June 9-11, the 7th Annual Tulsa Elite Summer Invite kicks off showcasing the top teams from Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri and more in a tournament format. Last year, we saw Texas Mizuno Impulse capture the 14U championship. Who will be this year's winner?

"In my opinion, the Tulsa Elite Invite provides the best avenue for our players to be exposed in game settings to a high number of college coaches from the midwest. I know there are coaches from outside the midwest who attend, but the Tulsa Elite Invite boasts the who's who of midwest softball from Division 1 through NAIA. It is a must for anyone interested in attending college within 6 hours of Tulsa." said KC Gold coach Nate Minnis.

Tulsa Elite is one of the best showcases in the country! Great competition all in one park. A early season test to get your softball heartbeats going. There are no easy games, everyone out there can beat everyone! - Mike Prinzo, Texas Blaze 

What To Watch For At The Tulsa Elite Invite 16U

Tulsa Elite Jacks

When: See Schedule
Why:  Jeff Filali’s Tulsa Elite program has had a history of producing top 16U teams including the 2012 version that was the ASA/USA 16A National Champs, the 2015 squad which finished 5th at PGF Nationals, and this year’s team which took 5th at the USA Softball JO Cup. This year’s team will compete almost exclusively at 18U except for PGF 16U Nationals and a few other events. This fall the Elite went 20-1 and won the 18U title by going 8-0 at the ASA Heartland Showcase. Key returners are five elite players: P/OF Mary Collins (2018, Oklahoma State), C/OF Taylor Tuck (2018, Oklahoma State), SS Jolie Fish (2018, Wisconsin), OF/P Rylie Boone (2019, Oklahoma), P/3B Paige Knight (2020, Oklahoma) along with a pickup from another Elite team MIF/OF Gracie Jarvis (2019, Oregon State).

Tulsa Elite 16U Prospects 

When: See Schedule
Why: Expect to see speed, pop, and solid defense from Tulsa Elite 16U Prospects. Success starts in the circle with 2019 Jacie Taber who will command her pitches in and around the strike zone. Infielders to watch are Cameron Clemons and Kimi Presnell who will keep the ball in the infield and get it down at the plate. Oklahoma State-commit, Madison Neighbors is a newcomer who will be behind the plate for Tulsa Elite. Speedster Madi Young is one to watch on the bases, she puts tons of pressure on the defense with her short game and base stealing abilities.

St. Louis Chaos Beatty 

When: See Schedule
Why: Leading the pack of talented young players is C Gabi Deters (2019, Kentucky), who was invited to the Jr. National Team tryouts in December, as well as OF Rylea Smith (2019, Kentucky), 1B/C Makayla Hurst (2018, Utah), P Meghan Schorman (2018, Pitt) and P/UT Emma Nichols (2019, Iowa). A number of other players on SLC are also being recruited by ACC and Big Ten schools.

KC Gold

When: See Schedule
Why: KC Gold's key returners include Alana Vawter P (Texas), Kelsie Lewis SS (Missouri St), Payton Minnis OF/2B (Missouri St), and Olivia Daugherty 3B (undecided). Vawter brings a competitive mound presence to every game and also doubles as a deep threat at the plate. Olivia Krehbiel is a talented infielder and pitcher who is a flat out thumper in the middle of the order.  Newcomer Sydney Ross is a 2019 catcher to watch this weekend, she is uncommitted and flying under the radar.

Gametime Stars 2020

When: See Schedule
Why: Scotty Smith's GT Stars are loaded with talent and five Oklahoma State commits. Middles Mikayla Smith (OSU) and Chelsea Spain bring speed, experience, and power to the lineup. 2020 pitcher/power hitters Katelyn Carwile (OSU) and Janelle Marwitz are some of the most dynamic players to watch. Keep an eye on 2019 Baylor-commit Emily Hott who brings the scrappy style of the Bears to lineup using the short game and long ball to jump start the GT Stars offense.
 

Texas Blaze - Prinzo

When: See Schedule
Why: Mike Prinzo always puts together a solid Blaze team starting on the mound with returners Molly Damiani (Texas State) and Allyson Royalty. Royalty will move the ball north and south and will mix speeds. Shortstop Skyler Brooks is the player to watch both on offense and defense. Brooks has great instincts on the bases and is a definite playmaker. Newcomer outfielder Madeleine Whiteley adds more speed to the order wreaking havoc on the defense.

Texas Glory Naudin

When: See Schedule
Why: Ed Naudin's Texas Glory team is stacked with Power 5 commits including 2020 Hot No. 1 recruit Oklahoma-commit Jayda Coleman. Middle infielder Raylee Pogue is another Oklahoma-commit who is smooth on defense. Power hitter Trinity Cannon (Texas A&M) is a power hitter to watch named 2017 Team Offensive Player of the Year. Glory added Iowa State-commit Karlie Charles into the pitching rotation. They are a fun team to watch with great energy on offense and defense.

KC Zephyrs

When: See Schedule
Why:  2020 3B/SS Aniya Holt is one to watch. Holt is a Kansas-commit who has tremendous arm strength and bat speed. The Zephyrs added stud P/1B Nija Canady who stands 6-foot clocking in at 64 mph. 2020 pitcher Camryn Stickel shares innings with Canady working down in the zone.

