Softball  | Softball Tournament | 10/19/2023

2023 Perfect Game October KC Fall Elite Showcase

Perfect Game October KC Fall Showcase
Kansas City, Kansas

KANSAS CITY, KS – The Perfect Game Softball KC Fall Showcase, October 13 – 16, 2023. Seventy-eight teams across three age divisions competed in four, 90-minute pool games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, to punch their tickets to Super Regionals. In addition, players had the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of many college coaches. Some of the weekend’s top performances are recapped below.


18U Division

Emily Koranda
(2025, Linn-Mar HS) rightfully earns the title of most-valuable pitcher among the 31 teams in the 18u division for her elite performance in the circle. Koranda is no stranger to the Perfect Game team for her consistently impressive skills as a RHP. Hurling 56-58 mph with quick breaking rise for Nebraska Gold 319 – Berning, Koranda worked through 25 innings, collecting a whopping 37 K’s – earning a .76 WHIP.

Mariah Myers (2025, Fort Dodge, IA) of Iowa Premier 18u National is an Iowa Commit, named MVP for offensive performance this weekend. Myers went 15 for 21, including six incredible homeruns, leading her team in runs. Myers crossed the plate 15 times while pushing 16 teammates home.

Teammate, Brinkley Moreton (2025, Summers, AR) of Iowa Premier 18u National, was right on her tail as far as statistics go. Moreton generates a quick cut that produces elite power through contact as shown in her four homeruns this weekend. Batting .700 with 14 hits, Moreton helped the cause, smacking in 17 runs and making it home herself 13 times.

Kennedy Borud (2025, Altoona, IA) is a powerhouse hitter for Iowa Slammers – 18U Van Houton. Borud has an impressive at bat with a solid lower half. Going 11 for 15 with a .733 batting average, Borud sent five over the fence, collecting herself seven runs and 10 RBIs. Borud presents a true bat path with a beautiful lift to finish, finding the green in nearly each of her at bats.

Kasey Kane (2025, Pleasant Valley, IA) of Southeast Iowa Allstars 18U Gold Blue – Miller has a smooth cut and a consistent feel for barrel. This catcher/3B earned herself a .522 average with even stats across the board. Kane finds all areas of the field with seven singles, two doubles, one triple, and two home runs, sending her team to the championship game with 16 assisted runs.

Teammate, Sydney Skarich (2024, North Scott, IA) for Southeast Iowa Allstars 18U Gold Blue – Miller is another strong at bat in the line up as lefty slapper. A combination of her elite speed on the base path and her elevated skill set in slapping, she pressures the defense. Skarich finds herself in the top ten performers this weekend with 10 runs, 16 hits, four doubles, one homer, and five stolen bases.

Kelsey Kaut (2026, North Liberty, IA) is a lefty for Southeast IA Allstars 18u White with an elite ability to put ball down and get down the line. Kaut collected eight hits in 12 at bats with an OBP of .714. Her fantastic feel for the barrel and above average speed on the bases make her a standout player.



16U Division

Tessa Gripp (2026 Indianola, IA) of the Iowa Nationals 16U was named MV-Player of the weekend, Gripp played a major role in the overall success of her team in this tournament. The nationals went undefeated with 8 wins on the weekend. The 2026 grad earned ten runs, and eleven total hits of that total; she hit two doubles, two triples, two home runs, seven RBI, and had six stolen bases. Gripp goes into the box looking to barrel up strikes, she is patient and loves to take an inside pitch back up the middle or to the left side, Tessa’s hands stay inside the ball well, making it possible for her to consistently succeed on the inside pitch. Look for Gripp to continue to improve her game as she nears graduation, she is a player to keep on the radar!

Kori Lincicum (2026 Ankey, IA) of the Iowa Nationals 16U was named MV-Pitcher of the weekend, with an impressive total of fifty-five outs, in her eighteen innings pitched right-handed Kori had thirty-four strikeouts. Lincicum is a confident pitcher with beautiful pitching mechanics, her whip is 0.55 and her explosion off the mound is strong and can only get better as she continues to train her legs. Her fastball was measured at 61 mph, and her curve and her change-up are both reliable strike-out pitches, her curve was measured at 62, and her change at 54 mph. Her talent does not end on the mound, at the plate, Kori is consistently making hard contact, barrelling up strikes and pitches on the river, she had nine total hits, earning nine runs, hit four doubles, one triple, eight RBI, and five stolen bases.  

