The Kansas City Program Invite got another go around this year in Kansas City, bringing some of the most talented organizations from around the central region into Creekside and Homefield for an outstanding 5 days of tournament action. 105 teams from across the Central region brought their best in order to fight for one of the 4 titles up for grabs between the 14u, 15u, 16u, and 17/18u divisions. Down below we'll break down each division winner who withstood the test of an eight game slate to bring home the trophy and their championship counterpart, as well as my picks for the top players of the weekend and breakdowns from some of the top performers from the action. To kick things off, let's get a look at my standouts for the Kansas City Program Invite. 

2028 1B Jagger Jackson (Savannah, MO): The 6'3, 218 pound right handed hitter continued to do what he's done all summer long, finding gaps in the defense and hitting baseballs incredibly hard through them. The imposing first baseman hit his way to a 8/12 line including 4XBH, 7RBI, and 2BB to a lone strikeout. The simple setup and trigger mechanism create strong bat speed thru the zone, on a flat path to the baseball resulting in consistent line drive contact. The gap to gap approach makes Jackson a present and stable XBH threat in any order with an easy path to some big power potential in the future. 

2028 MIF Will Pepper (Spring Hill, KS): The #3 overall in Kansas's 2028 class has continued to show flashes of a 5 tool player throughout the summer, but the Spring Hill product had it all on display this weekend. Through 5 games, the 6'2, 180 pound short stop collected 6 Hits, 4 of which going for extra bases while playing outstanding defense up the middle and running it up to 89 on the mound to close out a win for Mac N Seitz. The 2028 grad continues to let his top tier metrics show in game settings making him one of the most exciting players in the Central region as this rising junior group looks ahead to August 1st. 

2027 OF Jordan Schnoor (Norfolk Senior, NE): While at times overshadowed by the many committed players on Prime National's 17u roster, the 5'10, 180 pound left handed hitting outfielder makes the standout list again after a strong showing in the Program Invite. The Nebraska native turned in a 7/15 weekend at the plate including 3XBH and 4SB while walking 4 times to a lone strikeout. The rising senior outfielder continues to be a model for steady production in Prime's lineup with plenty of qualities to appreciate in the box. The lefty showcases some impressive plate discipline, strong bat to ball skill and speed creating a consistent threat both at the plate and on the bases. The added bonus of some sneaky power from the left side create an intriguing follow for plenty of colleges still looking to land an outfielder with a shot at making an instant impact.

2027 LHP/1B Hudson Hardesty (Lawrence, KS): The Top 20 ranked player in Kansas's 2027 class drew a crowd for his start on the hill against a top end lineup and delivered an outstanding 4 inning complete game performance on the mound. The long levered 6'1, 185 pound left handed arm worked at a consistent tempo downhill with a repeatable delivery. The headline of Hardesty's mechanics is the lack of deviation in release points between a strong 3 pitch mix. Beyond the mechanical feel, Hardesty showed off his pitch ability in excess, running the fastball off both off speed options with success to make the upper 8's heater play way up out of the hand. The reward for his efforts was evident in the box score, racking up 8 strikeouts without allowing a walk while finishing the game with a strike percentage north of 70%. 

2028 RHP Brevin Leggott (Blair, NE): The 6'0, 170 pound two-way player got the nod on the hill in a quarter final start against one of the best lineups in the central region and delivered 4 1/3 innings of 2 hit ball to cement the Spects win. The high waisted frame found a consistent landing spot before letting a quick, loose arm rip out of a high 3/4 slot. The headline for Leggott was a tight breaking ball thrown early and often between 2400-2600 RPMs, creating some big vertical action, playing to plenty of chase off the bottom 1/3rd of the zone. Leggott ran a mid 8's FB off of the breaking ball well, attacking the zone and avoiding barrels with success, at times elevating to swing and miss. The high ceiling two-way will be one to watch as he continues to add strength to the frame and develop his other secondary options. 

