Kansas
Top 2025 Kansas high school softball performers: vote for the best
With the high school softball season soon coming to a close in Kansas, it’s time to take a look at some of the state’s top performers from the 2025 campaign.
We scanned the Sunflower State and found 35 eye-popping performers, and now we’re asking fans to cast their vote and let us know who deserves to be considered best among all Jayhawkers.
Many of the state’s top programs are represented this season, and schools like Pittsburg, Wamego and Haven have multiple candidates. From the state record for stolen bases to dominant pitchers with sub-1.00 ERA’s, Kansas talent runs the gamut in 2025.
Please note this is not an overall ranking of the top players in the state, and the players below are listed in alphabetical order. We have provided captions for each of the 35 players below. Read up on each of them and please cast your vote in the poll at the bottom of the page to let us know who you think deserves to be Kansas’ top performer.
You may vote as many times as you’d like. Voting ends Saturday, May 31 at 11:59 p.m. Central time.
Disclaimer: Voting polls are intended to be a fun way to create fan engagement and express support for your favorite high school athletes and teams. Unless expressly noted, there are no awards for winning the voting. Our primary focus is to highlight the abilities and accomplishments of all the athletes and teams included in our poll. You may vote as many times as you’d like and are encouraged to share our polls with others.
Ana Amador, Wichita North
The power in the Lady RedHawks’ lineup almost exclusively runs through Amador. The junior slugger helped carry her team to 11 wins this year while getting the job done both at the plate and inside the pitcher’s circle. In 20 games Amador hit .705 (43-for-75) with 12 home runs, 7 doubles, 6 triples and 44 RBI. She walked 11 times, struck out 4 times and went 25-for-25 in stolen-base attempts. On the mound she went 9-5 with a 2.37 ERA, allowing 69 hits and 25 earned runs with 74 strikeouts and 11 walks in 64 innings.
Kory Anschutz, Skyline (Pratt)
Second on the Lady Thunderbirds’ squad with a .547 batting average, Anschutz has brought a steady blend of power and speed to Skyline’s lineup. Sporting a 1.655 OPS and slugging 1.031, the senior hit nearly as many doubles (14) as singles (15) with 5 home runs, 1 triple and 39 RBI through 18 games. Anschutz has drawn 12 walks, struck out 4 times, stole 25 of 26 bases and scored 35 runs. In the circle she’s 6-2 in nine starts with 41 strikeouts and 12 walks in 51.2 innings.
Grace Birk, Burlington
Goodness gracious, Grace has been good. With hits in 20 of 25 games this season and only one strikeout against her, Birk has excelled at the plate this year. But her prowess in the pitcher’s circle is what vaults the senior into elite company. Surpassing 700 career strikeouts a week ago, Birk has been practically untouchable this year, going 20-0 in 21 games with a 0.31 ERA. The rest of the numbers seem just as silly. In 117.2 innings she surrendered just 10 runs (four earned) on 46 hits with 230 strikeouts and 30 walks. She pitched 4 no-hitters – two 7-inning games and shortened 4- and 3-inning bids in blowout wins – and didn’t allow more than 6 hits in any outing. At the plate she’s compiled a .459 (34-for-74) average in 25 games with 12 doubles, 3 triples, 3 home runs and 32 RBI.
Avery Brawner, Haven
One of the multiple Lady Wildcats on this list, Brawner is the team’s primary starting pitchers and one of the top bats in their lineup. Pitching in 26 games, Brawner is 20-4 with a 2.62 ERA, 12 complete games and two shutouts. She’s been tough on opponents, holding them to a .219 average on 104 hits with 182 strikeouts and 37 walks in 120 innings. At the plate she hit .478 through 26 games with 12 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs and 27 RBI. She scored a team-high 52 runs.
DeShawnna Bryant, Great Bend
It’s only fitting that she went 4-for-4 with 3 doubles in her last game, because Bryant has been a doubles machine in 2025. That performance effectively hiked her season average to .500 (48-for-96) and her doubles total to 19. She also has 6 home runs, 1 triple, 38 RBI and has scored 36 runs in 26 games.
