With only one senior on the roster and a lineup filled with inexperienced players, the Southeast of Saline softball team entered the season with questions surrounding how quickly the younger players would develop.
Instead, the Trojans have turned youth into one of their biggest strengths.
Southeast of Saline has stormed to a 21-1 record, captured the NCAA league title with a perfect 12-0 mark and earned the No. 1 seed in its regional tournament. What has stood out most, however, is the chemistry that has developed within the team.
“We are an extremely young team with only one senior,” said head coach Tyler Smith. “The last two seasons we had large graduating classes of seven in each class, so we had a lot of spots to fill with inexperienced players. Each one of our young players has not only met expectations, but exceeded them.”
That growth has helped create what the coach described as a “family feel” around the program, something that has fueled the Trojans’ success throughout the spring.
“There is a family feel to the team which has propelled us to a 21-1 start and the 1-seed in our region,” Smith said.
While the record has been impressive, Southeast of Saline believes one of its most important moments came in defeat. An early-season loss exposed weaknesses the team needed to address, and the response helped shape the Trojans into a more complete ballclub.
“Our only goal is to play our best ball in May,” Smith said. “An early-season loss exposed some weaknesses that we had and the team accepted constructive criticism and has turned that loss into one of the most valuable experiences of the season.”
Rather than focusing on postseason pressure or outside expectations, the Trojans have emphasized controlling what they can control as the playoffs approach.
“We want to keep playing our best ball as late-May and the postseason approach,” Smith said. “We want to stay focused on playing against the ball — controlling what we can control and let the chips fall where they may.”
Southeast of Saline has been led by standout performances from several underclassmen, including junior pitcher Karlee Zurfluh and sophomore shortstop Reese Heinrich.
Zurfluh has dominated in the circle with a 14-0 record, a 0.26 ERA and 113 strikeouts. Heinrich has provided a spark offensively and on the bases, batting .492 with a 1.372 OPS, one home run, 23 RBIs and 46 stolen bases.
The Trojans’ success has become even more meaningful considering the uncertainty surrounding the program before the season began. According to the coach, several upperclassmen chose not to play this spring, leaving the team searching for answers during the preseason.
“We had numerous upperclassmen decide not to play this season,” Smith said. “As we held preseason meetings I told the team that, ‘Those who will stay will be champions.’”
