College 2024 Preview: University of Saint Mary Spires Gear Up for 2024 with Renewed Energy and Focus; Eyes Growth for the Future of Program

By: Jeff Strange

2023 Overall Record: 24-25

Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Record: 7-17

Coming off a 24-25 season, the University of Saint Mary brought in new head coach Kayleigh Behymer-Swan this past fall to lead the Spires softball program. The Spires are returning two Second Team All-Conference selections in Junior Outfielder, Alexis McDaniel, and Senior Outfielder, Sadie McWilliams. Additionally, KCAC Honorable Mention selections Natalie Bruce (Jr./3B), Briana Solis (So./UTL), Allyson Dias (Gr./C), and Allie Cox (Jr./RHP) return as well for the Spires, as they open up their 2024 campaign on February 9 in Mesquite, Tex. Saint Mary will be tested right out of the gate against perennial NAIA powerhouse and preseason top-10 team Oklahoma City at 12:15pm this Friday afternoon.

With excitement looming as the spring season approaches for the Spires, Top Gun Events caught up with head coach Behymer-Swan to get her thoughts on the upcoming season:

This is your first season at the helm with St. Mary…how would you describe your experience taking over the program?

“Coming in this past fall, I could see that this team had a great deal of talent. The skillsets of our athletes has honestly impressed me since day one. Each of our athletes have very big personalities, which has been fun to get to know. However, with that has come a need to teach them that there are expectations of high standards and accountability needed. The girls have begun to buy into this approach and it’s beginning to show at practices; they’re starting to do the little things right and they’re taking pride in executing the small aspects of the game that can lead to big results. We have largely made it a point to break the game back down to the fundamentals and emphasizing the importance of understanding that everyone has a job on the field and everyone can play a role into the outcome of the game.

In the fall, we stressed to the girls to test their limits and to not settle – we want them to want more! We also broke them down to the very basics; not only with the mechanics but also with their knowledge of the game. We’ve also tested them from a mental standpoint; there’s a workout that has kind of become a bit of a tradition amongst KC area coaches that we call 26 minutes. It’s a grueling conditioning and mental workout that has tested the girls to push themselves past their comfort zones. Early on, the girls struggled keeping up with it but now they own it! It’s been fun to watch their overall growth and buy into what we’ve implemented into the program and I’m very excited to see where we’re headed.”

Can you give some background information on your coaching and playing experience?

“I played collegiately at Avila University, graduating in 2019. After I graduated in 2019, I went to Wingate University as a Graduate Assistant for a year. In 2020, I was a Graduate Assistant at Baker University, finishing my Master’s Degree. I stuck at Baker after I completed my degree as an assistant coach until 2023. I took over at U. of Saint Mary in the fall of 2023; this is my first season as a head coach.”

Can you give some background information on your coaching staff?

“Up until mid-November of 2023, I was running the program on my own. However, we were very fortunate to bring on Elsa Skeie at that point and she has brought a wealth of knowledge and excitement that has been huge for our program. Elsa has been all-in since the beginning and very passionate towards her role. She has done a great job working with our infielders (she was an infielder at Luther College in Decorah, IA).

I primarily work with the pitchers and catchers. Coach Skeie and I both work with our hitters and outfielders.”

Can you give some analysis/perspective on your team for 2024?

“I believe that we have a true mix on offense. We have speed on the bases and in the field. There was an offensive approach that was pushed in the past here; we have brought on a different approach, retraining our hitters as we move forward. We are pushing line drives and hitting the ball hard as opposed to trying to lift everything. We’re trying to utilize our athleticism as a useful tool as well. Depending on the situation, who we are playing, etc. we may look to bunt, or we may look to drive the ball hard; ultimately, we are aiming to utilize our athleticism so that we are dangerous in any situation.

In the circle, we’ve got six arms – five that are active and one that is returning from an injury. Each girl is different in her approach and what they bring to the field; this is a great luxury to have as a coach.

We have a freshman that throws with good speed and movement. We have a sophomore lefty that has excellent spin and nasty movement. We have another sophomore that throws hard and has a unique motion, which is another tough look for hitters. We have another freshman that creates great spin along with a very good change up. My rotation is rounded out by a junior that is very consistent, throws a great drop ball and displays a bulldog demeanor in the circle. It’s going to be fun working with each girl this spring and employing each, based on matchups and situations.

At catcher, we have Allyson Dias who has a great arm and bat. Her best attribute is that she is an exceptional leader. We also have three freshmen catchers that bring some exciting qualities to our roster.

My outfield is very fast with great range. Lexi McDaniels is my centerfielder and is a special athlete. She has incredible speed while also leading the team in home runs last season. She’s also very intelligent; she’s second in her class as a nursing major and loves life, has a great sense of humor but also understands how to dial it in and put in hard work.

Sadie McWilliams also patrols the outfield and was actually recruited by myself while I was at Wingate University. After spending a year at Wingate, she decided to come play closer to home (she’s from Basehor, KS). Sadie is in her senior year and I’m very happy to have her with us here at Saint Mary. She has so much power at the plate, is always trying to learn more and is a great leader for our team. She’s a great student with a bright future ahead of her and I’m proud that I’ve been able to coach her.

On the infield, we have a great amount of experience with three seniors and one junior. Their chemistry and pull for each other is full of contagious energy.”

What are your short-term goals for the program?

“My hope is to finish with an over .500 winning percentage this season. We have the talent there to achieve this; it’s up to us to execute. However, I don’t want to simply settle for that; we’re driving the competitive edge out of these girls. Myself and Coach Skeie are making it a point to change the mentality of this program, having these girls understand that they are all very capable athletes and that we have the talent to succeed. Let’s compete in conference, let’s compete with the powerhouse programs and let’s translate our athleticism into success. If we can collectively buy into this mentality, we can compete with the best programs.”

What are your long-term goals for the program?

“I’ve mapped out an ideal game plan for how I’d like to construct our roster and program so that we can compete at the highest level possible over the next several seasons. If we can recruit effectively, I’m hoping to find our program competing for a national title in the upcoming seasons.

We have a very good facility; our field is turf and we have access to several different weight rooms that we are able to utilize. U. of Saint Mary has a very nice campus, with beautiful architecture displayed throughout the premises. The staff has a great feel for their students; the professors are going to know their students’ names and are there to help our students succeed. The academic departments work well with the athletic departments. Overall, there’s a lot that we can offer as recruiting elements that I’m excited to utilize as we aim to grow our program.”

Recruiting? Obviously camps being one avenue…But can you share other approaches that your program takes? Do you attend showcase events to scout athletes? Large-scale national tournaments? Or are you more focused on regional events? Does your program have a geographic barometer that it generally covers? Any particular events that you’ve covered in the past that you anticipate continuing to cover in the future?

“We have plans to initiate camps this upcoming summer; dates will be determined as we get closer to then. We’ll plan to host additional camps next fall and winter as well.

We get emails very frequently from recruiting platforms, which is great. I personally like to see athletes send me their info with videos (or links to videos) that have taken the time to research our university and program as well.

Establishing relationships with travel ball coaches has been a huge asset. Getting input and feedback from reliable sources helps initiate contact with prospective student athletes as well.

We largely spend the bulk of our time in the Midwest when going to watch prospective athletes; however, we don’t want to limit ourselves to one geographic location. We have to plan properly when it comes to traveling to see talent but again the relationships that we’ve built with organizations and coaching staffs helps tremendously in aiding with finding talent to help our program.”

2024 Travel Team Preview: Nebraska Gold ’09 National builds upon challenges and development, eyeing successful 2024 season

By: Jeff Strange

June 16, 2023. The Nebraska Gold ’09 National team was gearing up for a high-profile contest while playing in the prestigious Top Gun Invite in Kansas City. They had drawn a power-packed Texas Riptide 14u squad. According to Larry Swift, the current coach of the NE Gold ’09 National team, the Riptide’s roster was loaded with eye-catching athletes.

“Everyone on that team, including their starting pitcher, looked the part,” said Swift. “They could swing it and they could throw it.”

The anticipation caught the attention of the ballpark as well. With roughly 200-300 people in the crowd watching – from parents and friends to entire teams in the facility – the expectation of a highly entertaining game was alive and well as the venue was buzzing with excitement.