Addison Chapman, McPherson
This senior Lady Bullpup has been the straw that stirs the drink during McPherson’s 26-0 stretch. The team’s ace pitching alongside fellow star Addie Herrera, who is also having a fine season in the circle, Chapman has pitched to a 12-0 mark with a 0.43 ERA across 16 appearances (12 starts). She has allowed 35 hits, 12 runs (5 earned) and racked up 118 strikeouts with 33 walks in 82 innings. Batting in 26 games she has hit .495 with 7 home runs, 5 doubles and 9 triples with 35 RBI, 12 stolen bases and 41 runs scored.
Samantha Claire, Eudora
Eudora (23-1) is one of the best teams in Kansas this season and Claire is one of the best pitchers in the state. The KU signee has pitched in 20 games, going 15-1 with a miniscule 0.50 ERA. She’s surrendered just 10 runs (7 earned) in 98.1 innings with 214 strikeouts and 25 walks. She pitched a shortened perfect game on May 6 in an 11-0 win in five innings against Louisburg.
Macie Corcoran, Perry-Lecompton (Perry)
The Lady Kaws went 8-18 this season, but this sophomore had a big year at the plate. In 26 games Corcoran hit .448 (43-for-96) and was among the state’s home run leaders with 11. She also had 9 doubles, 1 triple, 26 RBI and scored 32 runs.
Zoe Davidson, Cedar Vale-Dexter
It’s no wonder the Lady Spartans are 23-1 this season. Splitting time in the pitcher’s circle with junior teammate Gracie Webb, Davidson, a sophomore, has been one of the best pitchers in the state. A three-sport star (softball, basketball, volleyball), Davidson’s athleticism shines inside the circle where she’s been practically untouchable all year. In her first 15 appearances Davidson went 12-0 with a 0.53 ERA and one save. The young star allowed only 35 hits and 5 earned runs with 109 strikeouts and just 14 walks in 66 innings. She’s also made a huge impact at the plate, hitting .587 through her first 21 games with 6 homers, 9 doubles, 6 triples, 45 RBI and scored 41 runs.
Sophia Faidley, Haven
Haven is having a fantastic season this year at 22-4 overall and Faidley is the team’s leading hitter. The senior is among the state’s top home run hitters this season, hitting .615 (48-for-78) with 14 home runs, 6 doubles, 1 triple and 46 RBI in 26 games. She has drawn 10 walks and struck out only three times in 97 plate appearances.
Kynzi Fehringer, Stanton County (Johnson)
A multi-sport athlete who also stars in basketball and volleyball for the Lady Trojans, Fehringer is one of the state’s most talented young sophomores. She has been nails for Stanton County (19-5) this season, hitting .623 (48-for-77) with 10 doubles, 3 triples, 7 home runs and 37 RBI in 24 games. Fehringer has drawn 18 walks and stolen 24 bases this season while sporting a .691 OBP, 1.795 OPS and slugs 1.104.
Haely Hagemann, McPherson
The Lady Bullpups (26-0) have dominated with Hagemann helping lead their offense. The senior is tops on the team with a .527 average in 26 games while slugging 13 doubles, 4 home runs and 42 RBI.
Madalynn Harold, Chapman
Cloud Community College is getting a good one next year when Harold joins its program. Chapman’s senior ace swings a pretty good bat, too, and she has helped the Lady Irish to a 21-3 start. In the circle the right hander has dominated across 19 appearances (12 starts), going 13-1 with 1 save and a 1.05 ERA. Harold has surrendered 15 runs (14 earned) on 53 hits in 93.1 innings with 149 strikeouts and 20 walks. At the plate she’s batting .460 with 5 home runs, 10 doubles, 3 triples, 34 RBI and 20 stolen bases.
Peyton Hardenburger, Wamego
Hardenburger has been pitching with some extra cheese this year. The ace of the Lady Red Raiders’ talented 1-2 staff alongside Landri Adams, Hardenburger has been nearly untouchable for 4A power Wamego. Surpassing 800 career strikeouts one week ago, the senior sports an 8-1 record with a 0.24 ERA in 12 starts. She surrendered only 13 hits and 7 runs – 3 earned – in 87.2 innings. The two-way threat is hitting .440 (33-for-75) with 3 home runs, 3 doubles and 1 triple across 23 games.
