On Friday (August 29), the Mid America West Sports Complex in Shawnee, Kansas became the center of high school softball excitement as it hosted the opening day of the inaugural Midwest High School Invite powered by Top Gun Events.

Designed to showcase elite talent from across the region, the two-day tournament brought together top programs from Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Colorado—four of the five states that have high school ball in the Fall; the other is Georgia—for an early-season test on neutral ground.

For many teams, the event marked the first opportunity to take the field in the 2025 season.

The combination of new opponents, high stakes, and a neutral venue produced a day full of drama, statement wins, nail-biting finishes, and breakout performances that left fans eager for more as the tournament moved toward its second day.

By the time the final out was recorded on Friday night, only four teams remained undefeated: the Millard North Mustangs from Omaha and Beatrice from Nebraska, Broken Arrow from Oklahoma, and Broomfield from Colorado.

Each took a different path to perfection.

• Millard North wasted no time making its presence felt, opening the tournament with an emphatic 11-0 shutout of Missouri’s Raymore-Peculiar before grinding out a 3-2 victory over Edmond Memorial from Oklahoma.
• Beatrice, meanwhile, leaned on its offensive depth to pull out a 7-6 slugfest win over Liberty North before outlasting Park Hill 7-5 in another hard-fought contest.
• Broken Arrow delivered one of the day’s most balanced performances, first defeating Nebraska’s Gretna 5-3 and then erupting for an 11-4 rout of Missouri’s Blue Springs to close out the evening.
• Broomfield, the only team from Colorado to stay unbeaten, relied on pitching and defense to secure a pair of tense 3-2 victories over Blue Springs South and Rock Bridge, showing it could win close games against quality opponents.

While the undefeated teams grabbed headlines, plenty of offensive fireworks came from other corners of the bracket.

Blue Springs from Missouri posted the day’s highest run total with a 17-7 win over Stillwater out of Oklahoma.

Ray-Pec rebounded from its opening loss to Millard North by pounding Colorado’s Chatfield 17-4, while Stillwater found its stride later in the day, shutting out Chatfield 12-0 in a dominant performance.

Not every contest turned into a slugfest, however.

Fans witnessed several tense, low-scoring battles where pitching and defense took center stage. Park Hill edged Bellevue East 1-0 in one of the day’s most dramatic games, while Blue Springs South held off Gretna 7-5 after surviving a late rally.

With powerhouses from four states colliding, the Midwest High School Invite promises even more drama as the action continues in Shawnee this weekend.

Join us here tomorrow when we’ll wrap up our report of the action of Day 2 which began Saturday at 10 am.

—  Madison Feldham/Top Gun