Perfect Game March Madness Tournament
Burlington, IA
March 3-5
Another great weekend in Burlington on the Fun CIty Turf. Both divisions displayed top talent from around the Midwest and it was an exciting one. Iowa Elite Force walked away with the 14U Championship taking down a tough WDM Panthers squad. The 18u was equally exciting, boasting many signed players at all college levels, which made for some tough competition from start to finish. In the 18u Division, the Iowa Bandits shut out a solid Iowa Gold Prospects team.
18u
The Overall tournament MVP was awarded to Caedence Risius (2024, Des Moines, IA), a threat on the mound and at the plate. Risius lead the tournament in hitting and was second in the pitching category. She is a 5’10” right-handed pitcher who is confident in her five-pitch arsenal which includes a fastball, rise, change up, curve and screw. She mixes these well, keeping batters off balance, resulting in 36 strike outs in 18 innings pitched. Going along with her strong pitching performance, Risius is also an extremely confident hitter who hit .500 this weekend, including three home runs, two doubles and six RBIs. Risius has a strong plate appearance and utilizes her size very well and displays this with her power.
The MVPitcher this weekend was Zadie Wadle (2023, Indianola, IA), of the tournament winner Iowa Bandits and put-up big numbers this weekend. Wadle dominated in the championship game throwing a perfect game in which she had 14 strikeouts. Wadle shows great command in all her pitches and did a fantastic job of mixing in her change up to go along with her very deceiving rise ball that comes right out of the zone resulting in several swings and misses. Wadle boasted 30 total strikeouts in 15 innings pitched and did not allow a single walk nor did she allow a single run scored.
Hard throwing Tatum Goerdt (2025 Cedar Rapids, IA) of Iowa Elite Red also found success on the mound this weekend. Goerdt, working in the 61-63mph range also has change up coming in at 37mph for a 21mph+ difference! This paired with her late breaking curve and a highly effective rise ball, made Goerdt successful in striking out 18 through 9 innings pitched.
Left handed slap hitter and outfielder Kelsey Kaut (2026 North Liberty, IA) with Southeast Iowa Allstars Jones had herself a weekend at the plate with a tournament high of eight hits. Her plus speed paired with her ability to get on base helped her team with RBIs as Kaut scored 5 times. Kaut is also a plus outfielder who gets a great jump on the ball and uses her speed to her advantage. Her team mate Hailey Rosonke (2024 Eldora, IA) also had a great weekend at the plate. Rosonke finished her weekend batting .500 including two doubles and a homerun. Rosonke has a slightly open stance with quick hands that help her power through the ball which resulted in four RBIs.
14U
The Overall tournament MVP was awarded to Lauren Schmaltz who had a tournament high of 8 hits including one homerun, one double and finished the weekend hitting .800 with an .818 on base percentage. Schmaltz is a left-handed hitting outfielder who hits for contact and did so in key situations driving in four RBIs. As Schmaltz matures, look to see more great things from her.
The MVPitcher award went to Sophia Schlader (2028, Urbandale, IA) playing for tournament champion Iowa Elite Force 09, has overpowering speed for age. Schlader consistently clocked in between 59-61mph and topped out at 63mph. Schlader struck out 20 batters in 12 innings pitched. Her raw talent has an extreme upside that will only continue to improve as she continues to add pitches to her arsenal. Schlader was also successful at the plate this weekend, hitting .571 with 4 hits and drawing 3 walks.
Camille Pacha makes things happen on both sides of the plate. Pacha, a 5’9” right-handed pitcher had 27 strikeouts through 15 innings pitched. As she develops her pitches and location more, there is an extreme upside to this player. At the plate, Pacha has a noticeably confident approach and uses her lower body well which resulted in three doubles and a homerun.
Addison Ellis was another stand out pitcher this weekend for her Se Iowa All Stars team. Ellis had 19 strike outs in 8 innings pitched and only allowing two earned runs. Ellis is a left-handed pitcher with a fast ball in the 57-59mph range, a changeup in the mid-40s, and a convincing rise ball, which helps her succeed on the mound. Ellis will only get better as she builds muscle and matures.
Evelyn Twohig (2027 Lake Forest, IL) highlighted her weekend by hitting two home runs in a single game. Twohig has a very relaxed stance at the plate and demonstrates great bat speed and power. She finished her weekend with five RBIs, two stolen bases and hitting .500 which also included a triple.