The game started with a weak ground ball by Nebraska Gold, securing the first out for the Riptide and driving the eager and enthusiastic Texas fans into a frenzy. However, despite a 2-1 disadvantage at the end of the 1st inning, Nebraska Gold ’09 National kept plugging along, picking up a run in every inning. NE Gold’s starting pitcher, Taelyn Rupiper settled in the circle and scattered three runs over 6 innings. NE Gold won 9-3 and drew the attention of seemingly everyone as they left the facility.

It was games like these that helped the athletes and team grow together. As a first year 14u team last summer, this skilled squad was often pitted against older competition, challenging them to test their talents.

July1, 2023. Nebraska Gold ’09 National suffered a “less than flattering 12-3 defeat” to the 16u Finesse Frank team at the Top Gun Patriot in Peoria, Illinois. However, they came back on Sunday and outscored two 16u teams 19-5 through a series of balls hit in the gaps and well-placed bunts put down the line. The NE Gold coaching staff believes that their athletes were at their best at that point and ready to compete with anyone, until the rains came and washed out the event.

Carrying that momentum into their last weekend of the summer, Nebraska Gold ’09 National played up in an 18u tourney in Nebraska (as a 13u team). They went 8-1 on the weekend, winning the event. In the process of taking home the hardwire, NE Gold pulled off 6 consecutive wins on Sunday with 15 over the fence home runs. All toll, they concluded their championship run near midnight on Sunday.

Now, looking into 2024 Coach Larry Swift and his Nebraska Gold ’09 National squad are eyeing another season of challenges and success. Top Gun Events Media caught up with Coach Swift to get his feedback on several key elements for his team’s 2024 season:

Can you give some background information on your coaching staff and coaching styles?

“Each of our coaches brings a unique perspective to the Nebraska Gold ‘09 National team. Mitch Kampbell and Nick Beard have five players on this squad they have coached since the girls were 7 years old. Day-to-day work and focus are their best-selling points. This is Jeff Kurrus’ third year with the program, with team culture and everyday enjoyment of the process being his forte. Joining the staff this year, Lexi Swift offers something the other coaches can’t – a female’s perspective as both a coach and a former college player. And program director Larry Swift’s role is multifaceted. He has been a coach in the dugout when his Nebraska Gold teams have won at the highest possible level as 18-year-olds, which allows him to bring that perspective to this 14-year-old group and show them what it will take for them to get to that level.”

Does your team face any challenges with schedules (drawing athletes from multiple states, perhaps)? If yes, how do you manage that?

“Each of our players are from the Omaha or Lincoln areas, except for one that travels from Grand Island, Nebraska – nearly two hours away. So, our practice and game scheduling runs relatively smoothly, besides the times when we have an injury or family event that prevents a particular player from participating. When this occurs, we reach out to a select group of players from Nebraska and surrounding states who we have formed bonds with, and they play with us that particular weekend. For example, our girls love when their South Dakota or Missouri friends play with them as a substitute for a tournament. This also provides them more exposure to kids they’ll get to know later in high school and even into college, making those transitions easier for them.”

What are your primary goals and objectives for your team?

“We have a multitude of goals for this team. First, we want to continue to prepare these athletes for their transitions through or into high school ball for their respective schools. For example, we had 9 girls who were freshmen this past fall, at 6 different high schools. All 9 made significant contributions to their high school varsity teams, with three of them receiving All-State accolades and 6 making the state Tournament semi-finals or finals. We want the same results for our other 3 incoming freshmen this year. Second, we want to prepare them for the college game. In addition, their individual work and team work is accomplished by their interactions and workouts with NE Gold players already in college. For example, recently several current college playing alumni, including Ruby Meylan, who was a University of Washington’s starting pitcher in last season’s College World Series, pitched to our players and took at-bats vs our pitchers. Once our girls see someone of their skill levels, they are ready for anything. Third, on the field as a team the girls have set a goal to be in the Final Four for every tournament they play this year. With this goal, they will always have the mindset to win every tournament. Fourth, our hitters want to compete in every at bat, so they’re working to have a QAB rate of 70%. It takes out batting averages and on-base percentages to create a more defined role at the plate – how well did you compete.”

In your opinion, what traits make your organization unique?

“First and foremost, we pride ourselves on our Gold DNA pillars. The pillars are: Toughness, Discipline, Workers Always Win, Masters of Appreciation and Not About You. These pillars are followed by all the coaches and players in the organization. We have weekly sessions with both players and coaches reviewing these and understanding how we make the organization much better. It is the open-door policy of players working with players of all ages. It is not uncommon before a practice to get a phone call from a girl from another Gold team who wants to work out with your team that day. Or to walk into one of our indoor facilities or outdoor complexes and see a very accomplished player from one of our older groups working with a younger player.

Second, the Gold program is always striving to find the right fit for a kid. If a particular kid’s current skill level dictates that she needs to be on another team, then steps are made to create this proper fit for all parties.

Lastly, Nebraska Gold’s desire to bring in kids outside of our program who contact them allows the program to share its purpose for its individual players and teams. This open-door policy once again allows Nebraska Gold to focus on fit for each individual player.”

Can you give some analysis/perspective on your team for 2024?

“In 2024, the Nebraska Gold 09’ team will be able to compete against any 09’ team in the country. Eight of our 12 players have already left the yard at some point during the 2023 year, and it’s only a matter of time for the others. We boast great team speed and athleticism throughout the line-up. Our pitching staff is led by two girls who throw 60+ and will command the zone. Here’s our crew in a nutshell:

  • Dylan Glatter – the best receiving 09’ catcher we’ve seen. Cat-quick defensively and a combination of power and finesse at the plate.
  • Hayden Peters – slapper/outfielder whose tremendous speed can take over an entire tournament on both sides of the ball.
  • Tenley Kampbell – First baseman/pitcher whose homerun balls, quite often, never get 20 feet off the ground. Amazing power. In the circle, continues to beat some of the best teams we face by relying on control and movement.
  • Taelyn Rupiper – Our Ace in the circle, she throws 60+ MPH whose best pitches are her riseball and change-up. Her ceiling is extremely high, and she continues to get the ball in our biggest games with no fear of failing.
  • Becca Dinkelman – Also tops out in the low 60s in the circle, but Becca’s most impressive attribute is her raw power. Though small in stature, she remains the kid most likely to hit a ball halfway up the light pole.
  • Mallory Closman – She has the entire package. Crazy athlete with speed and power. Mal immediately jumps off the page as soon as you see her warm up between innings.
  • Maddie Kurrus – With only two errors from the 2nd base position the entire 2023 summer, our most reliable fielder. Has also led the team for multiple years in HBPs and BBs with her “by any means necessary” mentality.
  • Abby Beard – Our best all-around hitter. Squares up more balls hard than anyone we have, and can fit anywhere in the lineup she’s needed, from a leave-the-yard send a message leadoff to a run producer in the 4-hole.
  • Kaylin Hinerman – A converted swingaway kid from a slapper, Kay will garner a ton of attention this summer because of her size and strength.
  • Lily Johnson – An absolute athlete. Scarred, bloody, ready for more. This is Lily after a weekend tournament. The ultimate competitor with an absolute cannon for an arm.
  • Brooklyn Phelphes – Another cannon, this time from the centerfield position, this former slapper will also boast a rare combination of speed and power this season. From a defensive standpoint, she covers ground like crazy.
  • Kinley Nixon – A newcomer to our team but will play 8 positions for us. Fearless at the plate and able to bunt and run, Kinley readily fills in every hole this team needs on both sides of the ball.

What are your short-term goals for your team?

“As stated before, the girls want to be competing for championships every weekend, with a Top 4 finish in every tournament, regardless of the competition, is one of their goals.”

What are your long-term goals for your team?

“To have an even larger factor for their high school teams and work toward achieving their own goals in high school and beyond, both inside and outside of softball.”

*Editors Note: Article updated February 7, 2024 to reflect that Larry Swift did not coach the team in 2023*

College 2024 Preview: Eastern Illinois University Looks to Build Upon Successful 2023 Campaign; has high hopes for 2024

By: Jeff Strange

2023 Overall Record: 34-21

Ohio Valley Conference Record: 16-6

Coming off a 34-21 season, the Eastern Illinois University Panthers made headlines in 2023 as they brought home their first Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship in school history, along with making their first appearance in the NCAA Division 1 Regionals in their program’s tenure. Entering the OVC tournament as the number 2 seed, the Panthers and Head Coach Tara Archibald went 3-0 in the event held at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, AL as Junior RHP Olivia Price logged 21 Innings Pitched, while allowing just 1 Earned Run over that frame of work.