Willow Hochstedler, Onaga
Another of the state’s premier sophomores, Hochstedler whacked 16 doubles through the first 24 games of 2025 with 1 triple, 2 home runs and 32 RBI while batting .512 (41-for-80). A two-way star who also excels on the mound, the young righty went 9-2 with a 2.16 ERA in her first 14 appearances with 112 strikeouts and 32 walks in 64.2 innings.
Gretchen Huizenga, Santa Fe Trail (Carbondale)
At 23-3, the Lady Chargers have relied heavily on their two-way star this season and she has produced on the mound and with the bat. The junior hit .461 (41-for-89) with 7 home runs, 8 doubles, 3 triples, 40 RBI and scored 31 runs through her first 26 games. In her first 12 appearances in the circle (11 starts) Huizenga went 9-2 with a 2.88 ERA, pitching 1 no-hitter and striking out 78 with 26 walks in 75.1 innings.
Kyplee Jacobson, Mission Valley (Eskridge)
She’s been a model of consistency and production throughout her four years with the Lady Vikings. But this senior campaign has been the best season for Jacobson yet. In 26 games, she’s hit a career-high .529 (46-for-87) with 12 doubles, 5 triples, 5 home runs, 31 RBI and scored 42 runs. The catcher has a .987 fielding percentage with 3 errors in 230 chances. She has 25 assists, 202 putouts, thrown out 18 of 39 base stealers (46.15%), turned 1 double play and picked off two runners in 153 innings.
Avery Johnson, Frontenac
The Lady Raiders (24-1) have gone where their ace has taken them. The senior righty has pitched all but nine innings for Frontenac this season, and the NEO A&M signee with more than 600 career strikeouts has been nothing shy of dominant. She’s 23-1 on the mound in 25 games with a 1.02 ERA. Johnson has allowed 30 runs (20 earned) on 70 hits in 136.2 innings with 176 strikeouts and 29 walks.
Megan Johnston, Pittsburg
The Lady Purple Dragons are 22-2 this season and boast one of the most potent offenses in Kansas. Johnston is the thunder to teammate Brette Pasteur’s lightning, only coming second on the team to Pasteur in most offensive categories. A shortstop who bats second most days in Pittsburg’s lineup, the senior has a .538 batting average across 24 games, going 43-for-80 at the plate with 12 doubles, 4 triples, 6 home runs and 43 RBI while scoring a team-high 45 runs. Johnston has been charged with 1 error in 60 defensive chances and sports a .983 fielding percentage.
Lizzy Lassley, Maize South
A catcher and utility player who mostly catches and bats leadoff for the Lady Mavericks (26-0), Lassley has been one of the team’s biggest weapons. Playing in all 26 games, she’s slashing .576/.632/1.632/1.000 with 13 doubles, 4 triples, 5 home runs, 33 RBI and scored 49 runs.
Ava Lay, Trinity Academy (Wichita)
A Derby native, Lay has set the table batting leadoff for the Lady Knights. The Grayson Community College commit has collected at least one hit in 24 of 27 games this season with 33 stolen bases. She’s 50-for-81 at the plate (.617 average) with 7 home runs, 9 doubles, 7 triples, 47 RBI and has scored a whopping 54 runs. One of the toughest batters in the state to strike out, she’s whiffed only three times this year while drawing 15 walks.
Dani Lee, McLouth
Of all the dominant two-way stars on this list, Lee’s season might be the hardest to top. Her numbers, both in the circle and at the plate, feel like something from a video game. The senior has pitched 20 times this year, drawing 18 starts, going 19-0 with a 0.07 ERA. That’s not a typo: Lee has allowed just one earned run in 98.1 innings all year and surrendered only 19 hits and 6 runs total. What’s more, Lee has struck out 237 of the 335 batters she has faced with just 8 walks. Opponents are batting .059 against her, she sports a 29.63 K/BB ratio and has pitched a whopping 67 3-up, 3-down 1-2-3 innings. But wait, there’s more. At the dish she’s hitting .645 across 76 plate appearances with an extended slash line of .716/2.150/1.434. Among the state’s home run leaders with 12, Lee also has 14 doubles, 5 triples, 68 RBI and has scored 49 runs. She has drawn 22 walks, struck out only three times and swiped 22 stolen bases.
