PEORIA, IL - Perfect Game Softball East Region Super Regional, June 14 - 16, 2024. Thirty-two teams, over three age classes, converged on the beautiful all turf Louisville Slugger Sports Complex, to stake their claim as a East Super Regional Champion. After three days of intense competition, the 14u division Alliance Select Gold, out of Iowa, Portolite Peppers National 16U from Minnesota, and the 18u division St. Louis Heat Gold-Leigraf, out of Missouri, all took home the winners cup and individual player rings that went with the championship banner.
14U Division
Charlie Damstetter (2028 Ankeny, IA) earned the MVP Award for Alliance Select Gold. Hitting from the left-side, setting up in a slightly closed narrow stance, Damstetter sits into her legs and utilizes her stride to get separation and generate movement. Working her hands inside the ball, she showed the ability to hit to all fields. For the weekend, Damstetter picked up 10 hits and collected 11 rbi’s. Working the ball gap to gap, she showed speed and aggressiveness that allowed her to pick up four doubles, swipe three bases and score 10 runs in helping lead Alliance Select Gold to the tournament championship.
Earning the MV-Pitcher Award was Eden Ladehoff (2028 Conrad, IA) as a RHP, this young lady has been impressive, and consistent so far this summer for Iowa Gold Fastpitch 14u. After a great start at the PG Softball OKC Challenge in May, Ladehoff continues to add to her pitching resume. Displaying a smooth motion and delivery, showing hitters a fastball that she moved throughout the zone, a nice change-up, and a rise and curve that hitters would chase out of the zone, Ladehoff worked 25.1 innings and collected 24 strikeouts. Topping out at 60 mph, she gave up four free passes and seven earned runs to finish with a 1.90 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. A great follow as she continues to work on her skillset and matures as a pitcher.
Other notable top performers in the 14u Division included Campbell Brown (2028 Metamora, IL) who was a solid two-way player for Peoria Sluggers 13u Williamson, earning her way on the hitting and pitching Top Performers list. At the plate, hitting from the right-side, setting up in a slightly open stance, Brown worked the ball gap to gap collecting 12 hits, with an impressive seven doubles, 2 triples and a homerun, totalling 14 runs knocked in and hitting at a .600 clip. In the circle, the RHP keeps it simple with a fastball, change-up and drop. Topping out at 58 mph, Brown worked 21 innings, picked up nine strikeouts, walked four and allowed four earned runs to finish with a 1.30 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. This is a young lady with a high ceiling as she gains strength and matures over the next several years.
Peyton Laframboise (2027 Sioux Falls, SD) is a R/R catcher for 14u Catalyst National SD. Setting up in an open stance, Laframboise will rock into the back hip while getting back to parallel with her stride, also gaining separation. With pull side power, Laframboise also showed the ability to work the ball the other way, keeping her hands inside the ball, preventing weak ground balls due to roll overs. In collecting 12 hits, she legged out four doubles, scored five runs and knocked in 11, finishing with a .522 batting average. As this young lady gains strength and grows as a hitter, it would be projected that her power numbers will increase, making her a good follow for next level coaches.
Maddie Schonhorst (2027 Huxley, IA) is a RHH for tournament champion Alliance Select Gold. Setting up in a parallel stance, weight evenly distributed with a slight hinge of the waist, rocking into the back hip for weight transfer, and then using a stride for separation. On the swing, working her hands inside the ball, she utilized the whole field in collecting nine hits, that included three doubles and a homerun, scored 10 times and picked up six rbi’s, finishing with a .500 batting average. Don’t let her small frame fool you, Schonhorst generates good bat speed and pop and has the ability to launch one out of any park she plays in.
Charlotte Kupferle (2028 Saint Louis, MO) is a L/R speedy MIF for Louisville Sluggers 09 Kupferle. Setting up in the box in a narrow, slightly open stance, often adjusting from the back of the box to the front of the box, depending on if she will be moving or standing in and swinginging away. With the swing approach, Kupferle works her hands inside the ball and appears at her best when moving the ball up the middle and opposite field. In the slap, she shows good footwork and barrel awareness, showing the ability to expose what the defense allows, especially via the bunt. On the weekend, Kupferle picked up nine hits, with two doubles and an inside the park homerun. She knocked in eight, scored five runs, swiped six bases and finished hitting at .529 clip. A dual threat at the plate that will be a nice follow as she matures and continues to work on her craft.