Gracie Birk (2025 Burlington, KS) of the Top Gun 07 KS, is a competitor she brings a certain intensity to the mound that can be felt by those around her. This is an impressive attitude to have at such a young age and is a natural gift that not everyone has. In the circle Birk pitched seventeen innings, and gained fifty-one outs, and nineteen strike-outs although she allowed twenty hits, as she grows in her craft the increased accuracy will develop as well. Gracie’s fastball was measured at 63 mph, drop at 62 mph, curve at 51 mph, and change at 46 mph. Birk has great control over the inside part of the plate on right-handed batters and works out with two strikes.

Jordyn Kennedy (2026 Ankeny, IA) of the Iowa Nationals 16U, had an outstanding performance this weekend in Kansas City, Kennedy stands at 5’8, throws and bats on the right-hand side. Jordyn is overall athletic, she has a hard first step on ground balls hit her way and does an excellent job covering her position on bunts and cuts from the outfield. She is vocal and a leader for the Nationals. At the plate Kennedy is consistent and powerful, she's got a strong build and a wide, slightly open stance in the box. Kennedy stays through the zone and her extension is beautiful! Jordyn had eight earned runs and ten hits, two of them being doubles, along with two home runs, seven RBI, and four stolen bases.

Maddison Zlomke (2027 West Des Monies, IA) of the Panthers is a left-handed pitcher and outfielder. Madison competed well in the circle and the batter box this weekend in Kansas City. Zlomke gained a total of eighty-three outs on the mound, in her twenty-seven innings pitched, twenty-three called strikeouts. Throughout her twenty-seven innings, she allowed twenty-nine hits, her fastball was clocked in at 56 mph and her change at 46mph, with a WHIP of 1.45. In the batter's box, Maddison performed well, the true lefty had seven earned runs, on nine hits, five of those being doubles, two triples, and nine RBI. Zlomke has a smooth swing, she keeps it simple with a slightly open stance in the box, she takes her bat straight to the ball and extends well through the zone.

Maggie Orth (2026 Shawnee, KS) of the Select Fastpitch 16UWB, stands at 5’8 and is a right-handed catcher. Orth's athletic nature is obvious as she is at or behind the plate. She communicates with her team before the pitch and does a great job of directing the ball’s hit to the outfield. Maggie does the little things well, framing, blocking, and receiving the pitch. She had an outstanding tag at the plate this weekend, Maggie set up in front of home perfectly and made a textbook tag play that ended an inning for the select. At the plate Orth earned nine runs, and nine hits, she hit two doubles, one triple, two home runs, eight RBI, and two stolen bases.

Allie Green (2027 Blue Springs, MO) of the Top Gun 16U KS, is an outfielder who does a fantastic job of reading the ball off the bat, she takes a hard first step and beats the ball to the spot more times than she does getting burned by a hit. Green is a strong part of Top Guns offense she is strong in her legs with a simple and effective swing, her bat travels straight to the ball and makes solid barrel connection. In the box, Green earned eight runs, nine hits, three home runs, and eleven RBIs.

Ella Labounty (2027 Warner, OK) of the Legends Fastpitch 16U National, is a right-handed pitcher and first baseman. Labounty has been thriving in the box. Ella is a competitive batter, she can barrel up the inside and outside corners, according to her Diamond Kast statistics she is going opposite field 24% of the time and pulling inside pitches 36% of the time. Ella had a batting average of 0.579 on the weekend.

