Event Preview: Top Gun Elite 20 16u/18u Spring Invite

By: Madison Feldhahn

Thirty-three teams are joining us at the Top Gun Elite 20 16u/18u Spring Invite in Overland Park, KS this weekend. The three-day event will feature teams from Oklahoma, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Colorado and Kansas.

The 16u age group will have four pools and the 18u age group will have two. Pool play starts Friday with games at 6:00 PM and 7:45 PM. Games will resume Saturday at 8:00 AM. The last pool play games will start at 8:15 PM.

Bracket play for the 16u teams will start Sunday at 9:00 AM and the championship game will start at 5:45 PM. The 18u teams will begin bracket play at 10:45 AM. Their championship game kicks off at 5:45 PM.

View Schedule

Gate Fees:

Children (1-12): $5.00

Teens & Adults (13-64): $10.00

Senior (65+): $5.00

Military: $5.00

Take a look at some of the teams joining us below.

16u

KC Phoenix Bock

Coaching Staff: Jen Bock (former JCCC & UMKC player) and Russ Endsor (former player, long time coach, ling time coach, former college coach)

Team Social Media: @KCPhoenix_JB (X)

2024 Summer & Fall Successes: Ended the season 26-17-2 on a season where we tackled our first TG events and invitationals. Were 4-1 in the Team 1 Club Challenge (rained out), USSSA Memorial Day 18A champions, Jayhawk HAS runner-up, tied for 17^th in the WFC in KC with unfortunate injuries

Key Players: Shelby Callahan (2027 MI/OF), Enslie Dreyer (2026 P/1B), Mandia Bock (2027 P/MI/UT), Gracie Cox (2026 C), Mattie Marchetti (2027 OF), Makayla McConnel (2026 3B/UT) & Evey Atkinson (2027 OF/MI)

Expectations for 2024 Spring Season: We have all talented multisport athletes so spring will be a season of versatility as we learn to ‘next girl up’ when someone is missing at a position for track, soccer, lacrosse, basketball and even band competitions. We will really focus on softball IQ overall so that we can handle moving positions and still compete. No doubt that we are growing coachable, athletic players who are learning. Spring is all about reps and growth – competing at higher levels and we’ll shift more focus on ‘winning’ this summer.

Louisville Lady Sluggers

Coaching Staff: Head coach Joel Lovelady and assistant coach Joe Shearer

Team Social Media: @ladysluggersred (X), Louisville_sluggers07_lovelady (Instagram) & Louisville Lady Sluggers Lovelady (Facebook)

2024 Summer & Fall Successes: In the spring of 2023 and fall season, the Lady Sluggers Lovelady played a challenging schedule, traveling throughout the Midwest and continued to push their ladies vs great competition.

Key Players: The young group of Sluggers are made up of several familiar faces with returners like 2025 uncommitted Emma Downing and 2026’s Carsen Lovelady, Ora Prichett, Tori Shearer, and Addie Schneider. Fall added talent with the addition of Brailyn Fox, Hunter Anderson-Jones, and Addison Snyder. The ball will be in the hands of Downing, Snyder, Fox, and Anderson-Jones. The defense will see Lovelady, Shearer, Schneider, and Snyder display their versatility moving around the field.

Expectations for 2024 Spring Season: The Sluggers expect to compete on every pitch, trust the process, and get better every day. The Sluggers will continue to improve as the season continues and Gracie Abercrombie and Kinsey Bebb return following their HS seasons.

Nebraska Gold deMontel

Coaching Staff: Head coach Jimmy deMontel and assistant coach Jake Douglas

Team Social Media: @NEGoldDeMontel (X)

2024 Summer & Fall Successes: 37-14-4, runner up USA Memorial Day 16 Gold division, 5-0 Top Gun Spring Invite Viper division, 6-0 Top Gun Patriot, Top 8 finish in USSSA WFPC KC

Key Players: Amanda Gibilisco (2025), Tarisa Frans (2025), Bridget Whitney (2025), Makenna Watkins (2025), Haley deMontel (2025), Lily Rowe (2025), Miley Rowe (2025), Ashley Duis (2025) & Avery Wolfe (2025)

Expectations for 2024 Spring Season: Expect a strong pitching staff with depth to carry us deep into tournaments this summer

Nebraska National Taylor

Coaching Staff: Brett Taylor & Kirsten Dargy

Team Social Media: @NENational08 (Twitter)

2023 Summer & Fall Successes:

-42-29-3 playing an elite level schedule last season

-1^st Place at Top Gun NE National Tourney

-2^nd Place at Top Gun Thunder/NE Gold Tourney

-2^nd Place at USSSA 16) Swing into Spring

-3^rd Place at Top Gun Swing into Spring Tourney

-4^th Place at USSSA SEC National Championship

-7 Top 4 finishes out of 10 tournaments (not including rain shortened/canceled tournaments)

-14U PGF Nationals at large bid (Platinum Division)

Key Players:

-Maizey Carpenter

-Toria Rother

-Lauren Schneider

-Elli Ridgley

-Alexa Taylor

Expectations for 2024 Spring Season: We are an improved team over last year. We have a great group of girls and parents. Our goal as coaches is to continue to develop our players to help them reach their potential.

