Top Gun Invitational News & Notes: Saturday Bracket Play Sets Up Championship Sunday (June 18, 2022)

Saturday at the Top Gun Invitational in the Kansas City metro area saw the conclusion of Pool Play and the start of the single elimination games beginning mid-day Saturday to run through the championships Saturday afternoon.

Here are some of the highlights…

— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball

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* If you’re a tournament director, a good/bad problem to have is seeming close games but, even more so, a lot of ties. If you look at the Pool Play Winners list below, you’ll notice that 13 of the top finishers had at least one tie.

That’s just the winners of the pools… many other teams had as many as three ties.

So why is this good? Because it shows the caliber of teams and competition is pretty equal. And why is it bad? Because it created a headache for the event leads to seed teams.

Said Robb Behymer, Top Gun founder and director: “We had to spend two hours looking at all the ties to seed teams heading into bracket play because Tourney Machine and other ways you normally seed teams didn’t work in this case.”

* One of the top games of the day took place in bracket play last night and featured two excellent 16U teams: Virginia Unity – Johnson/Ross versus Nebraska Gold Boyer.

Unity ended up winning 3-0 as two pitchers combined on a no-hitter as Jaydn Heavener, the #1 ranked placer in the 2024 Extra Elite 100, tossed four innings with no hits and had six strikeouts and two walks as she threw a great riseball and was bringing the heat in the mid 60’s.

Jayden would have to leave for the last inning as muscle spasms in her back forced her to exit for precautionary reasons so Lilly Parrish came in to get a 1-2-3 fifth inning to close out the game (time limit).

It took a great play by right fielder Destiny Harris, though, to keep the no-hitter intact as a Nebraska Gold hitter lined a shot to the outfield, but the 2024 standout fielded it cleanly and threw out the runner at first.

Destiny was also the offensive star for Unity as she went 2-for-2 with an RBI and run scored.

* Playing at the same time was AZ Hotshots – Isaacson, which shut out MN Force – Standering 3-0 but what was notable about the game was the volume.

AZ Hotshots definitely get the Loudest Fans award!

* Because of injuries especially, the Beverly Bandits – Holloway didn’t look good at first, winning just once in its first five games and finishing with a 2-2-2 record in their 18U pool.

Not able to make the trip was speedy outfielder Chelsea Mack, who is headed to Kentucky and set the Ohio high school steals record with an amazing 81 thefts this year, has to sit out a couple weeks after having a hernia surgery. The Bandits only had 10 players and one is dinged up so it didn’t look good.

Until it did.

In the last three games, the team has played well led by two pitchers, Paytn Monticelli, the 2022 grad headed to Wisconsin, and Madilyn Reeves, a senior who is headed to Miami (OH).

Paytn, a two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year in Wisconsin (she lives about an hour and 45 minutes from the Badger campus), was really hit hard by the heat on Friday and has been coming back from near heat exhaustion to look really impressive the last couple games throwing in the high 60’s.

Madilyn, who goes by “Madi,” has also been very impressive in her last several games and in a tight 1-0 win last night over Nebraska Gold – Neumayer, went all seven innings with five hits allowed and 12 K’s.

Three of the strikeouts came in the last two innings when, in the 6^th and 7^th innings, Nebraska Gold – Neumayer (which had been undefeated in pool play), got runners on second and first with only one out.

Reeves, however, struck out two in the 6^th to eliminate the threat and then got another big strikeout and ended the game with a pop out to the mound.

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Another player and team that looked strong in the 18U Maverick division was Ana Roman, who helped lead her Mojo – Danley team to a 5-1 record in pool play and smashed a no-doubt home run to left field.

Ana is the only 2025 on her 18U team but looks like a graduated senior with her 5-tool skills. Here’s a feature did on her last Fall (click HERE) and we did an interview with her after the 5-1 win over Epic yesterday afternoon:

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Another performance worth mentioning on Saturday: Jeri Tate of the Beverly Bandits 16U – Blevins team, was key pitching and hitting in a 2-1 win over So Cal A’s – Marinakis/Jaquish.

Jeri hit a double with the bases loaded and two outs to score the two runs for her team and pitched four innings with five K’s while only giving up one hit.

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One of the great things about a summer event like Top Gun is discovering talent that wasn’t necessarily on the radar previously.

For example, two 2024 shortstop that are having major Power 5 interest, especially after this weekend, are Kaylie Avvisato with Virginia Glory 18U – Willemssen, and Kadey McKay with Epic National 18U – Smith.

One Power 5 college coach told us that both are at the top on his team’s list for shortstops in that class.

Kaylie is 5-foot-8 and was batting .700 entering pool play. She has a 4.2 GPA and when I asked Coach Suzy Willemssen what Kaylie was doing well, she replied: “She’s Kaylie being Kaylie… mic drop! (laughed). She does everything well, she’s has power tools and is a Power 5 kid.”

Kadey is from Caddo, Oklahoma, and per Coach Scotty Smith: “She is a Power five kid that will play at a big time program.” She already has caught the interest of SEC and Big 12 programs including the schools instate.

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POOL PLAY WINNERS

18U – Maverick

• Pool A: Northwest Bullets – Campos (5-1)
• Pool B: Nebraska Gold – Neumayer (5-0-1)
• Pool C: KC Peppers – Wallace (4-2); Arizona Storm – Telesco (4-2)
• Pool D: Sparks Softball (5-0-1)
• Pool E: Tennessee Mojo – Danley (5-1)
• Pool F: Top Gun National – TB (4-0-2)

18U – Viper

• Pool A: Arizona Storm – Platinum (4-0-1)
• Pool B: Missouri Bombers (4-1); Black Widows (4-1)
• Pool C: Missouri Chiefs (3-1-1); KC Peppers – Lazor (3-1-1)
• Pool D: Ruthless Gold – Martinez (4-1); Mac N Seitz Storm (4-1)                                                     

16U – Maverick

• Pool A: Tulsa Elite 2024 (5-0-1)
• Pool B: Texas Dirt Divas (6-0)
• Pool C: Beverly Bandits – Dorsey (5-1); LK Black Hawaii (5-1)
• Pool D: Minnesota Force – Standering (6-0)
• Pool E: Tampa Mustangs – Rene (4-0-2)
• Pool F: Texas Sudden Impact – Jones (5-0-1)

16U – Viper

• Pool A: Originals – Broughton (3-0-2)
• Pool B: South Dakota Renegades 15U (4-0-1)
• Pool C: Top Gun 05 STL (5-0)
• Pool D: Midland Magic – White (5-0); Oklahoma Pure Fastpitch – Melson (5-0)
• Pool E: Colorado Stars (5-0)

14U – Maverick

• Pool A: Athletics – Mercado/Tidd (6-0)
• Pool B: Texas Riptide (6-0)
• Pool C: Northern Ice (4-1-1); Illinois Force (4-1-1)
• Pool D: BATS Academy (6-0-0)
• Pool E: American Freedome 2k25 (6-0)

12U – Maverick

• Pool A: Sparks Premier Black (4-1); Midwest Firecracker (4-1); Select Fastpitch – Dragon (4-1); Iowa Gold (4-1)
• Pool B: Nebraska Gold 09 (5-0)

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SUNDAY SCHEDULE

18U – Maverick

18U – Viper

16U – Maverick

16U – Viper

14U – Maverick

12U – Maverick