Alana McCarthy, Wamego
Wamego jumped out to a 19-4 start behind an offense powered by this talented underclassman. Still a sophomore, McCarthy leads the Lady Red Raiders by a wide margin in batting with a .534 average while also slugging 11 doubles, 2 triples and 7 home runs with 35 RBI.
Morgan O’Neal, Haven
One of many players having a great year in Haven’s lineup, the junior is batting .575 with 8 home runs, 6 doubles and 43 RBI in 26 games. She’s drawn a team-high 18 walks and is second on the team (for those with at least 5 at-bats) with a .656 OBP and has scored 39 runs.
Brette Pasteur, Pittsburg
Since announcing her return from ACL and double Meniscus surgery on X, formerly Twitter, back on Feb. 3, Pasteur has been showing off the hard work she put in to get back into the fold. The top bat in southeastern Kansas, Pasteur’s numbers in 2025 easily place her among the best hitters in the state and best-hitting third basemen in the country. The junior is currently 3 home runs shy of tying the Kansas state record of 18, set by Olathe Northwest’s Reagan Hathaway in 2015, according to Kansas Sports Hall of Fame records. Through her first 24 games she hit .696 (48-for-69) with 14 doubles, 2 triples, 15 home runs, 54 RBI and 42 runs scored. She’s drawn 14 walks, been hit with 4 pitches and reached base safely 72.5% of the time. Her OPS is a gaudy 2.334 and she is slugging 1.609.
Shyria Quintana, Ellinwood
Another impressive sophomore, Quintana’s power numbers are even this season, though they look a bit odd. Batting .500 in 26 games, Quintana smacked 12 extra-base hits. But she didn’t seem too interested in messing around with doubles and triples, as she hit two of each. Instead, she whacked 8 home runs, finishing in the upper tier of state leaders in that category. She scored 37 runs, collected 31 RBI, walked 17 times and reached base at a .612 clip.
Jai Rogers, Chapman
The Lady Irish are lucky to have this young star. One of the top sophomores in the state, Rogers has terrorized Class 4A pitching since hitting .458 as a freshman. She only got better as a sophomore, batting .616 across 99 at-bats so far with 14 doubles, 9 triples, 5 home runs, 26 RBI and scored 47 runs. The speedster has stolen 25 bases and has an extended slash line of .624/1.715/1.091.
Avery Stindt, Republic County (Belleville)
One of the best base stealers in the state; Stindt has swiped at least 37 bases in each of the last three seasons. She set a career-high this year with 44 steals through her first 22 games. She was also among the state’s leaders in batting average through 22 games, hitting .600 (42-for-70) with 12 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs and 33 RBI.
Sophie Stockam, Maize South
On a team of worthy players, Stockam makes a great case as Maize South’s MVP in 2025. She has done a little bit of everything at a high level for the Lady Mavericks this year. She earned career strikeout No. 500 a week ago and has struck out 212 of the 301 batters she has faced across 85 innings. Pitching in 20 games (14 starts) Stockam is 13-0 with a 0.58 ERA. Doubling as an emergency closer, she is 4-for-4 in save opportunities and has allowed only 11 hits and 8 runs (7 earned) all season. The senior also produces at the plate, where she is hitting .481 and leads the team with 10 home runs. She also has 6 doubles, 43 RBI and a 1.483 OPS.
Kam Stubbs, Wichita Northwest
The senior first baseman has been dominating Class 6A pitching this season. Through her first 24 games Stubbs is batting .616 with 16 doubles, 8 triples, 6 home runs, 43 RBI and scored 35 runs. Stubbs has stolen 10 bases and has a .952 fielding percentage.