Nebraska Quakes Schueth

Coaching Staff: Head coach JJ Schueth and assistant coaches Jamie Anderson, Carolyn Anderson & Kim Leggott

Team Social Media: @QuakesSchueth (X)

2023 Summer & Fall Successes: Great season playing super competitive schedule, won a couple tournaments and finalists

Key Players: Our pitching staff in the circle – Abby Leggott, Anna Taylor, and Sammie Brodersen. These girls are great competitors and when they are on their game, it makes us a better team. At the play, we are looking for our lefty’s to really get us rolling – Kaylee Taylor, Hannah Heuton and Reese Kuiken. When these girls get on base, it really fires up the team!!

Expectations for 2024 Spring Season: Play as a team, have success at the plate and play to the highest level. When these girls are having fun and working together, they are hard to beat. We want these girls to play their absolute best, win or lose. Be able to learn from their successes or struggles and use that as fuel to help them and their team get better.

Nebraska Thunder Johnson

Coaching Staff: Head Coach Bruce Johnson & Assistant Coaches Alana Crollard & Antonio Torrez
Team Social Media: @nethunder22 (X) & @nebraskathundergoldjohnson (IG)

2023 Summer & Fall Successes:

-Top Gun NE Memorial Day Classic Champions in Omaha

-USSSA Big Opener Runner-ups in Minnesota

-USSSA Angels for Autism for Runner-up (HS Division) in Omaha

-USSSA Easter Egg Strikeout Champions (HS Division) in Omaha

-USSSA Season Opener GG 3^rd place overall finish in Overland Park

-USSSA Stand UP to Cancer 3^rd place overall in Kansas City

Key Players:

-Ada Jantzen

-Kendall Johnson

-Kinnley Wehrle

-Peyton Johnson

-Ava Crollard

Expectations for 2024 Spring Season: We expect to compete for championships at all of our tournaments and start to make a name for ourselves nationally.

Select Fastpitch Reese

Coaching Staff: Krista Reese (Head Coach) & Jason Bailey (Asst. Coach)

Team Social Media: @StLouisSoftball (Twitter) & Select Fastpitch-16U STL (Facebook)

2023 Summer & Fall Successes:

-Finished in top 16 of Power Pools in Scenic City Summer

-Finished 3^rd at Savvy Softball Elite Summer Invite

-Finished in top 16 in Alliance Open Nationals

-Finished with a record of 5-2 at Tulsa Elite Summer Invite

Key Players: Sarah Rizello (P) leads the team with 51 strikeouts in 26.2 innings. She has an ERA of 2.1 so far this spring. Elia Cabo and Abby Kriete anchor the outfield.   Cabo has a batting avg of .515 which leads the team while batting leadoff.  Kriete is batting .406 with 11 RBI in the two hole. Kaylee Brock (SS) locks down the left side of the infield. She’s batting .474 this season and her range and exceptional arm strength anchor the infield defense. Baylie Roetemeyer does an exceptional job behind the plate and at 3B.  She’s batting .421 on the season and her defense and strong arm limit the opponent’s run game.

Expectations for 2024 Spring Season: Select Fastpitch, formerly St. Louis Softball Club, looks to build on the success they had in 2023 with a qualifying bid to the Alliance Championships in Indianapolis. We expect to have all of our 2025 graduates signed by the end of the season, and we are excited for what the future holds for our 2026 grabs and expect several commitments in the fall.

Top Gun 2027 National

Coaching Staff: Head Coach Stephanie Kim & Assistant Coaches Matt Griffin & Amanda Schuster

Team Social Media: @topgun_skim (Twitter), @coachstephkim (TikTok) & Top Gun 2027 NTL (Facebook)

2023 Summer & Fall Successes: Last season, as a 13U team, our proudest finish was placing 9^th at the IDT. We were champs of Top Gun Discovery, runner up at the Alliance Super Cup this fall in Clear Water, and finished Top 3 in a 16u Perfect Game Showcase and Savvy Summer Shootout. Our team hit 50+ homeruns in spring/summer of 2023 and ranked #45 in US Club Rankings. Four of our players earned 3^rd place in Missouri State Championships as freshman. Three of our freshmen earned All-State honors and five earned Academic All-State. In March, we kicked off the season with a strong showing in the Top Gun Indoor Invite 16/18 going 5-0. We outscored opponents 41-5 with a team .894 ERA and .390 AVG.