Brooke Alley (2028 Des Peres, MO) is a RHP for Louisville Sluggers 09 Kupferle. Displaying a smooth arm swing and finish, Alley worked 17.2 innings and sat down 27 hitters via strikeout, working with a five pitch mix of fastball, change-up, curve. screw and rise. Topping out at 58 mph Alley utilized a late moving curve and her rise for the bulk of her strikeouts. Although she gave up 14 walks, she was able to work through this and only allowed four earned runs on the weekend, finishing with a 1.60 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. As this young lady matures and continues to work on her skillset, becoming more consistent in her motion and delivery, her ability to keep the ball around the zone will increase.
Lyla Hoeppner (2028 Ankeny, IA), playing for tournament champions Alliance Select Gold, is a RHP that goes into the circle with a fastball, change-up, rise, drop and curve. Topping out at 55 mph, with the ability to hit spots and keep hitters off balance with change of speed, Hoeppner worked 13 innings and collected 12 strikeouts. Impressively, Hoeppner picked up wins in her teams semi-final and championship game wins, pitching 5.1 innings and not allowing a run. On the weekend, she gave up seven hits, 10 walks and no earned runs, finishing with a 0.00 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. In order for this young lady to continue to be successful as she progresses through age classifications, she will need to be able to consistently throw all of her pitches for strikes, minimizing free passes.
16U Division
Earning MV-Pitcher was Mariah Anderson (2026 Wells, MN) is a RHP for tournament champions Portolite Peppers National 16U. Keeping things simple, going into the circle with a fastball, change-up and rise, Anderson was given the lion's share of work with 25 innings, for a Peppers team that due to untimely circumstance, only had two pitchers available. Topping out at 59 mph, and having the ability to move all her pitches throughout the zone, Anderson struck out 26 batters. Although she gave up about one hit per inning, and allowed 6 walks, she kept out of big innings and only allowed three earned runs on the weekend to finish with a 0.80 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. This young lady is a gamer, displaying the ability to get outs and keep her team in games, not more evident than in the championship game when she came in and pitched the last 5.2 innings, giving up 6 hits, striking out 6 and not allowing an earned run.
MVP Award winner Emmie Cooper (2027 Haysville, KS), hitting from the right-side for tournament finalist 316 Elite Arion, stands tall in the box with a slightly open stance. Gaining weight transfer by leaning into the back hip, Cooper displays a very quiet lower half pre-swing. Attacking the inside half of the ball, Cooper worked gap to gap in collecting 15 hits, which included five doubles and two triples. She ended the weekend with 12 rbi’s, scored eight runs and stole three bases. Showing an advanced swing that will play at the next level, Cooper did not record a strikeout and finished with a tournament leading .652 batting average. Defensively, primarily playing 2B, Cooper displayed good pre-pitch movement, footwork and glove work when making plays. She has the arm strength and ability to throw from different arm slots necessary to make the plays in the middle infield. This young lady displays the tools necessary to compete at the next level.
Other 16u top performers included Emily Hacker (2026 Madison Lake, MN),an athletic RHH for tournament champion Portolite Peppers National 16U. Hacker sets up in the box in an open stance and utilizes a leg kick to get weight transferred and to initiate her stride, doing a good job of getting back to parallel prior to the launch phase of the swing. Showing an aggressive attack angle, Hacker showed the ability to clear the hips and displayed pull-side pop off the barrel. Of her 12 hits, Hacker picked up six doubles and one homerun, to help her collect eleven rbi’s. She scored eight runs, swiped two bases and finished the tournament hitting at a .632 clip. A quality athlete that showed next level tools at the plate and in the field.
Lydia Banse (2026 Mankato, MN), hitting from the left-side, is another quality bat for tournament champion Portolite Peppers National 16U. Utilizing a parallel stance, hinged at the waist, Banse sits into her legs pre-pitch to get weight transferred to the back side, then uses a stride to gain separation and for timing. Banse displayed a quick barrel which allowed her more time to see the pitch prior to making a swing decision. For the tournament, Banse picked up 10 hits that included five doubles and knocked in nine. She scored 6 runs, drew a couple of walks and did not record a strikeout, finishing the weekend with a .625 batting average and a .684 OBP. Another quality young lady that will get the opportunity to compete at the next level.