Akyra Traver, Marias des Cygnes (Melvern)
The Lady Trojans (6-14) didn’t have the best season in 2025, but they can boast having one of the best players in the state and the top player in Kansas 2-1A. The junior had a record-breaking season and some eye-popping numbers. Despite splitting time defensively in center and at catcher, Traver – also a star in basketball and volleyball at MDCHS – paced her squad with a .924 fielding percentage (6 errors in 79 attempts). And while she’s a fine defender, she butters her bread with a healthy dose of offense. Through 20 games this season she hit a staggering .771 (54-for-70) with 10 doubles, 6 triples, 7 home runs and 39 RBI while drawing 19 walks and struck out only once. She slashed .771/.820/2.206/1.386 and collected more 2-out RBI (15) than total runners she left on base all season (14) while hitting into only one double play. Her prowess on the basepaths is a product of those numbers, as she stole 71 bases on 72 attempts, a new state record per the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. She also moved into a tie for first all-time in career stolen bases (161) with Frontenac’s Heather Arnett (2019-2022) and tied the state record with eight stolen bases in a single game against Crest – joining Jenny Lyne (Lincoln, 1996) and Sam Stallbaumber (Haven, 2015) for most ever in Kansas.
Lydia Turner, Oskaloosa
Turner found herself turning first base a lot this season, as 24 of her 42 base hits this season went for extra bases. She smacked 18 doubles, 3 triples, 1 home run and 24 RBI while hitting .592 (45-for-76) in 24 games. She drew 22 walks and struck out only one time while the Lady Bears (19-5) greatly benefited from Turner’s 45 stolen bases and 54 runs scored. In 76 at-bats, Turner amassed a .677 OBP, slugged 1.056 and carried a 1.733 OPS.
Mayzie Warden, Haven
When you compare Warden to her teammates on this list, it’s impossible to keep her off. Hitting .494 in 26 games, she scored 45 runs while slugging 14 doubles, 1 triple and 2 home runs with 30 RBI. Warden’s drawn 13 walks and struck out only once. An outfielder, Warden has not been charged with an error, recording 20 putouts, 4 assists and 1 double play in 24 chances.
Aubrey Warren, Topeka Seaman
She has power and she isn’t afraid to use it. Warren is in the upper tier of the state’s home run leaderboard, smashing 11 in 2025 while hitting .413 for the Lady Vikings with 7 doubles, 2 triples and 34 RBI. Defensively, the infielder has turned 6 double plays with 36 putouts and 53 assists in 94 total chances.
Hayden Wettstein, Wichita Heights
The Lady Falcons (8-13) have not had the year they’d hoped for this season, through no fault of Wettstein. She is having the best season of her varsity career, hitting .667 through their first 22 games. Wettstein has 6 home runs, 7 doubles, 3 triples, 36 RBI, stole 14 bases and scored 30 runs.
Kansas
Salina Stars Unite for Final High School Stage at Kansas Shrine Bowl
HUTCHINSON — Throughout their formative years, they grew up playing side-by-side, on rival teams or simply admired each other’s success from afar.
Now that their high school football careers are over, Salina Central’s Cooper Reves and Jesus Delgado, Salina South’s Jaxon Myers and Brody Chambers from Southeast of Saline, share the honor of playing for the West team in this weekend’s Kansas Shrine Bowl.
Perhaps just as important in their minds, they get to represent Salina for either the first or the last time wearing identical uniforms.
Jesus Delgado
“Us Salina guys are kind of sticking together, I like to say,” Delgado, an all-state linebacker on Central’s 2025 Class 5A state championship team, said Tuesday during the West training camp Tuesday at Hutchinson Community.
On Thursday, the East and West teams convened in Emporia, site of the 53rd annual Shrine Bowl, set for 7 p.m. Saturday at Emporia State’s Welch Stadium. But not before four days of intense practice at their respective camps in Hutch and Ottawa.
For the Salina contingent, the free time between workouts and meetings was an opportunity to connect, reconnect and reminisce.

Jaxon Myers
“We’re all from near each other, so we kind of know each other, or we’ve heard of each other,” said Myers, a standout wide receiver at South. “We’ve got some pretty good dudes in Salina.
“It’s not just us, but there’s a lot more that could have been here.”
