, and World Fastpitch Championships. Looking forward to competing at the 16u level as well!
Key players:
1) Bryleigh Webb, who is a 2026 grad already has an offer from Central Methodist University. She had 6 home runs last spring and summer…3 just at Team One. Ended her 14u season with 44 RBIs. She plays 3rd base and has recently started catching. Bryleigh is a powerhouse! Strong arm and good mechanics!
2) Breck Slaughter is another 2026 grad that is a big component to our team. She is a fierce competitor who is a RHP, topping 59mph, just turning 15 in July, but she is climbing fast. She is also an aggressive SS or catcher, or wherever she is needed. She has speed and strength. Breck is also a consistent hitter, finishing her 14u season with a .442 BA and 36 RBIs and 58 runs.
3) Gracen McLaren is another big time player, who has become a powerhouse hitter. She is a 2027 grad that has a great glove at middle infield. We call her “Hoover” because not much gets past her! Gracen finished her season with a .362 BA and 20 RBIs. Gracen just started high school and is getting stronger every day!
4) Kyleigh Pinion is another standout 2026 player! She usually leads us off in the lineup and is very consistent. Kyleigh ended her season with .464 BA and 24 RBIs and 47 runs. She is a mean center fielder, and will dive for anything she thinks she can get! She is also a great RHP!
5) Peyton Morey, is our main catcher, and also a 2026 grad. She has a very strong arm and has had several put outs a bases. She also plays tough at MI and 3B as well!
6) Kallie Griffin is a 2027 grad, and our main LHP, topping 56mph, but definitely gaining. This girl works hard. She is always smiling no matter the situation and has the biggest heart. She’s got power in her swing as well!
*We have some new players that are definitely stepping up to the plate to become great players, so I definitely do not want to leave them out!*
Gracin Riggs 2025
Emma Cook 2027
Maddie Cook 2025
Gabbie White 2025 (filling in)
Emmy Stark 2027 (playing high school right now)
Expectations for fall 2023:
We really just want to see the girls compete with these top level 16u teams as their first year at 16 & under. Being from a small town and being a small club, we don’t have all the choices of players, but rather we work with what we have. We want to see them have fun and enjoy the game (win or lose), gain experience, play hard, and get some exposure for their futures. The girls are getting stronger all the time, so it will be fun to see their growth along the way.
Team name: Select Fastpitch Adams
Coach name: Brandon Adams
Twitter Handle: @SelectFP09
Spring/Summer 2023 successes:
Top 12 World Fastpitch Championships
2nd place 13u USSSA nationals
Usssa 16A 2nd place
Usssa KOKO 1st place
USSSA 3rd place
Usssa 3rd place
Competed well in Top Club and Top Gun invite Maverick.
Key players:
Trinity Deters C/3B 2027
Kenley Sutton P/1B 2028
McKenna O’Leary C 2028
Olivia Adams P/utility 2028
Landri Adams P/1B 2027
Audrey Beeler OF/P 2028
Harper Allin P/1B 2027
Expectations for fall 2023:
We are a second year team but still a young one. 3 2010s and 8 2028s on the roster. They are a very talented group though with lots of potential. To start our Fall 2023, we took 2nd out of 32 first weekend out in a USSSA event. We are playing up at 16A in this Top Gun event. We will also play PG fall showcase, Easton Rawlings invite, Top Gun Select Invite, and Fall Top Club Invite. Hope to compete and finish with the top teams each weekend.
Team Name: Athletics Mercado Bonola 16u
Coach Name: Rebecca Bonola
Twitter Handle: @AMBonola16u
2023 Spring/Summer Successes: Played in power pools for Top Gun, IDT and Hotshot National.
Key Players: Adelaida Sierra (2026-RHP) and Jaylene Rodriguez (2025 RHP) will be a big one-two punch for us. We have some great lefty hitters with speed & who can run the bases well with Chipper Mayorga (2025- Utility), Gabby Alves (2026 – OF) and Kyana Liparado (2025- Utility). Defense will be held down by our SS/3B Novalee Gloria (2025) who has a great field presence & Mia Perez (2026) as our center fielder with amazing range and an arm!