Livia Miller (2027 Clearwater, KS) is a R/R catcher for tournament finalist 316 Elite Arion. Setting up in the box in an open stance, leaning into the back leg to transfer weight, Miller is a free swinger, taking an aggressive approach at the plate, but is able to work the ball to all fields showing both pull-side and opposite field pop. For the tournament, Miller collected twelve hits which included two doubles and two triples, helping her total nine rbi’s while scoring 4 times. Although displaying an aggressive approach at the plate, Miller hit at a .632 clip for the weekend. With some next level tools, this young lady will be an interesting follow over the next couple of years.
Kennedy Damron (2027 Troy, MO) is a R/R MIF for Midwest Intensity Damron. Defensively, she displayed good pre-pitch movement, the ability to make the routine plays in the middle, and found herself in the correct position to make plays. At the plate, Damron set up with feet basically parallel, and very little movement. She utilized a stride to get weight transferred, for timing, and to get some separation. Utilizing a solid lower half and aggressive attack angle, and although only picking up six hits, they included three doubles and 2 triples, knocking in 10 and scoring six runs. As this young lady matures and works on her skill set, she will benefit from developing patience at the plate, looking for her pitch early in the count.
Mara Pederson (2027 Wichita, KS) is a RHP for tournament finalist 316 Elite Arion. Showing a smooth and repeatable motion and delivery, with good use of her lower half in the drive phase, Pederson went to work with a six pitch mix of fastball, change-up, curve, drop, rise and screw. Topping out at 57 mph, Pederson was successful as she was able to work both sides of the plate with her pitches, change speeds, and move the ball with quality spin, to keep hitters off balance. In the circle, often drawing the assignment to pitch against some stiff competition, she worked 22 innings, struck out 16, gave up seven free passes and allowed eight earned runs, finishing with a 2.50ERA and 1.32 WHIP.
Olivia Van Cleve (2026 Winfield, MO), playing for Midwest Intensity Damron, is a RHP that shows hitters a six pitch bag of fastball, change-up, curve, rise, drop and screw. Not large in stature, Van Cleve utilizes a repeatable motion, with good use of her legs in the drive phase, a strong arm swing, and snap at release to generate momentum and a high spin rate. Topping out at 57 mph, Van Cleve moved the ball around the zone, showing nice movement and change of speed to keep hitters guessing. Striking out nine in her 17 innings of work, she allowed nine walks and gave up seven earned runs to finish with a 2.90 ERA and 1.59 WHIP.
18U Division
Earning the MV-Pitcher Award was Taylor Dieterich (2025 Taylor Ridge, IL), a RHP for tournament finalist Quad City Lady Hitmen ‘07. Dieterich displayed a fundamentally sound, and efficient, motion and delivery with great use of her lower half to gain momentum and close the distance to the batter. Showing hitters a six pitch mix of fastball, change-up, drop, curve, screw and two seam, she worked 18.2 innings, striking out six. Topping out at 60 mph, Dieterich showed she was able to throw each of her pitches for strikes, could move her fastball throughout the zone and relied on her movement pitches and change of speed to keep hitters off balance. Dieterich allowed four base on balls, and gave up two earned runs to finish with a 0.80 ERA and 0.91 WHIP, which is a quality result considering the competition. This young lady continues to show up and get the job done, while displaying the tools and mentality necessary to be successful at the next level.
Maddie Guevara (2024 Washington, MO) earned the MVP Award, playing for tournament champion St. Louis Heat Gold-Leigraf. Guevara, an athletic Jefferson College commit, sets up in the box in an open stance, sitting into her legs. She initiates weight transfer with a slight leg kick that appears to be used primarily to get her feet back to parallel. Guevara work’s her hands inside the ball and showed the ability to hit for power the other way. Once contact is made, the fun begins, as Guevara is not short on acceleration out of the box and speed on the bases. In collecting her 12 hits, she picked up four doubles, two triples, and a homerun while knocking in seven. Speed continued to be on display in assisting her to score 14 runs and swipe 3 bases. Guevara also drew two walks and did not record a strikeout, finishing with a .571 batting average and .640 OBP.
Other 18u athletes doing work included Lacy Monzyk (2024 Marthasville, MO), playing for tournament champion St. Louis Heat Gold-Leigraf. The right handed hitting Monzyk, utilizing an open stance with stride to get weight transfer and gain separation, does a good job of getting back to parallel and working the ball middle to pull side with some pop. For her effort, Monzyk picked up 13 hits that included four doubles, collected 12 rbi’s, scored 14 runs, stole a couple of bases, drew 2 free passes, and did not record a strikeout, and finished hitting at a .565 clip for the tournament.