Tournament Champions 

17/18u

Champion

Prime 27:17 National 17u's offense found a way to power themselves to their 2nd title of the Summer, moving their record 16-2-1 in the PBKC circuit. The Prime offense lost no momentum moving into the bracket, plating just under 9 runs per game on their way to claiming a Program Invite title. While the lineup carries big bats from top to bottom in the order, Cole Ryherd, Jacob Stehley, Mac Solis, and Jordan Schnoor stepped up in the bracket to lead the offense. 

Finalist 

Elkhorn North Equitable Bank Post 211 Wolves Seniors found themselves in the #7 seed which was apparently right where they wanted to be coming into the bracket as they upset the #2 and #3 overall seeds on their way to the title game. Elkhorn North found a variety of ways to win ball games, but the most prevalent was the team effort on the hill, allowing just 3 runs a game in their 6 games heading into the championship. Big winners on the mound for Elkhorn North this weekend included Austin McMurtry, Max Yager, and Jack Settles.

16u

Champion

Spects Midwest 2028 carried a 4-0 record and a +30 run differential into the bracket before proving their composure in a pair of tough semi and championship round games to claim themselves the Program Invite title. The Spects offense was the most likely culprit for their 7-0 finish, averaging over 10 runs a game on the weekend. Cash Shoemaker, Connor Wurdeman, Peyton Marfisi, and Ty Aguliar found themselves in the mix most often to lead their team to wins at the plate. 

Finalist 

US Nats Scout KC came back from the second to last overall seed in the bracket to find themselves fighting for a title and falling a lone run short in the Program invite. En route to the title, the Nats upset the #1 seed in the quarter final before a stellar semi final win over the #5 seed to find themselves in the championship game. While the bottom of the order at times found itself more productive than the top, big weekends from the 1-2 punch in the top of the order in Jagger Collins and Griffin Robertson allowed for run scoring opportunites by the boatload that the Nats capitalized on often on their way to the title. 

15u

Champion

Prime 27:17 National 15u's +38 run differential was somehow only good enough for the 3rd overall seed coming into bracket play, but the first round bye didn't effect Prime in the slightest as they ran the table, going 8-0 on the weekend to secure the championship trophy. Prime's offense was a well oiled machine, plating 74 runs over the 8 games coming out to over 9 runs per game. Key contributors leading the Prime offense included Donovan Scott, Riley McEvoy, and Logan Hepner.

Finalist 

Royals Scout Team 2029's crew was flat out dominant coming out of pool play with the #1 overall seed, thanks to a run differential of +53 while allowing just 2 runs in the four games prior to the bracket. Unfortunately, after an incredible come from behind walkoff win in the semis, the Royals ran out of gas just short of the finish line. While the team as a whole performed at a high level, the pitching performances from Tony Hann and Mason Hiatt in the pool play rounds, supplemented by strong offensive weekends from the entire top 5 in the order in Chase Didion, Max Gordon, Titus Marasco, Mason Hiatt, and Carson Coy were all noteworthy in the Program Invite. 

14u

Champion

Patriot Sports Club moved their record in the PBKC circuit to an astounding 25-15 after a 7-0 weekend in the Program invite. The Patriots racked up a +37 run differential over the course of their weekend, including an 8-0 championship win to leave no doubt who the best team on the weekend was. Key contributors could be found from top to bottom in the order, but stellar two-way play from Kolt Neilsen, Brady Willis, Cruz Dawson, and Izer Scott certainly lead the charge. 

Finalist 

Inside Edge - Elliott came all the way back from the 7th of 11 seeds to storm their way into the championship bout on Sunday before falling just short in the finale. Coach Elliott's squad upset the #2 overall seed in the quarter final before an excellent showing in the semi to punch their championship ticket. Middle of the order bats Avery Box and Beau Cramer caught fire at the plate to kick off bracket play, becoming the engine room leading the offense.