Key Players: We have multiple players already receiving Power 5 interest. Some of our top producers include: Bryli Seifert (2027, MIF/OF) – Hit 19 2B, 2 3B and 10 HR. She is one of our top offensive producers and is Top 3 in most categories on our team. 2027 Bailey Barnett (2027, SS/3B/C) – She led our team this summer in nearly every offensive category. Molly Munson (2027, LHP/1B) – 5’9 strong pitcher with intense presence on the mount. Top 100 in 2027 Extra Innings. Addison Ellis (2028, LHP) – In our last tourney this fall (Clearwater Alliance Super Cup), she pitched 15 IP and 25 K with a .457 ERA and only gave up 3 hits. Zariya Mabion (2027, OF/UTL) – Z is one of the most athletic players in the 2027 class. She is ranked Top 25 in the 2027 Extra Innings. Back from an ACL injury.

Expectations for 2024 Spring Season: It’s about exposure and opportunities for these young women. Our expectation is to play and COMPETE against the best competition in the country, As a second year 14u team, we will be playing up in 16u until June. Once June hits…it’s on. Our summer recruiting schedule includes: Hotshots Summer Exposure in TX, Top Gun Invitational-Maverick in KC, and then we head to Colorado for the Patriot Games, Super Cup, and IDT. We come back to KC to play in the Top Gun Elite Championships to prepare for PGF Nationals to finish out our season.

18u

Nebraska Gold Jarzobski

Coaching Staff: Edward Jarzobski (9^th year coaching competitive softball), Maurice Anderson (10^th year coaching competitive softball, NE Gold coach Team Anderson and Softball President MUS) & Dave Hobza (7^th year coaching competitive softball)

Team Social Media: @negold18u (Twitter)

2023 Summer & Fall Successes:

-6 seniors went on to play in college (1 D1, 1 D2, 1 D3, 3 NAIA)

-All 12 of our current seniors are committed to play in college (2 D1, 4 D2, 6 NAIA)

Key Players:

-Mackenzie Groniga

-Emi Waldow

-Katelyn Jarzobski

-Addy Hobza

-Kriestyn Linn

Expectations for 2024 Spring Season: Goal is to finish top 4 Top Gun Viper and top 10 in Top Gun Championship

Nebraska Gold National Perkins

Coaching Staff: Chad Perkins, McKenna Nixon, Jesse Waller and Bill Heard

2023 Summer & Fall Successes: Top Club Spring Champions, Top 8 finish Colorado, WFC winner

Expectations for 2024 Spring Season: Will play a strong schedule. Hope to be competitive.

Nebraska Thunder Fox

Coaching Staff: William Fox (returning to the head coach position after 3 years as an assistant) & Brent Wonder (10 years of head coaching experience in both baseball and softball)

Team Social Media: NeThunder Fastpitch (Facebook), @nebraskathunder18u2024 (IG), @Nethunderf (Twitter) & 18U Thunder Gold (Fox) (SportsRecruits)

2023 Summer & Fall Successes: Our 4 graduating seniors committed and continued their athletic careers at the collegiate level (Barton College, Chadron State, Northwestern College and Highland CC), Fall resulted in 2 additional commitments (Concordia & Central CC)

Key Players: Ayla Mathney – committed to Calumet College of St. Joseph, a leader in the circle, Joslyn Sargent – junior at Ashland High School, new to our roster, she looks to make a statement at SS and in our lineup, Kaylee Tanuis – senior from Papillion-LaVista Class A State Champions, she is a vital and diverse player on our roster, Macey West – multi-sport athlete expanding her abilities and strengths as a UTL

Expectations for the 2024 Spring Season: With 3 returning players, we are looking for a season of growth and development. Develop a new team culture, drive athletes to become competitors, teammates, and family, achieve player goals on and off field, and continue the tradition of collegiate commitments

Top Gun National Turner

Coaching Staff:  Bob Turner, Joe Sciara, Brent Wilhelm, David Rocha, Allen Curtis

Team Social Media Handles: @TGA_Turner / @TGASciara

2023 Summer & Fall Successes:  18 National finished 3rd in US Club Rankings after taking 3rd at Triple Crown Nationals, 5th in CO Sparkler Power Pool, and 5th at USA Gold Nationals

Key Players:  Sydney Boulaphinh (Stanford), Taylor Troutman (Miss State), Abby Wilhelm (Missouri), Kennedy Diggs (Kansas), Lorin Boutte (Miami of Ohio), Carrie Green (So Miss), Anna McGowan (NC State), Kam Munson (NC State), Gretta Grassel (Miss St), Macie Hunolt (North Florida), Grace Shaw (North Florida), Nat Kenyatta (Michigan State), Jordyn Thurman (Mizzou), Sophia Camacho (Florida Atlantic), Gianni Torres (2026), Sage Rodmyre (2025 Undecided), Hayden Kurtz (Southern Illinois), Sierra Persinger (UNC Wilmington)

Expectations for 2024 Spring Season: Expectations are another tremendously competitive season with an elite schedule, helping this outstanding group of seniors prepare for their freshman seasons in the fall.  Looking forward to pursuing a national championship this summer with a special group of players and families.