Bringing home the title of Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Champions hurled the Eastern Illinois University team into their first NCAA Regional appearance, as they traveled north to Drysdale Field in Evanston, IL. The Panthers drew a powerful Northwestern squad in game one, falling 2-0 in a tight contest. EIU’s 2023 season concluded on May 20, 2023 as they battled tough against Miami (Ohio), ultimately dropping that game 4-0.

Coach Archibald enters her fifth season at the helm for the Panthers softball program, guiding the EIU program to an overall record of 95-80 during her reign as the program’s head coach. The daughter of University of Louisiana Head Coach and Women’s Professional Fastpitch team Smash it Sports Vipers Head Coach Gerry Glasco, Archibald played her collegiate softball at Southern Illinois University – Carbondale, helping the Salukis earn their first-ever NCAA tournament win in 2003 and advancing to the school’s first Sweet 16 appearance. Archibald also excelled in the classroom at SIUC as a four-time NCAA Scholar Athlete Award Winner while earning the Missouri Valley Conference Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award in 2003. Along the way to EIU, Coach Archibald spent time as an assistant coach at the University of Georgia as well as an assistant coach at Illinois State University before taking over at Eastern Illinois in 2020.

With the Panthers opening up their season on February 9th at the Mardi Gras Mambo Tournament in Youngsville, LA, Top Gun Events Media caught up with Coach Archibald to get her feedback on several key elements for the Eastern Illinois University Panthers Softball Program:

Entering into your 5th season this year as the head coach for Eastern Illinois University, you orchestrated a 34-21 season in 2023, winning the OVC Tournament and taking EIU to the school’s first ever NCAA regional. Can you hit on some key points/highlights from this past season, leading up to the OVC tournament and the NCAA Regional?

“From a team perspective, it took a little bit to build that momentum. I like to say that the momentum really started a couple of years ago as we slowly built the confidence and belief that contending for the OVC title was something that we could accomplish here at Eastern. Last year, we finally caught that momentum and got some key wins that helped our players believe that we could come out on top. Throughout the regular 2023 season, we were right there with SEMO (Southeast Missouri State University) at the top of the conference standings until the second to last weekend, when we stubbed our toe a little bit against Lindenwood. However, once we went into the OVC tournament, our athletes really displayed a laser-focus that I’ll never forget….just from the time we got off of the bus for the tournament, I felt that their focus and intent was really locked in and the girls were determined not to come home without a great showing at the event. It was definitely fun to watch the program grow from that sense of that we believe that we can do this and now let’s go and get it done.”

Taking home a first-place finish in the OVC tournament last season, can you describe some of your thoughts on the event?

“Oxford did a great job hosting that event. Choccolocco Park is a great softball venue with a gorgeous field. Having the tournament on a neutral site gave all of the teams in the event an opportunity to feel post-season play. It was a long week for our athletes and coaches; we played on Sunday, practiced on Monday morning, then left on Monday afternoon and endured a close to 10-hour bus ride aiming to arrive there by Monday night all so that we could practice on Tuesday before the event began. We had a bye on Wednesday and started play on Thursday vs. a tough Southern Indiana team. Throughout the duration, our team just maintained a locked-in mentality and focus that you could sense was present leading up to the tournament and during the event. Pitcher Olivia Price threw all three games for us that tournament and was absolutely lights out – it was fun to watch! The championship game against SIUE was a very well played game; we got the clutch hit, our defense rose to the occasion and Liv was able to shut them down in the circle. Just great pitching from both teams – SIUE’s pitcher (Syd Baalman) was outstanding as well. Overall a great venue, great crowd, beautiful weather the day of the championship game and a great moment for EIU softball.”

The NCAA Regionals – you battled against a strong Northwestern team, falling to them 2-0…then hung in against Miami (OH) with it being a 1-0 game until Miami put up 3 runs in the 5th inning, giving them a 4-0 lead and ultimately holding on for the win….can you describe some of your thoughts on the event?

“The week itself was kind of a whirlwind; we had done something that the program had never done before by winning the OVC tournament and we were 10 hours away from home. We enjoyed the moment of the OVC tournament win, celebrating on the field in Oxford and enjoying the moment with family and friends, but reality eventually kicked in; we had a long bus ride home. For me as a coach, I really wanted to make sure that throughout the upcoming week our players really took in the moment and understood the gravity of what they had just done for EIU’s program, so I wanted to make sure that we celebrated the selection show the right way.

When we went to regionals, we were really letting them enjoy the moment of being there; certainly, we went there with intentions of winning our ballgames, but at the same time, we wanted to make sure that they had a great experience and understood the gravity of what they had accomplished. We were excited to go to Drysdale Field in Evanston (Illinois); I knew that our fans would be able to travel well there versus the conference tournament. We drew Northwestern in our first game – they are such a good program and well coached. I thought that we would have a shot to play a close ballgame if we could settle in and get comfortable. From the moment we got there, our players didn’t get overwhelmed and knew that they belonged. I was very proud of how we played against Northwestern; we were just one or two swings away from a different outcome and Olivia (Price) just threw an absolute gem against a very good lineup.

We came back the next day against Miami of Ohio and Olivia held her own and kept us in there until late in the game. Again, we had bases loaded and we hit a line drive that their leftfielder made an incredible play on; if that ball gets down, we probably clear the bases and take the lead. We competed very well and we were all very proud of that. I think it completely changed the standard of our program to where now, we’re preparing for how do we get back to regionals and how do we get ourselves to where we can win a regional.”

Moving into 2024, can you give some background information on your coaching staff?

“We’re kind of an all hands on deck program with our coaching staff. When we’re working with hitters, all of the coaches help out. When we are in the bullpen, everyone can jump in and when we’re working defense, everyone can help with defense. We like to have all of the coaches involved in all areas of the game.

Toby Ring joined our staff last year as a volunteer; he’s a former men’s fast pitch player with a ton of experience in the game. He just recently was inducted into the men’s fast pitch Hall of Fame in Central Illinois. Toby was a huge piece with what we accomplished last year and we are excited to have him back this year.

We just added Lisaira Daniels as an assistant this past August. I’ve known Lisaira for a very long time. She played with Georgia and Syracuse has the experience of playing in the College World Series; she’s brought a different mentality throughout the fall, she can relate to the players in that she’s been in postseason play many times throughout her playing career. Her mentality has helped a ton, holding our players to a different standard and continuing to push the growth of our program.

Can you give some analysis/perspective on your team for 2024?

“We have an interesting mix. We are returning the majority of the key pieces from last season. However, we have more newcomers than we have returning athletes. The returning athletes all played huge roles in what we accomplished last year. It’s been fun to watch this team develop it’s own identity versus the team that we had last year. This year’s squad is going to be completely different than last year’s squad in that this is a much faster, much more athletic team. Last year’s team probably had more power. Our offense is going to look a little bit more different from the way we play the game, but we have a great amount of experience.

Most of our infield is all back. The left side – Kendall Grover and Bri Gonzalez both had incredible seasons last year.

Our top two pitchers – Olivia Price and Rachel Kaufman – are back. That’s huge for us in the circle.

Aryn Henke is our only returning outfielder. However, we did pick up Sophie Cerveny who was a starter for Nebraska-Omaha last year and played in a regional as well. She has fit in extremely well with our team from a mindset and goals perspective, bringing excellent leadership skills as well.

We’ve got a couple of spots that during preseason we’ll be working to figure out who fills roles the best, but for the most part I feel that we are an experienced team that knows what to expect and has been battle tested. Ultimately, our goal will be to figure out who we are as this year’s team and how we’re going to go out and win ballgames. Hopefully as we get out of preseason, we’ll have a really good idea of what we have to do to win conference ballgames.”

What are your short-term goals for the program?

“First and foremost, figuring out who we are exactly as a team, what we do best and how we’re going to win ballgames. Ultimately, how are we going to compete best together as team…

We are hoping to put ourselves in a position so that at the end of the year we can hold a high seed entering into the OVC tournament, and then hopefully go on a run and win the OVC tournament so that we can compete in a regional again.