Lanie Meyer (2025 Iowa City, IA) of the Southeast Iowa Allstars 16U Black, is an outstanding catcher, she proved to be an essential player on her team, taking care of the routine plays with confidence. She is dependable which is a key trait for a pitcher and a catcher to develop trust with one another. Meyer has a quiet glove, working each pitch to assist her teammate in getting called strikes. She leads her team by example, hustling on and off the field. In the box Meyer is a tough out, she is competitive and can cover both sides of the plate, totaling eight earned runs, seven hits, four doubles, one triple, eleven RBI, and two stolen bases, her average being 0.474.

14U Division

Switch hitter Layla Burnett (2027, Ankeny, IA) with Alliance Select Gold showed a great ability in throwing her bat on both sides of the plate. Depending on the defense and where her team is setup on the bases, she can manipulate a change and get the ball into play to get runs up on the board. In the field she was always moving on the start of the pitch to stay ahead of the hit.  

Jaya Theilen (2028, Ames, IA) with Iowa Gold Fastpitch 14U is quick on her feet and pushes hard for the ball and extra bases. She had a standout diving catch in centerfield. As a lefty slapper she excelled in placement of her hits. With 17 at bats, she only had 4 strikeouts, 3 of her games played she had 0 strikeouts.

Right-handed pitcher Lindsey Kuzmic (2028, Kansas City, KS) with Select Fastpitch Waters was averaging mid 50s and touching 57 mph for the weekend. Out of 6 innings pitched she only had 1 walk. Batting at the plate eleven times total for the weekend she only had one strikeout.

Madynn Dunham (2028, Crete, NE) pitching for Select Fastpitch 14U Reliford consistently hitting 59 mph while keeping control. She hit north and south corners to as an advantage to adding some swinging strikes. Out of 14 innings pitched she only had 5 walks total for the weekend. Her batting average was at .579 for weekend pulling in 9 runs as a result of 9 hits she put up.

Mackenna Thomas (2027, Troy, KS) with Diamond Club Premier – Craig stood out behind the plate time after time with her saves that kept her team in the lead. She was out in front to ensure she could frame for strikes. She often excelled in using her legs to get in front of the ball to create a true wall or to jump up without hesitation on any wild pitches. 

 

Daylyn Osborne (2027, Bentonville, AR) with Vision Gold 09 earned the well-deserved title of MV-Pitcher for the weekend. She was a key player in her team staying undefeated the entirety of the weekend. She had a variety of speeds and spins that made her hard track down any niche pitches to grab. Her unpredictability with added extreme accuracy added for innings after innings of 3 up, 3 down inning and nearly no contact for multiple innings in a row in more than one game. With 25 innings pitched she only had 11 hits off of her, 3 walks and 56 strikeouts. See a great future for this player at the next level.

Autumn Leinen (2027, Ankeny, IA) with Iowa Gold Fastpitch 14U with a .778 average for the weekend. Batting left side at the top of the lineup she was reliable to get things going. She throws the bate at the ball slicing the middle of ball. She ended the weekend with 0 strikeouts. In centerfield, she was just as reliable. Her quick jump put her right under the ball early with a good follow through.

Bradlyn Virchow (2028, Ankeny, IA) with Alliance Select Gold ended the weekend with no strikeouts and with 13 at bats she pulled in 8 runs. The 5-footer throws her body though her swing and follows through, carrying the ball further than the defense sits. With her quick feet she could often push for extra bases, with 5 out of 13 of her hits were doubles.





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Jordan Gates
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Tyler Russo
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With another week in the books across the country in the high school baseball season, we have another update to the National Top 50. The southern states are rolling through the playoffs as the weeks unfold along with northern states starting to get to the back half of their schedule as the summer is quickly approaching. The top-10 holds firm in this update as Venice (FL) continues to hold onto the top spot after rattling off W’s since returning home to Florida. Barbe (LA) comes in at No. 2 this week after being ranked at No. 3 a week ago and sport a 37-1 record with 36 straight wins. Orange Lutheran (CA) drops one spot to No. 3 and a pair of Texas schools round out the top-5 as Tomball is at No. 4 and Aledo is at No. 5. 5-9 is the exact same this week as last as IMG Academy (FL) comes in at No. 6, Trinity (KY) is at No. 7, Harvard-Westlake (CA) is at No. 8 and Grapevine (TX) is at...
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