While Reves, an all-state running back, and Delgado helped lead Central to a 12-1 record and its first state title since 2005, Myers was part of a struggling South team that suddenly caught fire in the playoffs after a 1-7 regular season. Road victories in the first two rounds led to the Cougars’ first postseason showdown with their crosstown rivals since 2004.
“That was one of the craziest football games I’ve been a part of in my entire life, just from the fan bases to everything building up to it,” Delgado said of Central’s 49-24 victory after trailing 17-14 at halftime. “But as of right now, it’s really just trying to soak everything in, going to college, and we’re all going on to different opportunities.”
“Some people are playing ball, some people are doing other things, but we’re really all just trying to get to know each other, build some connections and embrace it.”
While Myers’ memories of the playoff game aren’t as fond as those of his rivals, he said it spoke to the mutual respect the teams shared amid all the hoopla.
“It was fun, but not fun at the same time,” said Myers, who did catch a touchdown pass in the game. “You want to win those types of games and you want to keep the Cinderella story going, but they’re a tough team and they won state, so it’s not much you can do about that.”
“You’ve got to eat it from time to time, but this is a part of the game, and it’s all respect. We all respect each other.”
Myers, a Class 5A all-state selection by KSHSAA Covered, caught 45 passes for 871 yards and 10 touchdowns in just nine games for South as a senior. He will play at Garden City Community College this fall.
“Jaxon’s been killing it,” Reves said of Myers’ early West camp practices.

Cooper Reves
Reves, a KSHSAA Covered Top 11 selection and first team 5A pick, knows a little about killing it. As a senior, he rushed for 2,814 yards and 32 touchdowns, including 243 with four scores in the Mustangs’ 51-34 state championship victory over Basehor-Linwood.
Reves also caught 28 passes for 256 yards and another touchdown to finish with 3,070 total yards for the season.
Reves is not the only KSHSAA Covered Top 11 pick representing Salina. Chambers, a 6-foot-1, 285-pound lineman, helped Southeast of Saline to a Class 2A runner-up finish, one game shy of a second straight state championship. While also starting on the offensive line, he had 85 tackles, including 17 for loss, for the 12-1 Trojans.
And then there’s Delgado, the heart of Central’s defense, a first team 5A all-state selection, who had 145 tackles, 21.5 for loss, a sack and an interception in the Mustangs’ championship run.
Among the Salina players, there are several unique connections.
Cooper Reves and Jesus Delgado: One last game together
Delgado, who has signed with Butler Community College in El Dorado, will play his final game alongside Reves, who is headed to Northern Iowa on a wrestling scholarship after winning two state titles at Central.
“Having that state championship, there’s not really much like it,” Reves said. “I feel like me and Jesus were leaders, and we kind of felt like we’d take that role on this year.”
“Just having someone like that next to you the whole way and being able to bring each other up and be there for each other has been great.”
Good memories, indeed, Delgado agreed.
“Early on, when we got (to camp), we were kind of chatting about what it’s going to be like in a different environment,” he said. “We’ve been looking back on old memories, videos and things like that with the guys.
Jesus Delgado and Jaxon Myers: Teammates for just one game
For Delgado and Myers, their history as rivals also represents the future. After teaming up in the Shrine Bowl, they are headed back to rival camps in the Jayhawk Conference.
“He’s like, ‘Some things just never change.’ But right now, for one week, we’ll just let it slide,” Delgado said with a smile. “What some of the guys are doing is putting some of the other team’s decals on their helmets. It might be the only time I agree to put some of the other guys’ decals on.”
Myers, for his part, isn’t too worried about future rivalries.
“It’s fun not having to go against them just because of how good they are and seeing how hard they work,” he said. “It’s a lot different, but it’s fun watching them play.”
Appreciating success at different levels
While South and Central were doing their thing, including the historic playoff clash, they were not too busy to appreciate what Chambers, all-state running back Grady Gebhardt and Southeast of Saline were accomplishing just 15 miles away near Gypsum.
“They’ve been successful, and I think Brody’s been a big part of that,” Reves said. “He’s a good dude and amazing athlete.”
Chambers has something else in common with Reves as a two-time state wrestling champion, and he played both football and baseball with Delgado growing up.
Like his South and Central counterparts, Chambers kept an eye on their postseason successes.