If we can get into a regional again this year, the goal is to not just go there but let’s go in there and try to win it.

However, to be honest we don’t talk about that too much. It’s more about how can we become the best versions of ourselves and what do we need to do today to help ourselves to be the best team that this team can be and then at the end of the year to see where we are at. We’re all very motivated and very excited about this very talented group.”

What are your long-term goals for the program?

“My goal is that we can continue to stay on the path that we are on and continue to grow the program every year. I grew up in Southern Illinois about two hours from here, so for me to be able to put a high quality product on the field – a program that has the opportunity to be in the top third of the conference every year, competing for a chance to win a conference championship every year and providing athletes with an experience to go to regionals – that’s the goal. My hope is that we can put out a product that people in Central Illinois are excited to watch along with developing our athletes to be role models for other young girls in the area. I’m proud of what we’ve done here and excited that this group is really motivated to leave the program better than they found it.”

Recruiting? Obviously camps being one avenue…But can you share other approaches that your program takes? Do you attend showcase events to scout athletes? Large-scale national tournaments? Or are you more focused on regional events? Does your program have a geographic barometer that it generally covers? Any particular events that you’ve covered in the past that you anticipate continuing to cover in the future?

“In the summer, we try to spend as much time in the Midwest as we can. However, we also will venture out beyond our backyard. I typically go out to California at least once a summer. We’re on the circuit and really enjoy getting to get out in the summer and watch the top events in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Kansas City, etc. It’s so exciting for our sport right now how much softball has grown and how many great young players there are in the game.”

Lastly, do you have any information to share for prospective athletes in regards to camp information for 2024?

“I can tell you that there are a lot of players on our team that we wouldn’t have if they hadn’t come to one of our camps. We definitely use camps to help fill our roster. We’ll do a lot of camps in the summer; be on the lookout for in the beginning of June and throughout July as well. We’re possibly looking at adding a team camp during the summer as well. Dates will be announced as we get closer to then.”

2024 Travel Team Preview: Top Gun ‘27/’28 STL 14u eyes upcoming 2024 campaign

By Jeff Strange

Upon reflecting on this past season and some defining moments, Top Gun ‘27/’28 STL 14u head coach Brian Grenia offered up some insight on his thoughts on what has led him, his coaching staff and group of athletes largely constructed from the greater metropolitan St. Louis area to where they are now…

“There’s so many things that this team does, both collectively and as individuals, that make me proud,” said Grenia. “I can’t pinpoint one thing that I’d say “defined” our season or that really defines this team. I’ll just say this: In September of 2021, we had eight players on the roster. Eight! Tournaments had begun, we only had eight, and several people were hoping we would fold so they could scoop up some of the top players. Just two years and 146 wins later, we’ve developed this group of girls into a legitimate team. We just flat outworked a lot of people.”

Moving to a new organization this past fall and now donning the navy blue and orange of the Top Gun organization, Grenia also took some time to reflect on some of the positive moments of the past season, while still with the Missouri Bombers.

“We won the first tournament of the spring and our final tournament of the summer,” said Grenia. “That was our last time wearing a Bombers uniform. That was an incredible way to end our tenure as the Missouri Bombers ’09.”

Now looking ahead to 2024, we caught up with Grenia on his thoughts for the upcoming season:

Can you give some background information on your coaching staff and coaching styles?

“Matt Frownfelter and I are going on our 4th season together stretching back to our first year as MO Bombers. Dave Smith is in his 2nd season as an official coach on the team.

As far as responsibilities go for the team – I’m responsible for the defense; Matt has pitchers, catchers and base running; Dave owns hitting and our mental development. As a side note: this Fall, Dave earned his Mental Performance Mastery certificate to become a certified mental performance coach. He believes so strongly in helping our girls and others in their mental health that he committed 100’s of hours studying this aspect of the game. Few people know that about him.”

Does your team face any challenges with schedules? If yes, how do you manage that?

“Most of our players will play a second sport in HS. That makes that Friday night game in the Spring a little challenging. Fortunately, the heart of our tournament season doesn’t begin until after Memorial Day when HS sports won’t be a factor. We practice late on Tuesdays and Sundays in order to minimize any conflicts.”

What are your primary goals and objectives for your team?

1) To build the girls’ self-esteem

2) To teach them how to work hard.

In your opinion, what traits make your team unique?

“We are still a homegrown team. January-March, we practice together twice a week as a team. In-season, we practice together weekly as a team even during heavy tournament play. Our roster is entirely 2009 girls from the St. Louis (and surrounding) area.”

Can you give some analysis/perspective on your team for 2024?

“I’m excited about the team heading into 2024. We returned 10 players and picked up a much-needed second catcher. That’s really where we focused at the end of the summer. We carry five pitchers and two catchers, which is a luxury for us compared to our rosters over the past few seasons. Offensively, we are strong up and down the lineup possessing both speed and power. Our defense has always been one of our strengths. I’m looking forward to watching the girls work on defense this year.”

What are your short-term goals for your team?

“We will work hard with indoor training five hours a week from January through March. We will run up to Iowa once or twice this winter to play an indoor just to break up the grind.

Spring ball is challenging for us this year because all of the surrounding states will be in high school ball. We will probably play up in some local events. In addition, we plan on setting up situational scrimmages with teams in March and April, just so we can see live pitching and work on our defense.

This summer, we will alternate between local tournaments and travel events playing in some of the bigger name events.”

What are your long-term goals for your team?

“We are spending more resources on college recruiting. We played 230 games over the last two seasons in an effort to maximize game reps. That was by design. It is extremely difficult to simulate live reps, under pressure, in practice or even practice games. We made a decision to play a lot tournaments. Going forward we will be more selective on what we play, focusing more on showcase events and camps.”

2024 Travel Team Preview: Nebraska Gold 16u National looks to build off successful 2023 campaign; gears up for 2024

By Jeff Strange

For Coach Bill Heard’s Nebraska Gold 16u National team, the summer of 2023 was filled with many jubilant moments, en route to an overall record of 49-10-2. Highlights for the summer included:

  • A championship performance at the Top Club Spring Invite (7-0)
  • A third place finish in the Nikki G Classic while playing up in the 18U division
  • 5-1 in the Top Gun Invitational (Sunday was rained out)
  • World Fastpitch Champions (10-0)

Those performances alone cemented a strong showing for this NE Gold squad. Nonetheless, Coach Heard believes that it was his team’s performance at the Colorado Sparkler last summer that really defined this groups’ season.

“With the Sparkler being such a big event, we truly didn’t know what to expect,” said Coach Heard. “As a 15U team, we were not given a berth to the power pools; we had to earn it. We went 3-1 in our supplemental pool and moved our way up to the power pools. We lost to a very good Hot Shots National team on Friday evening. However, we were able to pull out three wins on Saturday against very high-level competition (Rogue FC, Aces and VA Glory National) to get to Sunday. All of our kids contributed to this run and allowed us to compete at the highest level.”

That showing led to a Top 8 Finish at the Sparkler and asserted this squad as a top contender on the national stage going into 2024.

Top Gun Events Media caught up with Coach Heard to get his feedback on several key elements for his Nebraska Gold 16u National squad’s 2024 season and beyond:

Can you give some background information on your coaching staff and coaching styles?

“Myself – Bill Heard. I am the head coach at Gretna High School in Gretna, NE. I have been coaching this team from the very beginning (7U).

Chad Perkins – Head Coach, Omaha Marian High School, Omaha, NE. Chad joined the coaching staff last year. He has coached multiple Nebraska Gold teams over the years, including the 2020 Nebraska Gold 18 U, which was a highly successful team.

Jess Waller – Assistant Coach. Jesse joined the team last year. Jesse has been a coach in the Nebraska Gold and Nemesis organizations in Nebraska from the time this group began playing softball.

McKenna Nixon – Assistant Coach, Assistant Coach Gretna High School, Gretna, NE. McKenna has been coaching this team for the past three summers.

Our coaching style/philosophy is to place our trust in our players. We rotate our players throughout events. Our belief is that each player on our roster has the ability to compete and help us. The true strength of our team is our depth and ability to continually grind away throughout tournaments.”

Drawing athletes from multiple states, how do you manage any challenges with schedules?