Expectations for 2023 Fall Season: We will be playing and competing mostly local this fall. We expect to be competitive and get recruited along the way with the majority or all 10 of our 2025s being committed going into summer season.
Team Name: Midwest Power Legacy
Coach Name: Brian Smith
2023 Spring/Summer Successes: 2nd place finish, 16open NSC Recruiting Tournament; 3A All-State Team Honorable Mention – Gretchen Huizenga
Key Players: Returners – Gretchen Huizenga, Peyton Ganger, Kennedy Meredith, Madison Davison, and Kinsley Smith.
Newcomers – Aubrey Warren, Sophia Halton, Sydnee Sleichter, Kayleigh Neill, and Addison DeChant
Expectations for 2023 Fall Season: We have several new players this fall, so we are looking to learn each other and how to play together. There is some talent here that we are hoping to build on. We are excited for the girls to see some bigger competition and hopefully get some looks!
Team Name: Midwest Firecrackers 16U-Wildey
Coach Name: Aldyn Wildey
Twitter Handle: MWFC_Wildey
2023 Spring/Summer Successes: Finishing Top 32 in the 16U Colorado Fireworks Supplemental Power Pool our first year competing in the power pools.
Key Players:
2025 CIF Maddie Bruson
2025 RHP/OF Kaelyn O’Rourke
2025 C/UTL Addie Callaway
2025 C Katie Gillihan
Expectations for 2023 Fall Season: I’m very fortunate as a coach to get to work with so many talented players from around the KC Metro area. This team is a mix of newer players and some that have been with me for 5 years. My expectations for the fall season are to see this team buy-into the “why”, so why we do the things we do to develop them for the next level and just simply enjoy the game of softball. This group is super talented, so I’m very blessed with that, but now I need them to understand how to use their specific talents to market themselves for the next level.
Team Name: Select Fastptich 15/16U Heinemann
Coach Name: John Heinemann
Twitter Handle: @SelectHeinemann
2023 Spring/Summer Successes: Had a lot of success playing in a shortened Summer Season with so many Kansas girls, but saw lots of good competition at several national tournaments.
Key Players: Reagan Chapman, Pilar Cox, Emma Heinemann
Expectations for 2023 Fall Season: This fall, we are looking to have a great showinig with several new key additions to the team along with continuing to get better and competing at a high level. Our goal is to get every athlete ready to compete at the next level.
18u
Team Name: Athletes United 18U
Coach Name: Steve Jaso
Twitter Handle: @AUFastpitch18U
2023 Spring/Summer Successes: We started our season in February 2023, winning the USSSA High School Warm Up in Wichita. After the high school season, we went 25-14-2, winning the Top Gun Nebraska Thunder Gold tourney in Omaha, NE.
Key Players: I feel that each and every one of our girls are key players. They have all contributed to the success of this team.
Expectations for 2023 Fall Season: To continue to develop our skill and knowledge of the game and to prepare the girls for success at the next level.
Team Name: KC Rebels Gold Jenkins
Coach Name: Mark Jenkins
Twitter Handle: @KCRebelsJenkins / KC Rebels Gold Jenkins
2023 Spring/Summer Successes: We had a great summer and placed eight girls on college rosters. That was quite a few girls to send to college and we have added eight new girls to the roster. Of the eight, we added four seniors, giving us a total of six seniors overall.
Key Players: Everyone of the girls will play a key role for our team. We will be leaning on our seniors, they are Hanah Forlow OF/C, Rylee Griffin P, Makayla Ekis P/OF, Reagan Wiehe C/3, Abbi Minton P/U and Maggie Richardson P/SS.
Expectations for 2023 Fall Season: I feel we will be a contact hitting team and have above average speed. Will put the ball in play and move the girls around. We have had a great start to our fall season and looking to keep improving week after week.