Brody Chambers
“It was definitely fun to watch Central’s run to the state championship and winning it,” said Chambers, who will continue his football career at Grand View University, a high-level NAIA school. “We kind of came up short, unfortunately, but it was really cool that we had two Salina teams I the state championship.”
“We didn’t watch any of the games because we were still focused on us, but I did see a whole bunch of Facebook stuff about (the South-Central playoff game), and we were excited for them. We root for each other since we’re not in the same division.”
Proud to represent Salina in Shrine Bowl
When the final whistle blows at the Shrine Bowl on Saturday, Delgado, Reves, Myers and Chambers all will go their separate ways.
But not before proudly representing their hometown.
“It’s awesome to say that we have four guys from Salina be on this team when there’s only 40 guys from around the state,” Reves said. “So, that’s 10% of the team just from Salina.
“It says we have the right people doing the right things, and I think that’s pretty special.”
Kansas
Chicken chain expanding to Kansas and five other Midwest states
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Colorado-based chicken restaurant Birdcall is expanding into Kansas.
The company announced Friday its plans to expand into Kansas and five other Midwestern states over the next five years. Birdcall plans to add six to eight fast-casual restaurants in Wichita and Topeka.
“The Midwest represents a tremendous opportunity for Birdcall,” CEO Mark Lohmann said. “From our award-winning chicken sandwiches and other handcrafted menu offerings to our commitment to innovation and community, we believe Birdcall offers an experience that resonates with today’s guests and is a natural fit for the region.”
Other locations announced are:
- Indiana – 10 to 15 restaurants across Indianapolis, Bloomington, Evansville and Fort Wayne
- Missouri – Up to 18 restaurants across St. Louis, Columbia, and Kansas City
- Nebraska – Seven to 10 restaurants across Omaha and Lincoln
- Ohio – Up to 20 restaurants across Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Toledo
- Wisconsin – 10 to 15 restaurants across Milwaukee, Madison and Appleton
Birdcall’s menu features a variety of chicken sandwiches, chicken fingers and nuggets, salads, tater tots, fries, and more. The restaurant also makes its own in-house sauces and serves up draft beer and house-made margaritas, with happy hour specials.
The company said each restaurant will use self-service kiosks and occupy about 2,300 square feet, with indoor and outdoor seating that can serve up to 150 people.
Birdcall currently operates 17 restaurants across Colorado, Arizona and Texas.
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Kansas
Video shows disruption during Osawatomie City Council meeting with data center developer
KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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A video shared by a viewer, shows a resident speaking at the Osawatomie, Kansas City Council meeting being escorted out by police on Thursday evening.
The video shows a man holding a “Hell No Alcove” sign, while commenting about a blighted property, which according to public records is owned by Pacific Apartments, LLC, operating out of the same address as Alcove Development in Lawrence, Kansas.
KSHB 41
Alcove Development is behind the effort to build a $1 billion, 283-acre data center development in Osawatomie’s northland property.
The video, shared by a viewer, goes on the show two law enforcement officers approaching the individual, who is Lee Brewer, at the podium, after he begins to yell, while the crowd joins in behind him. Lee Brewer reached out to KSHB 41 late Thursday night, identifying himself as the person who was escorted out.
Osawatomie, Kansas Police Chief Dave Stutteville is seen in the video also approaching the man.
Fabian Rosales/KSHB
KSHB 41 Miami County Reporter Ryan Gamboa reached out to the Police Chief, City Manager, and Mayor Nick Hampson for comment late on Thursday night and is waiting on a response.
Residents in contact with Gamboa attending the meeting shared the meeting was still in session after 9:30 p.m.
Thursday night’s meeting was the city and Alcove Development’s attempt at sharing potential benefits of a data center for the community.
Gamboa has long covered the data center project in Osawatomie, Kansas — and neighbors to the project have voiced their opposition to the proposed development.
Brian Luton/KSHB
This is the first time Alcove Development has approached the public, but not the first time it has worked with the city of Osawatomie.
In late 2025, Alcove Development approached the city with the project and weeks later, a pre-development agreement was signed giving Alcove exclusive rights to the development for three years.