“We have athletes from three states, which can be challenging at times. The reality of our situation is that we are unique for the level of competition we play at. Most teams we are seeing are drawing players from all over the country. We have one player from South Dakota and two from Colorado. We have seven players from the same high school and three more who live very close to each other. Long story short, our model is different from other teams; we have to make the most of the roster we have and max out every player.”

What are your primary goals and objectives for your team?

“Our goals are unique. We do not talk about winning and losing; we focus on being great teammates and being great competitors. Ultimately, we feel that winning and losing is a byproduct of the way we do things. We want each player to max out their abilities, so we constantly provide them opportunities. With the level of competition we play and the constant opportunities, the recruiting piece tends to take care of itself.”

In your opinion, what traits make your organization unique?

“We have strong leadership (Larry Swift), a tradition of success that creates an expectation for kids at a young age and foundation that allows for this to continue for years to come (Gold DNA). With all of that said, I think our organization is unique because it places doing what’s right for kids ahead of all other decisions.”

Can you give some analysis/perspective on your team for 2024?

“We return our entire team from last year, in addition to two new players we have picked up.  If we can stay healthy, we should be very competitive.

  • Pitchers:
    • Alexis Jensen (UNL Commit)
    • Jayd Juarez (2026)
    • CJ Morgan (2205)
    • Caitlyn Semple (2025)

Our staff should be strong this year. More depth than we have ever had. All of our pitchers will draw lots of college interest this spring.

  • Catchers:
    • Carlie Muhlbach (UNL Commit)
    • Brylee Rupiper (2025).

Brylee and Carlie give us a great combination behind the plate. Brylee is receiving considerable Division 1 interest as well.

  • Infielders:
    • Emersyn Exner (2026)
    • Emerson Johnson (2026)
    • Makenna Harrington (2025)
    • Megan Marshall (2026)
    • Autumn Bryant (2026)

This is a strong and versatile group. Each can play multiple positions, which allows us to have lots of lineup flexibility. Lots of college interest in this group as well.

  • Outfielders
    • Anniston Trevarrow (2025)
    • Brylee Heard (2026)
    • Raina Waller (2026).

Our outfield play is one of our strengths. All three can more than carry themselves at the plate and will garner college interest this spring. Multiple infielders will also spend time in the outfield for us this spring.”

What are your short-term goals for your team?

“We hope to be competitive in every event we attend this year. Our schedule will be very demanding and will challenge our depth, toughness and preparation.”

What are your long-term goals for your team?

“We would like to see all of our kids playing at the collegiate level and enjoying their experience. Long term, the hope is that softball can provide some lessons that kids can use the real world starts.”

2024 Travel Team Preview: BC Peppers Organization Gears up for 2024, with 18u Squad Phoenix-Bound for the Upcoming Weekend

By: Jeff Strange

For the BC Peppers 18u Wallace squad, the escape of the frigid temperatures of the Midwest for warmer weather lies on the horizon; they are headed to Phoenix, AZ this weekend for the PGF Arizona Last Blast event. An exclusive invite tournament that includes some of the best teams in the country, the Peppers will start out with pool play games against the Arizona Storm, California Explosion, and Pacific Fury in the 18u division.

As they gear up for the start of their 2024 campaign, Top Gun Events caught up with BC Peppers Head Softball Coach Jeff Wallace for a look into his organization and several key elements for 2024:

Can you give some background information on your coaching staff and coaching styles?

“This is my 17th year coaching. I started like most – my daughter wanted to play, so a good friend with a daughter the same age started a team. Eric Flores (associated head coach, Director of Offense – or my Underboss) is involved with all teams. Kristen Kelly (former Peppers player) is an instructor and coaches defense for the 16s and 18s. Brynn Minor, former University of Kansas pitcher is the BC Director of Pitching and Assistant Director of Fastpitch. She is the Head Coach of the 14s. Courtney Nemechek is a former player and assists with all teams. Ryan McCall assists with pitching as well as other elements of practice; his daughter is a 2023 graduate and freshman at U of Central Mo. I would say we are player friendly coaches and believe this is a “game” and supposed to be fun. We have an extremely strong alumni base that includes both players and parents.”

Can you hit on some key points/highlights from this past season?

“Going back to the summer of 2023, both the 16s and 18s had a solid year with both finishing well at PGF Nationals. We have a strong class of 2024’s that signed their NLI/Grant In-Aid agreement as scholarship athletes – a total of six in all. All received all-state accolades based on their spring 2023 high school seasons. In addition, four of our seven 2025’s have committed to D1 programs to continue their college careers with the other three committing soon.

For the fall season, we combined the 16s and 18s due to fall high school and for exposure purposes. Unfortunately, we lost two tourneys due to weather. I would say a highlight would be the Easton/Rawlings Fall Invitational where we played four nationally ranked teams, and included a win against PGF Nationals runner-up the Beverly Bandits coached by Bill Conroy. Nebraska-Omaha commitment Brylee Brewster pitched extremely well, and offensively Missouri State signee Riley Baber had a nice game.”

Drawing athletes from multiple states, how do you manage any challenges with schedules?

“Our 16u and 18u teams have players from Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, and Nebraska, which includes multi-sport athletes. We are flexible with practice, as long as the players are getting their work done. However, during the winter months we get strong attendance due to specific training and development.”

What are your primary goals and objectives for your teams?

“At 14u we are focused on player development, which starts with the Homefield SSA training staff. Our program is athlete centric-based on DARIMotion kinetic player evaluation. Each athlete is trained to increase performance as well as enhancing joint quality. We believe you must be a great athlete before you can be a great player.

At 16u and 18u, the playing schedules become more competitive focused on national level competition. An emphasis is placed on playing the best teams possible. In addition, we focus on our philosophy and process of college exposure and recruiting.

By the end of the summer, we hope to look back on the season and feel we competed at a high level, are identified as one of the top 100 teams in the country, and have a strong finish at a National event.”

In your opinion, what traits make your organization unique? 2023 saw a partnership with Building Champions, Homefield (the corporate entity that owns the facilities and provides sports opportunities for athletes) and the Peppers organization; can you give some insight on the purpose of the partnership , the desired outcome, the benefits offered, and the facility that you now utilize?

“Once the offer was extended by Homefield/Building Champions it was a no brainer and essentially just details. Simply put, we have possibly the best facility in the United States, unmatched technology, equipment partnerships, 501c funding resource, and corporate staff support led by BC Fastpitch Director Travis Huenfeld.

The desired outcome was to have a unique program that was not based on an individual or individuals, but rather a true player development program that works in partnership with college programs. We have four kinetic trainers that work with our athletes to improved athletic ability, strength, power, explosiveness and joint quality. This staff regularly is in communication with the college coaches and the training staffs of programs where our athletes have signed, committed, or are being recruited.

The HomeField facilities are multiple and I believe unmatched in the United States. There are four training facilities in the Kansas City metro area as well as our own fields located in Kansas City, Kansas. The primary diamond sports training facility is 255,000 square foot and located in Olathe, KS. This facility was highlighted as part of the NetFlix series Quarterback. It includes 33,000 square footage of athletic performance training, a full-sized softball infield and partial outfield, 16 hitting cages (with a six cage hitting lab), a pitching lab wired with technology, a catching lab, and a soon to be actual full sized softball field (with a 30 foot ceiling).

Technology starts with DARIMotion, which is a kinetic athlete performance and joint quality measurement resource that analyzes gains in an athlete’s performance. Proteus rotational training technology is another highlight; this is a $35,000 piece of training equipment that focuses on rotational explosiveness and power. Rapsodo is a staple of our pitching evaluation and training. Building Champions is Top 5 nationally with Blast Motion swings and evaluation. The facility has multiple Hack Attack pitching machines used by our athletes. Training areas have monitors where training can be recorded during training exercises.

We are blessed! Not only is this great for training and practice, our athletes have seven days a week access to train, hit and field with their teammates in a controlled environment. College coaches and programs visit our facilities to understand the SSA training program and learn about technologies.”

Can you give some analysis/perspective on your teams for 2024?

“Our 18u team is a core group of athletes that finished 12th at PGF Platinum in the 16u division last Summer. The team is made up of six 2024’s, seven 2025’s, and one 2026. We feel there can be a strong two-year run with this group of athletes.

We have five quality arms in the circle that all bring something different to the opponent.