Aliviah Fischer (2025 New Florence, MO) is another stick for tournament champion St. Louis Heat Gold-Leigraf. Setting up with a solid base, feet parallel, Fischer leans into the backside, with toe tap and then stride to gain separation. The Missouri Baptist University commit shows good use of her lower half, an aggressive attack angle and definite pull side power that can work at the next level. For the tournament, Fischer had 12 hits that included two doubles and two bombs, for 12 rbi’s. She scored eight runs, picked up a couple of walks and showed she could hit for power and average, finishing the weekend with a .571 batting average.
Lindsey Muskopf (2024 Saint Libory, IL) is a Parkland College commit, playing for Esprit 18u. Hitting from the right side, Muskopf sets up in a wide, slightly closed stance, sitting into the legs hinged at the waist. Utilizing a small stride to get weight transfer and timing, Muskopf stays in her legs during the swing, and with aggressive tilt and turn sets her bat angle to get the ball in the air. Of her12 hits, Muskopf had an impressive eight doubles, collecting 5 rbi’s, and scored eight runs, finishing with a tournament leading .706 batting average and .737 OBP. With a fundamentally sound swing and a hitters mentality, Muskopf should find success transitioning to the next level.
Brooke Donohue (2024 Granite City, IL) is a R/R catcher for Esprit 18u. Donohue sets up with an open stance, and then coils, pushing the hands back to transfer weight, and then strides to assist in getting separation and generating momentum. Working her hands inside the ball, Donohue displayed pull-side and opposite field pop that resulted in her picking up five doubles in her 11 hits. Donohue knocked in 8 and scored six runs. Showing patience at the plate, she worked pitchers for two free passes, and did not record a strikeout in her 22 plate appearances finishing the weekend with a top five batting average of .579 and OBP of .636.
McKinley Lowe (2024 Pleasant Hill, IL), playing for Midwest Adrenaline 18u, is a RHP that comes into the circle with a five pitch bag. Topping out at 61 mph, Lowe generates speed and spin with solid fundamentals and good use of her lower half in the drive phase. She has the ability to throw all her pitches for strikes and showed hitters a rise that they could not lay off of, along with a curve and drop that batters struggled to barrel up, Lowe worked 14.1 innings sitting down 21 hitters via strikeout. Although giving up 12 hits and walking two, Lowe did not allow any big innings, only allowing two earned runs, to finish the weekend with a 1.00 ERA and 0.98 WHIP to finish as the top performing pitcher of the tournament.
Elsie Cook (2026 Aledo, IL) is a RHP for tournament finalist Quad City Lady Hitmen ‘07. Cook, with a non-traditional motion, starting with her arms extended fully above her head, makes it work and gets everything moving down hill towards the batter. Working with a seven pitch mix, having added a two seamer to her fastball, change-up, drop,rise, curve and screw, Cook worked 18.1 innings and collected 12 K’s, topping out at 58 mph. She showed hitters a tight spins on her movement pitches, resulting in late movement that resulted in swing and miss attempts or weak ground balls. Cook gave up 15 hits, two base on balls and four earned runs to end up with a 1.50 ERA and 0.93 WHIP for her effort.
Megan Graver (2024 Middletown, MO), a RHP for St. Louis Pirates-Bone, would not appear to be intimidating at first glance as she steps into the circle, due to her small stature, but after topping out at a tournament high 62 mph, opinions changed. Armed with a six pitch mix of fastball, change-up, rise, curve, screw and drop Graver went to work to the tune of 24 strikeouts in her 13.1 innings of work. Don’t think that this Columbia College commit is just velocity, she has movement and change-of-speed that she throws consistently for strikes, which does not allow hitters to just sit and wait on the heat.
Lauren Opfer (2024 Marthasville, MO)is a RHP for tournament champion St. Louis Heat Gold-Leigraf. Utilizing a solid motion and delivery, Opfer, a Lincoln University of Missouri commit, worked a five pitch mix of fastball, change-up, curve, rise and screw to get the job done. Topping out at 61 mph, this velocity assisted her spin pitches, producing late, sharp breaking movement. With the ability to throw to both sides of the plate, Opfer can effectively work both righties and lefties, inside or out. In her 13 innings of work, she sat down 18 via strikeout, gave up 11 hits, seven free passes and four earned, to finish with a 2.20 ERA and 1.38 WHIP.