KC Challenge: In Review
April 27, 2026
The PBKC Challenge continued the path this Spring of being another event chalked full of some of the best teams and players within the central region with over 150 teams making the trip hailing from Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota and Indiana. 15 teams were crowned champion over the weekend and down below is a look at the winner and finalist from each division as well as my standouts from the action.
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2030 C Dean Payne (Kansas Crew): Payne was the engine for the car that was the Crew's deep run into the 14u D1 bracket. The stout 5'10 backstop had the bat to ball skill on display all weekend logging a hit in every game on the docket including 2 multi-hit bouts. The consistent bat paired with a strong precense behind the dish to make Payne one of the best young athletes of the Challenge.
2031 MIF Kash Scalf (Canes MW National): Scalf played up with the 14's this weekend and without the roster information there would've been no inclination that was the case as Scalf dominated at the plate all weekend long. His 11 hits were a tournament best along with reaching base in 14/20 trips to the plate. Defensively, Scalf looked the part in the middle infield with elite lateral movement and glove work playing clean baseball throughout the 5 game stretch. Beyond the measurables, Scalf is an incredibly high IQ ballplayer with an ultra competitive makeup making for one of the most intruging follows of the spring.
2030 OF Mateo Lopez (Team KC - Major): As far as the 2030 class, Mateo Lopez has one of the highest ceilings of any player to come through PBKC this spring. The 6'1, 160 outfielder shows plenty of present speed both roaming the grass and around the bases as well as plenty of power potential with 4 XBH in the 3 games played over the weekend. The speed/power combo combined with a projectable frame will make Lopez a must follow for the following years.
2030 RHP Bryce Baker (Prodigy Express): Baker got the nod for a quarter final start in the 14u D2 bracket and delivered with 4 innings of quality baseball for Prodigy. The righty allowed just 1 hit on the hill while punching out 7 batters to just 2 walks in order to earn the win for his team. We will be sure to follow the RHP through the rest of the spring after his QF performance.
2030 UTL Jackson Lankford (Team KC - Major): Lankford makes his second all tournament team of the Spring after turning in another productive weekend at the plate. The athletic 5'11 left handed hitter logged at least one hit in all three games of the slate for Team KC while getting a start in LF, on the mound, and at 1B. The patience and swing decisions combine with strong awareness of the barrel to make Lankford a dangerous bat that can impact the game in a variety of ways making for an intruging follow as he looks toward high school next year.
2030 RHP/INF Colten Bayless (Smithville Wildcats): Bayless carried a middle of the order prescence in a 5'11, 165lb frame and backed it up reaching in all 5 games on the docket including a 3 hit performance to kick off the weekend. The righty didn't get to prove his prowess on the mound until the biggest moment of the weekend delivering 3 shutout innings to close out the championship and earn the banner for the Wildcats. Bayless proved to be a ballplayer made to do whatever necessary to win games making him one of the top athletes on the weekend.
Tournament Champions
14u D1
The Wildcats leaned on strong pitching and defense to find themselves holding a banner on Sunday holding their opponents to an average of 2 runs per game in their 3 bracket play games as well as a strong team effort on the offensive side of the ball with more than 6 different players reaching base multiple times in a game. Bradan Colvin, Colten Bayless, and Kellen McCabe were consisten producers in the team tournament win.
Finalist
Canes MW National played with a mixed squad of 2030's and 2031's and it did not slow them down in the slighest offensively plating 10 runs a game in their number 2 finish on the weekend. Kash Scalf, Jax Thompson and Kade Gordon shouldered the offensive load for Canes and with a roster at full strength could've very easily made that final push as they only carried 9 players into the weekend.
14u D2
Coach Hisky's Building Champions squad has really started to heat up as of late after narrowly missing out on a banner last weekend in the PBKC Super Select they found a couple more key hits to find themselves getting their rings this weekend. Their +26 run differential over the course of the weekend can be explained by the strong 1/2 punch of Carter Duvall and Brody Thomas in the heart of their order along with a strong team pitching perfomance.
Finalist
Express continues to put together deep tournament runs in PBKC touting a 7-2 record over the Spring due largely in part to a strong heart of the order and a combined effort of the pitching staff. If Express can put a full weekend together on the mound there's no doubt they will be holding a banner before the end of the spring.
14u D3
Mac N Seitz finished with a final run differential of +26 delivering on both sides of the ball on the way to their championship win.
Finalist
The Wildcats finished finished with a +16 in the run differential column due largely in part to allowing just 3 runs over the course of the weekend on the mound.
13u D1
BPC continues a very strong Spring in the 13u major division claiming a banner this weekend while averaging 13 runs a game en route to their tournament win.
Finalist
The Old School Ducks Turned in a steller performace on Sunday winning back to back games after an 0-2 start on Saturday to find themselves with a shot at the championship.
13u D2
Engaged Athletics carried a +15 run differential on their way to claiming a championship for the weekend averaging over 9 runs a game from the offense to secure the deal.
Finalist
Building Champion's strong defense over the course of the weekend allowed them a shot at the championship allowing just 3 runs per game over the course of the challenge.
13u D3
The Spartans delivered a 4-0 performance in their PBKC debut with contributions from all over the roster in order to take home the 13u D3 championship.
Finalist
KC Impact's high powered offense propelled them into a championship bid plating over 12 runs per game on average on their way to the finals moving their PBKC record on the spring to a strong 9-5.
12u D2
The Rebels carried a +26 run differential through the course of the Challenge getting it done on both sides of the ball in order to claim their first PBKC title after back to back finals finishes earlier in the Spring.
Finalist
Engaged Athletics marched into their Finalist finish behind a talented offense producing over 10 runs a game over the course of the weekend.
12u D3
The Kings offense proved to be overwhelming for the rest of the 12u D3 Pool as they plated 41 runs over the course of 3 games in order to secure their rings this weekend.
Finalist
Competitive Edge leaned heavily on their defensive efforts in order to find themselves as finalists on Sunday, allowing just two runs in the bracket in order to secure a bid at the championship.
11u D2
The Bulldogs were dominant in the 11u D2 pool claiming a +9 differential over the next closest 2-0 opponent before claiming their banner on the weekend.
Finalist
Building Champions relied on contributions from all across the board in order to clinch a championship bid in the Challenge with a 3-0 record heading into the championship with just a +7 differential over the course of those three games.
11u D3
The Mammoths delivered with fireworks in their pool play games delivering 38 runs over the course of 2 slots to put themselves in a prime position to take home a banner this weekend.
Finalist
The Warriors seemed to gain momentum as the Challenge went on en route to a finalist finish showing the ability to win in both blowout fashion and batten down the hatches to win tight games.
10u D1/D2
Elkhorn delivered with consistent success on their way to claiming a banner this weekend with their runs scored more than doubling their runs allowed over the course of the weekend.
Finalist
Building Champions consistent offense was enough to carry them into a championship bid plating 7 runs per game while allowing the defense to hold off the opposition.
10u D3
The Bearcats came all the way from Illinois and delivered with an overwhelming offense, plating over 50 runs in a 4 game schedule in order to secure a banner in the Challenge.
Finalist
Engaged Athletics showed off their ability to win in a variety of ways with a +10 run win and a 1 run battle en route to their finalist finish in the 10u D3 bracket.
9u D3
Barnstormers took home a championship in dominant fashion this weekend finishing with a +31 run differential to take home a banner in the Challenge.
Finalist
The Hawks kicked their offense into top gear plating 17 runs in the semi final to secure themselves a bid at the championship this weekend before running out of gas in the Finale.