  • South Alabama signee Kooper Barnes hails from Lincoln, NE and is a 6’ left hander that burst on the scene the last three tourneys of the Summer, and a dominant run at PGF Nationals. She was highly sought after by many schools in August. She sits in the 63/64 range with 1,300rpm “up spin” and very good change of speeds. Kooper is an on-base machine from the left side of the plate, and an elite defender.
  • Washburn signee Avery Wende from Silver Lake, KS is a strong down pitcher with a strong change-up that generates ground ball outs. Her drop ball approach will bring a strong look against opponents.
  • Crowder College signee Shelby Underwood from Arma, KS is one of the top two-way players in the state. She will be a key run producer for us as well as bring velocity in the circle.
  • Brylee Brewster from Warsaw, MO is a Nebraska-Omaha commit and one of the top LHPs in the country that was highly sought after by many colleges. She works in the 63/64 range with 1,400rpm Rapsodo spin and a change-up that has 10”-12” down life.
  • Anniston Reith hails from Rogers, AR and is a strong two-way player for the team. Currently, she is on a college visit tour and will be making her college commitment soon. Another 6’ athlete and daughter of a U of Arkansas offensive lineman, she brings parking lot power as well as plus velocity and spin.

The catcher position is held down by Steph Crittenden and Utility Karter Skillman.

  • Steph Crittenden from Bentonville, AR is committed to Central Arkansas. She is simply one of the best hitters in the class hitting over .400 in her career, against top pitching talent nationally. A rotational acceleration score reaching 20g is tremendous for a 2025. Behind the dish, she receives well and is blessed with a strong arm.
  • Karter Sillman is a Lindenwood commit, and resides in Olathe, KS. She is a “true utility” that could play as many as seven positions in one game. Karter is a strong athlete that lives in the weight room. She will be one of our top hitters and an on-base machine. Her 70+ swing speed and rotational acceleration scores stand out and make her a strong hitter.

On the Infield we are strong, led by one of the top SS in the country Mya January.

  • Mya January resides in Spring Hill and is a Central Arkansas signee. Mya is intense on the field and one of the most talented athletes on the field at any time. She is a gifted SS that takes the ball “on the rise,” blessed with a 68mph arm when she needs it. A middle of the order run producer that hits for high average as well as thump.
  • Riley Baber is a Missouri State signee that resides in Olathe, KS. The daughter of a former Kansas City Chief is one of the strongest athletes you will find. She is a middle of the order run producer that has a great approach and strike zone awareness. She will play primarily infield corners as well as some outfield.
  • Jerzey Hanna is a 2025 that resides in Kansas City, KS. A power hitter with plenty of thump, her elite bat speed and peak hand speed makes her a problem for any pitcher. At the hot corner, she is a plus defender. She is entertaining D1 programs with a recruitment timeline that will continue into the summer.
  • 2026 Tanna Howe is the youngster on the team. She is a slick fielding middle that is already generating D1 interest. We believe she has a big upside that will show this summer.

Our Outfield will utilize utility players as well to make up a strong offensive and defensive unit.

  • Jayden Hanna (she and Jerzey are sisters, their older sister played for us as well) is a St. Mary’s commit that resides in Kansas City, KS. Jay is a strong hitter that shows power as well as .400+ on-base percentage.
  • Demi Donahoe is a Bentonville, AR resident and YALE commit. She is extremely talented in the classroom as well as on the field. A strong outfielder, she will bring speed to the offense from the left side as a slapper.
  • 2025 Utility Allie Brown hails from Fort Scott, KS (my hometown) and joined the program in September. She brings speed and multi-dimensional offensive ability to the team as well as being a strong defender at any position. We were pleased to add this talented player to the program.

We are extremely excited about the talent on our 16u team. They are training hard and making tremendous strides athletically. All spent some time at the 18u level this fall and made a strong impression. 2025’s that will lead this team going into the summer;

  • Kendra Clark from Silver Lake, KS has a strong rise ball and change-up that creates problems for hitters.
  • Stella True from Olathe, KS turned heads this fall and into the camp season with her aggressive and fast left-handed swing.
  • Ava Harris from Shawnee, KS is a Winter addition that brings a power bat and run production to the line-up

The 14u team is loaded with talent and continues to improve daily. The SSA training program is developing faster, stronger, explosive athletes that generates improvement on the field. We are blessed with three power arms in the 2027, 2028, 2029 classes.”

What are your short-term goals for your team?

“To continue to develop bigger, stronger, explosive, fast athletes! We look for a strong showing in AZ, then head into the High School season. Our 2024 schedule is annually one of the best in the country highlighted by the Top Gun Invitational, Louisville Slugger IDT at Boulder and PGF Nationals.”

What are your long-term goals for your team?

“To continue to foster growth of our female leaders of tomorrow, and tremendous young women.”

2024 Travel Team Preview: Select Fastpitch 18’s Jones/Byrn Looks to Add to Tradition of Success in 2024

2024 Travel Team Preview: Select Fastpitch 18’s Jones/Byrn Looks to Add to Tradition of Success in 2024

By Jeff Strange

In the fall of 2023, Select Fastpitch brought together remaining athletes from three teams in the organization (Select 18’s Jones/Byrn, Select 18’s Alvarado and Select 16’s Salazar, whose team placed as a finalist in the PGF Premier National Championship) to create the 2023/2024 Select 18’s Jones/Byrn squad.

Success was immediate in the fall, as the newly formed team brought home third place at the Scenic City Top 25 tournament, suffering a lone loss in a hard fought battle to the Arizona Storm.

Top Gun Events Media caught up with Coach Eric Jones to get his feedback on several key elements for his team’s 2024 season:

Can you give some background information on your coaching staff and coaching styles?

“I love our coaching staff this year! Myself and Mike Byrn are co-head Coaches again this year, which is a blessing to have someone of Mike’s caliber alongside us. Jason Salazar is also on staff; he was the Head Coach for the 16’s last year who had an amazing year, making a big run at the PGF Premier National Championships, knocking off some of the top teams in the country to get there. Brandon Washington is also on staff and handles our in game stats for us.”

Drawing athletes from multiple states, how do you manage any challenges with schedules?

“This team is composed of athletes from Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas, and Illinois. Having athletes from different states does pose some challenges at times, but we navigate it pretty well.  We do carry a bigger roster, which helps with athletes that have high school softball seasons at different times of the year. We have practice pods in St Louis, Columbia (MO) and Kansas City, which offer varieties of locations and opportunities to get work in.”

What are your primary goals and objectives for your team?

“Our objective this year is to mesh this team into one unit by June. It is awesome to have amazing athletes, and on that alone they can win some games. However, to reach the goals that they all have – and try to finish what they started last year – will take all of them and we hope that they are able to mesh into that team that we know they are capable of. Our second goal is to continue to develop and prepare them for the next level, mentally and physically. We want them to be in positions to compete for starting roles when they head off to their colleges.”

In your opinion, what traits make your organization unique?

“The trait of our organization is to be a blue collar, hardworking organization where there’s no entitlement or selfishness. We pride ourselves on being overlooked by some of the bigger organizations and feed off that energy. We’ve always had athletes that are grinders and play the game for the right reason.”

Can you give some analysis/perspective on your team for 2024?

“Our depth in the circle is unmatched, and anchored with some of the best pitchers in the Midwest and nation. Our athleticism up the middle is very good; I think this could be one of the best overall defenses that we have ever had. This year our team is led by some returning seniors, as well as some of the Top 2025’s around.

In the circle, we have a wealth of depth and talent that we feel comfortable with any of them being in a big game situation. Peyton Hardenburger (Tennessee), Kaelee Washington (Kansas), Abby Carr (Arizona State), Kelsey Hoekstra (Rutgers), Ryann Sanders (Louisville) and Bre Severino (Ball State) are all top flight pitchers and will have a big impact for us this year. With the grind of the schedule, it will allow us to keep some pitch count and innings low throughout the summer, so we can go into Nationals healthy. More importantly, the seniors can go into college and not have arm burnout.  

Behind the plate, we have Bailey Amezcua (Kansas) who can also play anywhere on the field, and is a big bat in our lineup.

Our infield is comprised of some legit athletes who can also cause damage at the plate. Led by Madison Uptegrove (Missouri), Marin Heller (Florida State), Siena Snyder (Ohio State), Kendall Yarnell (UCF), and Cydney Fullerton our infield is very deep with an ability to hit for power in any count.”

