PITTSBURG – The Pittsburg State University softball team will travel up to Shawnee, Kan., to take part in the Top Gun Invite this weekend.
 
Pittsburg State (17-0) will begin the tournament on Friday (Feb. 27) against Truman State at 3:00 p.m. (CST) before ending the day against Concordia – St. Paul at approximately 5:30 p.m. Saturday (Feb. 28) the Gorillas will begin the day against Rockhurst at 2:40 p.m. and end the weekend against Winona State at 5:00 p.m. Every game will be played at the Mid American Sports Complex.
 
Ranked in the NFCA Top 25 for the first time in 2026, Pitt State enters the rankings at No. 23 and are one of six teams in Division II still undefeated.
 
As a team the Gorillas are hitting .370 (5^th in DII) from 172 hits (5^th) for 8.94 runs per game (2^nd) 152 runs scored (1^st), with 142 runs batted in (1^st). As a pitching staff the 1.93 ERA (16^th) and  1.06 WHIP (15^th) lead to 6.10 strikeouts per 7 innings (46^th) and five shutout performances (2^nd).
 
Arnett is hitting .582 (18^th) wth 39 hits (1^st), 29 runs scored (1^st), 15 RBI and 13 stolen bases (11^th). Kadyn Trochim (.469) leads the team with 27 RBI (3^rd) from 23 hits and has scored 14 runs. Alleyna Rushing is hitting .407 with 22 hits, 20 runs scored (11^th), 12 RBI and nine stolen bases. Sailor Hall as a hitter is batting .333 with a team-high four home runs to go with 14 runs scored. Rachael Schlotter rounds out the qualified hitters batting above .300 so far this season at .300.
 
In the circle, Emma Crabb leads the team and ranks ninth in DII for ERA (0.27) and her 0.82 WHIP is 20^th across the division. Crabb is 5-0 on the season with 25.2 innings of work for a .156 opponent batting average and 25 strikeouts. Ava Laurent (6-0, 2.12 ERA, 1.07 WHIP) leads the team with 36.1 innings pitched and 29 strikeouts with opponents hitting .172. Lexi Franklin (4-0, 2.36 ERA, 1.01 WHIP) and Hall (2-0, 1 SV, 2.06 ERA, 1.18 WHIP) round out the qualified hurlers thus far this season.
 
In Pittsburg State history for softball, the Gorillas are 24-31 against TSU, 8-3 against CSP, 6-4 against RU and 9-9 against WSU.
 
Truman State (3-13) this season in tournament action have gone 0-4 agianst MIAA schools (Emporia State, 2x Northwest Missouri and Washburn). Cassie Smith leads the team with a .431 average, 22 hits, six RBI and 10 runs scored while swiping seven bags. Emily Wood (.356) is the other member of the team that is a qualified hitter batting above .300. Jayda Long (3-4, 1.60 ERA, 1.20 WHIP) leads the team with 35.0 innings pitched and a .237 opponent batting average while issuing out 10 walks to eight strikeouts.
 
Concordia – St. Paul (6-3) is led by Riley Rosenthal with a .333 average from 11 hitsand has scored five runs. Katie Klotz (.333) and Ava Blake (.308) are the other members of the team that are qualified hitters batting above .300. Emmy Bowne (4-1, 3.50 ERA, 1.56 WHIP) leads the team with 34.0 innings pitched and 16 strikeouts while opponents are batting .336 against her.
 
Rockhurst (4-5) are 2-3 against MIAA foes, claiming a doubleheader sweep at Newman on Tuesday (Feb. 24). McKenna Lester leads the team with a .500 average, 13 hits and 10 RBI. Taylor Sedam (.407), Emily Berry (.387), Kaylee Pugh (.385) and Claire Long (.368) round out the qualified hitters batting above .300 so far this season. Avery Huffman (2-3, 3.88 ERA, 1.14 WHIP) leads the team with 30.2 innings and 41 strikeouts with opponents hitting .223.
 
Winona State (9-2) is led by Tiegan Mancuso with a .531 average from 17 hits while scoring seven runs. Lila McNeill (.361), Alyssa Woelfel (.333) and Bryn Elsenpeter (.313) are the other qualified hitters batting above .300. Jayda Berg (4-1, 0.78 ERA, 0.78 WHIP) leads the team with 36.0 innings of work and a .184 opponent batting average. Izzy Howe (5-0, 2.70 ERA, 1.10 WHIP) is the other starter and in 33.2 innings has struck out 37 batters with opponents hitting .242 against her.