Top Gun Events Brings Midwest College Classic Softball Tournament to the Kansas City Metro

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Top Gun Events Brings Midwest College Classic Softball Tournament to the Kansas City Metro

Shawnee, Kansas – [March 6, 2024] – Top Gun Events, a renowned name in elite softball events, today
announced that it is hosting the Midwest College Classic Softball Tournament from February 28
to March 2, 2025, at the Mid America Sports Complex in Shawnee, Kansas. The event will be a
showcase of talent and competition for collegiate athletes from around the region and beyond.
The Midwest College Classic is poised to be a standout event in the collegiate softball scene,
featuring teams from NCAA Division 2, NAIA, and Junior College levels. With a guaranteed
five-game schedule, teams will have the opportunity to compete in a series of matchups, with
two games scheduled for Friday, two for Saturday, and one final game on Sunday.
“We are delighted to host the Midwest College Classic, an event that embodies the spirit of
competition and camaraderie in the softball community,” said Jeremy McDowell, owner at Top
Gun Events. “As a company dedicated to supporting elite softball players and female athletes,
we are proud to put on an event that provides a platform for collegiate players to showcase
their skills and passion for a sport they love.”
The tournament is expected to draw more than 40 colleges from 10 or more states across the
Midwest region and beyond, creating a diverse and competitive field of participants.

Inquiries in registering for the event, please contact: paige.crawford@topgunevents.com.
About Top Gun Events
Top Gun Events is based in Kansas City and hosts premier softball tournaments, providing a platform for
athletes to showcase their skills in a competitive and safe environment. They are committed to
promoting sports excellence and development

Bill Conroy Goes Beyond the Field, Empowering Girls for Life

By: Madison Feldhahn

Even with twenty-seven years of experience coaching softball, Bill Conroy realized his impact on softball players’ lives was limited. So, seven years ago, he created Empowering Girls for Life.

“I thought that doing something, such as Empowering Girls for Life, would end up bringing more than just the athletic aspect of being the best version of yourself to life,” Conroy told Top Gun Events. “It teaches these young ladies to try to find ways to overcome obstacles as opposed to making excuses.”

Empowering Girls for Life offers young women the opportunity to meet, learn from, and talk with high profile women who have broken barriers in their respective fields. These speakers include current coaches, former players, and more. Conroy aims to find successful speakers who inspire the participants to strive for goals both on and off the field.

“Softball is great. It’s a way to help supplement a lot of your financial costs in college. But there’s forty years after the four years that you really have to look at. Ultimately, you want to end up getting your degree and have a career that you’re happy with and can do great things with,” Conroy said.

When asked about how speakers are selected, Conroy stated that he wants someone who is successful in their given field. Previous speakers have included softball coaches like Carol Hutchins, Kate Drohan, and Patty Gasso, as well as athletes like Alycia Baumgardner, Katherine Switzer, and Sydney Supple. The participants have also heard from women who were successful in other careers, such as rocket scientist Olympia LePoint, former Miss America Nina Davuluri, and astrobiologist Alyssa Carson.

In measuring the success of Empowering Girls for Life, Conroy said, “I have noticed I have a number of athletes that are focused on being engineers and doctors and nurses and are wanting a STEM career. We have a greater percentage of that now. I’m hoping that at least some of what we are trying to convey has made some sense to them.”

Conroy hopes the event is meaningful to the participants and makes a difference in their lives. He wants them to understand that they can overcome anything and not use difficult times as an excuse to quit.

“I don’t know if you could end up ever singling out a single event and saying, ‘This changed this person’s life.’ I see that it may change a person’s mindset and their thinking. It may make them more confident that they can overcome any obstacle as opposed to make it an excuse,” said Conroy. “I think that a lot of the stories are focused on that. There have been some road bumps for all these young ladies and women that speak, but you have to find a way to pull yourself through that and become the best version of yourself.”

The 2024 event will take place on August 10th at The Westin Center in Lombard, Illinois. This year’s participants will hear from Karen Weekly, Nijaree Canady, Ellie Cooper, and Jordy Bahl. Sydney Supple will be returning to the event as an emcee.

For more information about Empowering Girls for Life, please visit empoweringgirlsforlife.com.

Peyton Hardenburger Commits to Tennessee

Peyton Hardenburger Commits to Tennessee

Wamego standout softball player Peyton Hardenburger (2025) is officially a Lady Vol.  The star pitcher announced her commitment to play for Tennessee earlier this month.

Hardenburger has been dominate in the circle for the Red Raiders as well as her club team, Select Fastpitch.  Last year, on her teams run to a state championship, she threw two no-hitters in the state tournament, one in the semi-finals, and then again in the finals.  The right-handed pitcher finished the high school season 11-0 with 182 strikeouts and a 0.18 ERA.

A two-time 1st Team All-State selection and the 4A Kansas Pitcher of the year, said she fell in love with the family atmosphere that Tennessee offered.  Something she knew she wanted from her college experience. 

“Immediately I got to experience the town of Knoxville and fell in love with the place.  I couldn’t ignore how much the coaching staff clicked.  I would tell every college the number one thing I want in a program is family” said Hardenburger.

Not only was it the family atmosphere, but also the coaching staff and amazing facilities Tennessee has the helped sell Peyton.  Tennessee is coached by Karen Weekly.  Her husband Ralph previously worked alongside her as her co-head coach. “Though Ralph doesn’t coach anymore, he and Karen have made a family impression on the program.  You could tell the girls had a connection with each other that I share with my teammates, so I knew I would fit right in” said Hardenburger.  “The cherry on top was sitting in Neyland Stadium and listening to Rocky Top for the first time, instant chills.”

The Lady Volunteers are getting a highly competitive pitcher that is confident in her abilities.  “I’ve always been told I’m a crazy competitor, and my mental game is to thank for that.  It’s always been a natural gift for me to step on any field and know I can dominate anyone” said Hardenburger.  That mental toughness will be tested in a strong SEC conference.  Last year the conference finished with nine teams ranked in the final NFCA Top 25 poll.

Peyton plans to major in Sports Marketing while attending Tennessee.  She loves talking about sports and wants to stay involved with sports once her playing career is over. 

Outside of softball, she enjoys giving lessons to younger girls in her area.  She feels like teaching the game allows her to give back to the sport that she loves.  It also helps her stay more engaged with her body and mind.