What are your long-term goals for your team?

“Our goal beyond the 2024 season is to keep developing and putting ourselves into positions to play the best competition out there. We want to see where we are at so we can prepare for great tournament runs in the summer. Fall, winter and spring for the most part for us is just development and growth. The summer is where we like to put it all together. We also strive to help our athletes go to their high school teams and have fun and shine amongst their school peers as well.”

College 2024 Preview: Avila University Hoping to Continue Trend of Success in 2024

College 2024 Preview: Avila University Hoping to Continue Trend of Success in 2024

By Jeff Strange

2023 Overall Record: 35-21

Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Record: 16-8

Cinco de Mayo 2023 was a day of celebration for the Avila University softball program, as the Eagles brought home their first KCAC title in school history, defeating Oklahoma Wesleyan University in Great Bend, KS.

The conference victory helped secure Avila’s berth to the NAIA National Softball Championship, their first trip since 2019. The Eagles opening round of softball was held in Chickasha, OK as the number 4 seed in a pool that included University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, Mobile University (AL), and Cottey College.

Avila pulled out a win against a tough Cottey College squad, but fell to top seeded Science and Arts, setting up an elimination matchup between the Eagles and the number 13 ranked team in the NAIA, the Mobile University Rams.

Mobile got off to an early lead, but Avila kept battling all the way to the end before ultimately succumbing to a 6-2 loss, ending another successful season for the Eagles program.

For a program that was sometimes turning in single-digit win seasons 10-15 years ago, Avila’s softball program has turned itself into a force to be reckoned with in recent seasons, finding themselves consistently competing for conference and tournament titles while sprinkling in some postseason appearances along the way. Coach Charlie Kennedy is entering his 3rd season at the helm at Avila and his 23rd season as a collegiate softball head coach. Kennedy has amassed a career record 618-434-3 in his coaching career, which includes stints at Division 1 Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, Division II UMSL, Division III Maryville and NAIA Lindenwood-Belleville.

Moving into 2024, there is a sense of excitement for Head Coach Charlie Kennedy, his coaching staff and his group of athletes. Top Gun Events Media caught up with Coach Kennedy to get his perspective on several key elements for the Avila University Softball Program:

Your program had a successful season in 2023; can you detail your thoughts on the season as a whole?

“We brought back seven kids from our previous season and 19 new athletes last fall. The program received an infusion of talent – I had 12 freshmen come in and seven transfers, along with good talent returning. Our depth was a key. We had strong pitching and a strong catcher behind the plate; it just took us awhile to come together with that many new faces. I can tell you that at one point of the season, I didn’t see us pulling off a conference tournament championship. I felt that we could compete in it and that we had the talent to do it, but early on we just weren’t all on the same page.

However, it came together very quickly towards the end of the season. The last conference doubleheader on the road, we were handed two losses against a team that was two spots ahead of us in our conference and it just didn’t taste good. A few days later, we took a trip to St. Louis and split with Missouri Baptist, who had just won their conference and it gave us a jolt going into the KCAC tournament, where we went undefeated. Through all of the ups-and-downs of the season, we just continued to work hard and grind out game after game and practice after practice. It was a great honor to watch the ladies come together at the end of the season and make a run into the postseason.”

Can you give some background information on your coaching staff?

“Aldyn Wildey is my pitching coach – she pitched a few years at Johnson County and was recruited to pitch at the University of Kansas but unfortunately blew out her ACL and didn’t get to throw her junior and senior years. Aldyn is very knowledgable and was instrumental last year to our pitching staff.

Mike MacFarlane, who played with the Kansas City Royals, Boston Red Sox and Oakland A’s – he was a 12 year major league baseball catcher; he’s our catching and hitting coach. Very sound fundamentals in hitting.

Mimi Maggard was player of the year in the Sun Coast Conference in Florida at Webber International University. She’s in her second year here and plays a huge role for us.”

Can you give some analysis/perspective on your team for 2024?

“We return 18 girls from last year’s team. We lost our top pitcher who had 20 of our 35 wins (Payton Walter) and our top catcher (Talley Cole), but I think what we have brought in over the past few years will help fill those roles very well. What we our right now is a team that has great depth, good pitching and great speed – we were number two in the country in stolen bases last season, led by OF Chelsea Kurtz, who swiped 72 bases in 2023 which was second overall in the NAIA last year. We added more speed to the lineup as well with incoming athletes. We’re a team that won’t be taken lightly this year; we were picked to take third in the conference with the preseason rankings. We were two wins away from the next round of the NAIA World Series last season and I think that our seniors are hungry to get back this season.

I feel that we are going to execute in situations. We bunt very well, we run the bases well, we play outstanding defense, and we can hit. We start out our season in Texas playing Texas A&M – San Antonio and Our Lady of the Lake (NAIA #7 preseason ranked team) right out of the gate. A month later, we are in California with Hope International (NAIA #19 preseason ranked team), Vanguard, Menlo and Westcliff. I feel that going to play these teams right at the start of the season will help build some mental toughness for our pitchers, offense and defense that will help us grow.”

What are your short-term goals for the program?

“It is a goal to break the top 25 rankings in the NAIA and challenge ourselves early on in the season so that we are battle tested when we start conference play and move into the KCAC tournament. If we can win our conference outright and/or win our conference tournament, that will secure us another automatic bid to the NAIA Championship Tournament. It’s an exciting time for us right now. We’ve started up spring practices and we’re a month away from playing our opener in Texas.”

What are your long-term goals for the program?

“If you have the consistency in the coaching staff and the ability to put talent on the field every year, then long-term is having Avila University as a recognized name as a tough team to beat. We want to be a perennial name as a tough opponent. We’ll continue to play a tough schedule and prepare our athletes to be strong opponent on game day.”

Lastly, do you have any information to share for prospective athletes in regards to camp information for 2024?

We will be running a camp on February 25th. The link for the camp is:

https://info.collegesoftballcamps.com/cksb/

*The Avila University Eagles will open their season on February 9th at the Our Lady of the Lake University Saints Classic in San Antonio, TX squaring off against Texas A&M University – San Antonio and Our Lady of the Lake University that Friday afternoon.*

 

2024 Travel Team Preview: Top Gun 16 National Sets Sights for Strong 2024 Campaign

2024 Travel Team Preview: Top Gun 16 National Sets Sights for Strong 2024 Campaign

By Jeff Strange

“Dare to be exceptional.” It’s a phrase uttered often by Top Gun 16 National Coaches Joe Sciara, Dave Rocha and Randy Walters during their practices.

“We believe that we have to help these girls feel confident and comfortable failing,” said Coach Sciara. “Getting a player to trust their athleticism takes them accepting that they may not make every play. However, the only way to find out what they can do is to try to make those exceptional plays at practice. You have to trust your athleticism, trust that your teammates have your back, and trust that your coaches would rather see you go all out on a play rather than play it safe.”

An exceptional level of success was accomplished early on this past season for Sciara’s squad. In late October of 2022, Top Gun Sciara was fighting for a berth to the PGF National Championships in the PGF Fall Qualifier. After an early loss in brackets, it was a win or go home scenario. According to Sciara, his group really grew as a team and as competitors that weekend as they won six straight (five back-to-back) games on Sunday to earn their PGF Nationals berth.

Top Gun Sciara finished their fall of 2022 off at the Finesse Fastpitch Space Coast Invitational, once again winning their last five games after a loss in the first game of the event. 

Spring/Summer of 2023 found this talented group of athletes picking up where the fall of 2022 left off. Highlights for the season included:

  • Undefeated champions of the Top Gun Events Spring Invite
  • Champions in the 16u Gold Division at the USA Memorial Day Invitational
  • A strong run in bracket play in the Maverick Division of the Top Gun Invitational (including wins in their first two bracket games against PA Strikers National & a very good Texas Riptide team), before the event was ultimately cancelled due to weather.

Now looking ahead to the 2024 spring/summer campaign, Top Gun Events Media caught up with Coach Sciara to get his feedback on several key elements for this season and beyond:

Can you give some background information on your coaching staff and coaching styles?

