Club Event Preview: 2022 Top Gun Invitational Hits 10-Year Mark… Our Q&A with Owner Robb Behymer

This summer marks a significant milestone for Top Gun Events as its flagship tournament, the Top Gun Invitational, hits its one-decade old anniversary.

I had a chance to attend the event last June and was impressed with the caliber of play on the field, as the Jordy Bahl-led Nebraska Gold won the 18U title while Beverly Bandits – Cray won 16U and Virginia Unity – Johnson took 14U—along with the organization and production of it behind the scenes.

You can read the recap of the championship games held on Father’s Day 2021 by clicking HERE.

I recently caught up with the owner of Top Gun Events, Robb Behymer, to look back on the successful growth of the Invitational as well as to look forward to this year’s milestone tournament filled with great players and teams… below is my interview with Robb.

— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball

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What is the history of the Top Gun Invitational?
This is the 10th year of the Top Gun Invitational (TGI), owned by Top Gun Events (TGE) and this year’s event will be held June 16-19, 2022, in the Kansas City Metro.

The TGI 2022 is a 7-game guarantee (6 pool/ single elimination) and we offer 90-minute games in the “finish the inning” format. Top Gun Events spends months researching teams to pool them in 1-0 pools, meaning we attempt to pool teams where all their games will end with a score of 1-0.

The tournament features two divisions of highly talented teams: the Maverick Division (by invitation) and the Viper Division (by application).

Also, the Top Gun Invitational is held at some of the premier facilities in the Kansas City area: the Mid-America Sports Complex, with newly renovated turf fields, new lighting and new dugouts with new bullpens for each dugout; the Blue Valleys Sports Complex, which is a high-end complex featuring manicured fields, extensive warm-up areas, and motivated field maintenance crew; Legacy Park, another very nice, high-end complex with exceptional layout and hospitality; and Adair Park, which was renovated three years ago and is very scenic with rock wall backdrops and a lazy river running through the middle of the park.

What makes this event a “must go-to” one for the summer season?
This tournament has been built to feature some of the best competition and talent in the United States and now Canada. In 2020, Top Gun Events made the decision to fly the PGF banner and this relationship has been a windfall for talented athletes in the Midwest and across the nation.

With the support of nationally talented local clubs like Kansas Select Fastpitch, Missouri Top Gun Fastpitch, Colorado Stars, Oklahoma Epic, Oklahoma Force and the PGF Premier Champions–the Beverly Bandits from Illinois and the Nebraska Gold—this tournament has now become a must-play on the recruiting circuit of nationally recognized and talented club teams, like the Lady Dukes from North Carolina, the Tampa Mustangs from Florida, the Tennessee Mojo, the Birmingham Thunderbolts from Alabama, the Northwest Bullets from Oregon, the Firecrackers from California, Michigan Finesse, Rhode Island Thunder, Indiana Magic Gold, the Marucci Patriots from Louisiana, the Newtown Rock from Pennsylvania and many others including the PGF Premier Champion Hotshots from Texas and Virginia Unity.

Who are some of the top teams to watch this year?
We released our TGI Selection show for this Summer on December 30, 2021. The TGI Selection show has become a staple of kicking off each Top Gun Invite for the past four years and, for this year, the show featured Alexa DiSpirito, Kayleigh Behymer, you (Brentt Eads) and me (Robb Behymer)!

We use this show to announce the attendees of the Top Gun Invite for the Maverick and Viper Division and also to highlight athletes and teams that will be in attendance. We always release it on Facebook live and can be found on YouTube.

Here is the video of the 2022 Top Gun Invitational Selection Show:

This year’s field features the following attendees at the Top Gun Invitational from Extra Innings Softball including Extra Elite 100 rankings from the 2022 through 2027 grad years and covers 42 different clubs:

• 43 of the Top 100 coaches from the Extra Elite 100 Club Coach Rankings
• 20 of the Top 5 athletes from the Extra Elite 100 Player Ranking
• 118 of the Top 10 athletes from the Extra Elite 100 Player Ranking
• 406 of the Top 100 athletes from the Extra Elite 100 Player Ranking
• 32 of the Top 80 teams from the Extra Elite Eighty Club Rankings

Along with the talent on the field, what else makes this event one that’s become so popular over the last decade?
College programs from all levels have penciled in the Top Gun Invitational as a tournament to watch and evaluate high-level talent. TGI features a camp the day before the tournament starts which is run by Kristi Bredbenner, Head Coach of the Wichita State Shockers.

Last year the camp featured 200 athletes and had a 10:1 ration of college coaches to athletes. The campers receive instruction in areas such as Offense Skills, Tee Work, Base Running, Live Action, Defensive Skills, Glove Work, Cuts/Force/Tags, Run Downs and Position Specific Drills.

This is a non-institutional event and is open to all participants in the 2022-2027 graduation years, with a maximum number athletes. If interested, please visit the website.

Top Gun Events has also expanded to better facilitate this exceptional tournament. We have hired Kayleigh (“KB”) Behymer as our Director of Operations for all Top Gun Events. She brings with her a wealth of knowledge of the softball community after having played travel ball with Team Power Gold and then enjoying an exceptional college career pitching for Avila University. KB has earned her Master’s Degree in Athletic Administration from Baker University where she currently serves as their Assistant Coach working with the pitchers. You can contact her at [email protected].

In addition, we hired Makenzie (“Mak”) Musgrove as our Coordinator of Events. Mak oversees the registrations, communications, and web functions for Top Gun Events and she, too, also has a wealth of knowledge of the softball community having played travel ball for the Originals and LS Force before moving on to have a great college career at Baker University as their shortstop and #2 hitter. Mak earned her Master’s Degree in Athletic Administration from Baker University and you can contact her at: [email protected].

Additionally, Top Gun Events is always creating new events to better serve the travel ball community. For example, we currently are preparing for the Top Gun Texas Lone Star Invite in Texas and the Top Gun Grand Canyon Classic in Arizona. We are also currently developing a new major tournament announcement for the 2023 season, so look for more information going forward.

These tournaments will be Invite/Application-only and feature our exceptional customer service. If you have not experienced a Top Gun Event, please take time to visit our website www.topgunevents.com for more information.

Who are some of the top players who have played in the Top Gun over the last decade that you remember?
There have been so many, but here’s a list of some of them who quickly come to mind:

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  Paige Parker (the two-time Oklahoma Sooner NCAA Champ and 1st Team All-American who went on to play for the USSSA Pride)

• Sydney Sherrill (the Florida State National Champion and four-time All-American)
• Lynnsie Elam (the OU National champ and 2021 All Big 12 Tourn Select)
• Braxton Burnside (an Arkansas 1st Team All-American and two-time All-SEC honoree)
• Regan Nash (the Mizzou three-time All-SEC selection)
• Grace Lyons (the Oklahoma National Champ and All-American, also a two-time All-Big 12 pick)
• Justice Mills (the Georgia standout who was also All-SEC)
• Olivia Simmons (the Nebraska All-Big Ten honoree)
• Jordan Weber (the Missouri standout who made the SEC All-Newcomer Team)
• Allison Benning (the Oregon freshman who was the Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year)
• Jayden Chestnut (the OU NCAA Champ and former Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year).
• Jordy Bahl (the Oklahoma freshman phenom who was the National Gatorade Player of the Year and #1 player in the 2021 Extra Elite 100)

What are some fun things to do in the area when players are enjoying down time?
There are many great things to do in the area for the summer including visiting the Worlds of Fun Amusement Park, check out a Kansas City Royals game, visit the Legends shopping area and, of course, barbecue, barbecue and barbecue (laughs)!