What To Watch For At The Tulsa Elite Invite 14U

Tulsa Elite 14U Prospects

When: See Schedule
Why: The pipeline of talent for the Tulsa Elite organization just keeps getting filled and Jeff Filali has two good 14U programs with the Prospects team being one that can compete with anyone. The Oklahoma-based team has been playing 18U and 16U all spring after building an impressive resume last summer as a 13U squad, winning the USSSA 14U Nationals in Florida, taking 3rd at the ASA 14A State Championship, 5th at Hustle City and 17th at The Top Gun Invitational. Anchors on the team include 2021 SS Ally Sockey, who is being recruited by Big 12, SEC and Pac-12 schools; 2021 P/IF Drew Riddle, who brings big home run power from the left side and can pitch in the upper 50's; 2020 righty hurler Makayla Williams, who has good movement and hits 60 mph on the gun and 2020 lefty slapper Auryana Johnson, a center fielder who is starting to get a lot of recruiting interest.

Gametime Stars Walde

When: See Schedule
Why: Their offense is centered around several key returning starters from last season, including one of the most dangerous hitters in the 2020 class and No. 60 on the 2020 Hot 100 list, Aaliyah Brown (2020 3B/1B). Last summer Aaliyah hit .520, with 22 HRs, 125 RBIs, and a .907 Slugging %.  Setting the table at the top of the lineup are a couple of speedy lefties, Kenedi Morelock (2020 OF) and Whitney Walde (2020 C/SS/Util). Maddie Southerland and Hannah Williams are returning pitchers who have been outstanding in the circle for us this season.  Southerland has really good velocity in the 61-62 mph range and has been on fire as of late.  She only gave up 3 runs in 18 innings during our PGF Qualifier in New Mexico. Williams has great control and several tough pitches that she can throw on any count.  
 

Texas Blaze Futures

When: See Schedule
Why: Tammie Davis takes over the Futures program after coaching top players like Alissa Dalton and Nicole Mendes, both at Oklahoma, when Davis coached in the Diamond Sports Hotshots program. She jumps into an enviable situation with the Blaze Futures team which played well in the PGF Shootout in October and has a great core of returning 2020's and 2021's including Baylea Brandon, a lefty power hitter with all the tools who is being pursued by SEC, Big 12 and Pac-12 schools. Others to watch include P/UT Kyla Mach (2020), a power pitcher who dominated at the Shootout; SS Camryn Robillard (2021), a smooth fielder with a cannon for an arm and UT Mariah Moore (2021), who has great speed and hits for a high average. Also watch for Hunter Vestal (2020), a 6-foot tall power pitcher who has gained 7-8 mph on her fastball since the fall. And C Riley Rutherford (2021) has one of the top pop times in her class and has thrown out some of the fastest baserunners in Texas.

St. Louis Chaos Egan

When: See Schedule
Why: You'll see a Chaos catching duo with Jessie Blaine (2021) and Marissa Peek (2020). Blaine is hitting  .468 avg. (40 RBI/5HR/14 doubles), while Peek carries a .400 avg. (40 RBI/ 7HR/10 doubles). The threeand four hitters anchor the heart of the lineup and are preceded by OF Bella Wilson (2021) who carries a team leading .570 average (11 doubles & 6 triples). The team also returns key defensive SS Riley Eagan (2020) who is currently hitting .406 avg. (1 HR/4 doubles/ and 3 triples). Ace pitcher Sarah Abbot (2021) and middle Brooklyn Moore are healthy and recovered from last season injuries. Newcomers to watch are lead off hitter Zoe Schulte and power hitter Annie Mueller.

Tulsa Elite 2021

When: See Schedule
The key returners to watch are shortstop Celeste Wood, center fielder Tristan Hinkle, and pitcher Faith Watts. Newcomers include pitcher Macie Welch, pitcher, outfield, Saige Teague, catcher, Evie Herring, outfield, second base, Elizabeth Aquilar, catcher, Sarah Campbell, 3rd baseman, Kami Withem, outfield.

Texas Glory Naudin

When: See Schedule
Why: It's a strong year in the Lone Star State at the 14U division and the perennially tough Texas Glory team coached by Ed Naudin will have its hands full as the talent in Texas keeps improving state-wide. The Glory finished 3rd at USSSA Select Elite and 5th at Boulder IDT but has lost seven key 2019 and 2020 players including C Hayden Brown (2020, LSU) and P Savannah Desrochers (2020, Kansas) who moved up to play on the 16U Naudin team. The 14U team's coaching staff has been more focused on showcasing players the last few months, but when he puts his active roster of 17 together, he'll have nine players with D1 offers and five that are already committed. Once the line-up is finalized, he'll have a talented, confident and battle-tested team ready to compete including key 2020 returners like MIF Riley Love (Texas Tech); IF Sage Harlow (Tulsa), IF Camryn Compton (Texas Arlington) and P Lauren Lucas (uncommitted). The Glory picked up seven talented newcomers including C Haley Schmaltz (2020, Texas Arlington) and some outstanding 2021's such as P Jaycie Hall; C Audrey Schneidmiller and IF Kelby Robbins. By the time PGF Nationals rolls around, look for the Glory to be a threat to play late in the week.

Vision Fastpitch Gold

When: See Schedule
Why: 2020 Texas State verbal commit Piper Randolph is a table setter/speedster to watch. As a freshman on her high school varsity team, she earned Team Defensive MVP, 1st team all district and Academic All district. Itati Arzola is another 2020 who can play multiple positions and is built with incredible speed. Some new players to the team who are exciting to watch are Cierra Simone, a 2021 SS/Util with good speed, Paige Nunes, a 2021 catcher with a very solid bat with gap placement and homerun power. Katelyn "KK" McMahan, is a pitcher with good speed and movement, and will be an asset to the team on the mound.  As a freshman on her Varsity team, she earned 7A All-Conference and Academic Achievement.