“This will be the 10th year of coaching together for Dave Rocha and myself. We coached our daughters’ team up through graduation, and then took this group over at 11u. This season, Randy Walters joins our dugout as an assistant coach as well. Randy has coached and umpired high-level softball for a number of years. All three of us are non-parent coaches. Dave & I have always had a philosophy of pushing the girls beyond where they think their ceilings are, and allowing them to push themselves past failures. “Dare to be exceptional” is a phrase that you will hear quite often at our practices.”

Drawing athletes from multiple states, how do you manage any challenges with schedules?

“We have players from all over the country. In the past two years, we have had players from Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, New York, Ohio, Florida, Colorado, & Tennessee. Many of those states play high school softball in the spring. Others like Missouri, Colorado & Oklahoma play fall high school softball. We stick to most of our tournaments being during the recruiting windows of June-August and November. We make sure to have practices at most of our tournaments before play starts. We also have off-season Zoom calls as a team where we will do some team bonding and mental training, as well as our National Weekend Practices where our players will fly/drive in for 10-12 hours of practice in a weekend. Our girls that live within several hours of KC will practice a couple times a week with other national program players, ran in camp style setting. We’ve got a great, welcoming core of players and each time we get together, it’s like the girls never missed a beat.”

What are your primary goals and objectives for your team?

“Our ultimate goal is to help our players learn how to be leaders and be successful in a group or team setting. We are teaching those lessons through softball. In the end, wins take care of themselves. We are a very process driven team (and organization). We all love to win, but winning comes from controlling the controllable, putting in the right type of work when others aren’t and buying in/understanding your assignment and role in a way that makes others around you better.”

In your opinion, what traits make your organization unique?

“We have a saying at Top Gun Fastpitch – It’s just different here. So many clubs market their organization or team with the buzzword culture, but what are they doing to build the culture?  How are they living it with each decision that is made in the organization? We are intentional in building an organization over team, and team over player philosophy. 13u-18u players out of our national program can be found practicing side-by-side almost any day of the week. You can find girls off of our team instructing and/or coaching 8-12 year old players. Our older players have been taught to give back to the sport, give back to the youth and the community. Similarly, this selfless attitude can be found in our dugout at games. We carry a bigger roster, and each player has bought in and knows that every person on our roster can win us a game. I can vividly remember situations where one of our four very talented middle infielders was seen in the dugout jumping up and down excited when a teammate playing the same position makes a spectacular play. Same thing with our talented outfielders…at the end of the day, our girls compete with each other. They are not afraid to, and are learning how to compete against their close friends before they get to college. At the same time, they support each other and are fiercely loyal to the bonds they’ve built with each other. That’s not only a great lesson for college softball life, but for the workforce as well. Learn how to compete with your peers for a position, and then learn how to be a successful group no matter who wins the promotion.”

Can you give some analysis/perspective on your team for 2024?

“We are a team built on speed and pitching. We have six slappers and a seventh player with elite speed. We disrupt teams by creating chaos on the base paths and playing a very aggressive style of offense. We had 47 stolen bases in 19 games this fall. We look for one run an inning, but often our runs come in bunches because our team creates opportunities. Our pitching staff is elite. We have five players that could win a game any given day, but three pitchers that get the bulk of our innings. As a team this fall, we had an overall ERA of 1.71 and teams batted .184 against us. Collectively, our pitchers struck out 142 batters and only walked 53. 

Our 2024 Roster:

 #1 Macy Morrow, 2025 OF(South Dakota State University): Macy is an exceptional athlete who has traditionally been our leadoff hitter and center fielder. Macy is a lefty slapper with excellent barrel control and an understanding of where to place the ball.

 #3 Lexi Vernon, 2026, RHP: Lexi is new to our team this year. She had an exceptional fall for us. Lexi is a high-end pitcher that solidifies our rotation. Lexi is the #7 ranked pitcher by extra innings in the class of 2026. This fall Lexi threw 26 innings, had 30K, 19BB and a 1.62 ERA.

#5 Kaiya Delgado, 2025 OF: Kaiya is a true speed demon. Even with missing three tournaments last summer due to injury, Kaiya led our team in stolen bases.

 #7 Olivia Keiter, 2026 MI: Liv is a special athlete, and a big addition for the 2024 season. Liv had 3 doubles, a triple and 2 HR in 19 games to go along with her team leading 14 runs scored.  With Liv and Syd Boulaphinh (18 National, Stanford) we have the best two middle infielders, and arguably the best two softball players from the state of Colorado in our organization. Liv is a left-handed hitter that can slap, power slap, hit for power and bunt.

 #8 Kelsie Donaldson, 2026 LHP: One of the best pitchers in the country, KD also leads our team in most hitting categories. This homegrown talent had a .523 OBP, 11 RBI and only struck twice this fall. In the circle, Kelsie accounted for 7 wins and 38 innings pitched. She had 60 Ks and only 10 BB holding her competition to a 1.11 ERA.

 #9 Marleigh McDonald, 2027 OF: Marleigh is an athletic, fast and powerful lefty that plays all the outfield positions. Mar batted .462 in the fall with 7 stolen bases and only struck out twice.

 #10 Charlotte Garrison, 2026 Catcher: Charlotte controls the run game like no other. A quick release, strong arm, and a desire throw every runner out, Charlotte changes the momentum of a game within just a flick of her arm.

 #11 Reygan Ackley, 2026 C/IF: Reygan is a middle of the order hitter with elite exit velocity and barrel speed. Reygan had 2 home runs, 10 RBI and scored 6 runs this fall. Reygan gives 100% on 100% of plays.

 #12 Emi Jeras, 2025 Catcher, 3B: Emi has a sub 1.7 pop time and a big bat. This fall Emi had a .455 OBP with two game winning or go-ahead doubles.

 #17 Carmen Boxberger, 2026 MI: Carmen batted .400 with a .550 OBP this fall. She led the team with 10 stolen bases, and was second with 12 runs scored. Carmen is a smooth middle infielder with both quick hands and feet. Carmen had a perfect fielding percentage this fall.

 #19 Sydnee Wagner, 2026 MI: Wags had a .500 OBP this fall in 18 games. She had 3 triples and a home run. Wags is able to make throws from all the arm slots and is able to make the throw in the 5/6 hole due to her arm strength.

#25 Katie Courter, Catcher/MI: Katie is a true leader on the field and in the dugout. She’s a high energy player that commands the infield and manages our pitching staff from behind the plate.  Katie is a plus speed athlete from the right side. She led the team last summer with 30 runs scored.

 #34 Mikayla Deville, 2025 OF: Mik has been top 3 on our team in batting average and on base percentage each of the last 3 years. This fall Mik led our team in batting average (.514), on base percentage (.600) and played a flawless defense. Mik is an elite outfielder with a plus arm and an uncanny ability to read the peeling line drive.

 #38 Makenna Moore, 2025 RHP, OF: Kenna joined our team at the end of last summer and moved to us full time in the fall. Kenna threw 30.2 innings with 52 strikeouts and 19 walks. She had a 1.83 ERA and led the team with a .135 batting average against.

 #99 Avery Davis, 2025 3B: Avery is a new addition this fall. Avery is a strong player that will hit in the middle of the lineup for us. This fall Avery hit .355 with a .400 OBP, 4 doubles and 8 RBI. Avery has a plus arm and is an aggressive defender at 3B.     

What are your short-term goals for your team?

“Since we took over the core group of this team at 11u, the philosophy has always been the same…seek out the best competition we can to challenge our players, and give them the biggest opportunity for growth. As we’ve gotten older, it is now more important to make sure that we are giving every girl on our roster the opportunity to play softball after high school. This particular group is our main 16 National team in our organization. They have lofty goals for college. We play tournaments nationwide. We play the best competition that we can find because that is where college coaches typically are. Colleges know that our girls are battle tested. Once the recruiting window opens, if we are playing a tournament in KC it is because it is a nationally recognized tournament that happens to be in our back yard. This summer we will be playing the USA Memorial Day Invite again, PGF Show Me The Money (Newberry Florida), Top Gun Invitational (Shawnee, KS), The Patriot Games (Windsor, CO), Sparkler Power Pool (Aurora, CO), Atlanta Legacy (Atlanta, GA) and the PGF Premier National Championship (Huntington Beach, CA).”

What are your long-term goals for your team?

“To prepare these girls to compete and create a positive environment on their college softball team.”