But city council meeting records from 2023 show, the city of Osawatomie entered into a pre-development agreement with Alcove Development to redevelop a property known as Old Swenson School.
Alcove Development had six months to asses the condition of the property and determine a course of action for redevelopment, and the overall agreement would last 18 months, according to public records.
Will Shaw/KSHB
The pre-development agreements states, Alcove would consider asking for tax breaks on the project, including utilizing the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.
At the time, the property had sat in disrepair since 2016, according to the records, and was frequently found in violation of city code.
If the re-development were to fall through, the city would be on the hook to purchase the property from the developer for $25,000, with unclear total costs for infrastructure improvements.
KSHB 41
KSHB 41 will follow up on the status on this project at a later date.
Earlier this week, Miami County Reporter Ryan Gamboa, sat down with Donna Ingram who doesn’t live far from the data center site.
Ingram expressed her concerns about the amount of infrastructure that would be built to operate a data center, and how it might overtake the land around her home.
Ryan Gamboa/KSHB
She expressed concerns because the City of Osawtomie changed the public comment guidelines of a promise town hall with the developer.
“Watching this process play out is disheartening,” Ingram said in an interview on Monday. “A town hall was promised that didn’t come to fruition… I don’t believe it’s the definition. This is a city council meeting. We’re the ones that are gonna live next to it. We’re the ones that live in the path of the infrastructure.”
The city told KSHB 41 on Monday in a statement, they changed the format to prioritize the voices of city taxpayers, as county taxpayers have dominated the public comment periods over the past couple of months.
Brian Luton/KSHB
Mayor Nick Hampson also told Gamboa in an earlier interview he was hoping to have a productive “town hall” — instead, the first meeting with the public and the developer of the project was during a formal and regularly scheduled city council meeting.
The city also required residents to submit questions ahead of time, and the city would filter questions to the developer, while limiting public comment to three minutes.
“We have been and will continue to hear from the residents that are in the county and closest to this project,” Hampson told KSHB 41 in an email on Monday.
Miami County, Kansas
Residents shared a record to KSHB 41, submitted to the city for a formal investigation into 1009 Pacific Avenue in Osawatomie, which is owned by a company operating out of Alcove Development’s address.
The dilapidated property is the a former school house, that sits with broken windows, and other parts of the building breaking down.
The Miami County Republic reporting on Thursday, the city launched an investigation into the building.
Ryan Gamboa/KSHB
Residents cite the buildings deteriorating condition and potential danger to the public, and lack of property maintenance.
Lee Brewer issued a comment regarding the incident at Thursday night’s meeting, stating he was escorted out after the Mayor closed public comment, and he was not on the list.
Brewer told KSHB 41, he has a time -stamped email of pre-submitted questions ahead of the meeting. KSHB 41 asked Brewer to review the email, and is waiting for an answer.
I am severely disappointed in our Mayor and the city council. They told us we were required to send in an email with our questions and our address to prove we were citizens of the town by Wednesday the 24th at noon. I have my email which is timestamped at 10:26 a.m. Wednesday the 24th. They shut me down and first told me I didn’t put the email in and then once I was kicked out of there I was told by people coming out that they were told I turned in my email too late. I’m not a math teacher but last time I looked at my clock 10:26 a.m. falls just over an hour and a half before noon. I mean correct me if I’m wrong. I thought because the mayor and I were having decent conversations on Facebook Messenger, whereas I would ask him questions and he would answer to the best of his ability. And I would thank him I thought we were pretty cordial. So to basically call me a liar in front of the entire town on video recording, take away my freedom of speech My first amendment right, and have me removed from a public building was completely wrong I am very disappointed in our city council and mayor. When I approached the podium all I was trying to do was point out that resolution number 1169 in Osawatomie Kansas refers to Alcove development LLC being the owner of the old Swenson School at 1009 Pacific. As I pointed out in these earlier messages to you Alcove has left this building dilapidated in ruins and a danger to our community. Our great city council and mayor seem to have other plans for me being able to speak though.
Lee Brew, via Facebook to KSHB 41 News
KSHB 41 reached out to Alcove Development late on Thursday night, and is waiting on a response.
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