Event Preview: A Primer for This Week’s Top Gun Invitational in Kansas City

Over 4,500 elite youth softball players, coaches and guests will visit the Kansas City metro area starting today, June 14, 2023 and running through Sunday, June 18, for the 2023 Top Gun Invitational tournament, presented by Top Gun Events

A total of 288 teams from 31 states plus the 16U and 18U National Teams from New Zealand comprise the tournament pool with teams ranging from 12U to 18U.

Headlining the field are more than 550 Extra Elite 100 athletes as selected by Extra Inning Softball in the graduating classes of 2023-2027.

Here’s the list by ranking:

EXTRA ELITE 100 (Classes 2023-to-2027)

• Ranked #’s 1-5 = 32
• Ranked #’s 1-10 = 66
• Ranked #’s 1-25 = 180
• Ranked #’s 1-50 = 345
• Ranked #’s 1-100 = 553

This year’s edition of the Top Club Invitational will also feature a dozen players who were named as the Softball Player of the Year in their states this year:

2023 STATE SOFTBALL PLAYERS of the YEAR

And watching all the competition will be scouts from over 150 colleges and universities will be in attendance over the five-day tournament.

“The Top Gun Invitational is known across the country as being the event to come to if you want to compete against the highest level of talent in our sport,” said Josh Johnson, coach of Virginia Unity.

“The exposure to college coaches it gives my players is invaluable. It’s an event we look forward to each year.”

Inspired by the impact he personally saw coaches could make on youth sports, Top Gun Events founder and co-owner Robb Behymer launched the tournament 11 years ago and has grown it into one of the most elite youth sporting events in the nation.

“Our company and this tournament were built upon the premise that amateur sports can impact the lives of our youth today,” Behymer said.

“I made a commitment when we started that I would keep the mission simple: be true to the athlete and use our platform to make a positive difference in their journey. This event is now one of the elite fastpitch tournaments in the nation and we are proud to have Kansas City be a destination for the best to compete.”

In addition to the action on 43 various fields at seven Kansas City metro ballparks, Top Gun Events will also award four $1,000 scholarships at this year’s event. The scholarship recipients are graduating seniors who are participating in this year’s tournament and are selected based on outstanding character, academics, and community development. Over the past decade, Top Gun Events has awarded more than $35,000 in scholarships.

“The Top Gun Invitational is the one tournament that I want all my teams to participate in because of the level of talent on the field and the college coaches watching,” said Eric Jones, founder of Select Fastpitch.

“Each year, Kansas City becomes the epicenter of elite softball when these teams come to town. We’re lucky to have this event in our backyard and we look forward to it every year.”

The Top Gun Invitational is the marquee annual event for Top Gun Events, which hosts 21 events in Kansas, Arizona, Illinois, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

Additionally, The Top Gun Invitational’s national and global draw is expected to generate more than $5.3 million in direct economic impact to the region, supporting more than 2,100 jobs in the Greater Kansas City metro area.

Top Gun Invitational Fast Facts

• Dates: June 14-18, 2023
• Teams: 288
• States Represented: 31 (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin)
• International Teams: 1 (New Zealand)

About Top Gun Events

In 2013, the first Top Gun Invitational fastpitch tournament was held in Kansas City with 75 teams from 14 states in four age divisions. The event grew quickly in size and competition to now offer a vast recruiting opportunity for student-athletes with college coaches at every level from across the nation each year. From the concept of one premiere event grew the infrastructure for additional events and services in the region, establishing Top Gun Events.

Top Gun Events was built upon the premise that amateur sports can impact the lives of our youth in a positive way. This company is a testament to the influence that coaches and teammates have on shaping young people today. Our goal is to provide an elite platform for them to showcase their talents to move to the next level, both in competition and the classroom. At TGE, we take pride in the collaboration of our expertise, resources, and relationships that makes each of our events, no matter the size or scope, a positive experience for all that attend.