Success and Olpe’s girls sports have gone hand in hand for decades upon decades.

The girls’ basketball team has been one of the most successful small-school programs in the state, producing Kansas’ all-time coaching wins leader in Jesse Nelson, who guided the Eagles to four state championships and racked up 951 victories while losing only 111 games.
 
Olpe also has a pair of state volleyball titles and has produced individual state champions in cross country and track.
 
So it was only a matter of time before the latest girls’ sport to be offered, softball, began to experience success. The program, which began seven years ago as a co-op with Hartford and still plays under the Southern Lyon County name, has finally gotten there this year.
 
After sweeping Lyndon 6-0 and 13-12 last Thursday, South Lyon County is 10-0 this season, far and away the best start the program has ever had.
 
“I think they started to see it last year,” Olpe coach Scott Steinke said. “We were finally getting the pieces together. Most of these girls I’d coached since they were in the third and fourth grade. So we saw it coming.”
 
In the first three years of the program, Southern Lyon County won a total of four games. Steinke took over as head coach two years ago and the team matched that total with five wins. Last year, they more than doubled that win total, finishing with an 11-12 mark, falling 9-0 to Central Heights in the regional semifinals.
 
Eight starters returned off that team, however, giving the program a bit of momentum coming into this season. Southern Lyon County had never started a season better than 2-0, that occurring last year, but things have been quite different this season.
 
Southern Lyon County’s offense has been a major catalyst. The team has scored 13 or more runs in nine of its 10 games and is averaging 15.8 runs per game. 
 
“The girls are just hitting the ball really well right now,” Steinke said. “They’re being aggressive on the basepaths and making the right plays, not forcing things.”
 
While Southern Lyon County has gotten production up and down the lineup, Steinke cited the play of four-year senior starters Addy Wright, a catcher, and Kayla Steinke, a shortstop and pitcher, as well as the pitching exploits of sophomore Adrianna Weeden, who threw a shutout against Lyndon, and hitting of sophomore Taitlyn Cole.
 
“There are so many I could mention,” Steinke said. “These girls have exceeded my expectations. They’re fighting their tails off and just working hard to do the right things.”
 
With sweeps of Yates Center, Eureka, Burlingame, Colony-Crest and Lyndon on the ledger, Southern Lyon County has its biggest tests ahead of it, beginning with a doubleheader Thursday against Burlington. On May 4, the program will face Mission Valley, a perennial power that is currently undefeated.
 
But Steinke is eager to see how his team will stack up given the turnaround it has already enjoyed.
 
“They were frustrated how last year ended, so they’re putting their nose to the ground and they’re seeing the benefits of their hard work,” he said. “We aren’t taking any of our games lightly and we’ve definitely got Mission Valley circled and West Franklin will be good as well. Being 10-0, people are going to give us their best shot. They’re going to come at us.”
 

 
OTHER SOFTBALL STANDOUTS

• Southeast of Saline’s Karlee Zurfluh threw three straight no-hitters, getting them against Republic County, Sacred Heart and Chapman. Zurfluh is 6-0 with a 0.00 ERA this season for the Trojans, who are 9-1.

 

• Mission Valley is 10-0 this season and has outscored its opponents 160-13. The Vikings are hitting .455 as a team led by Maddie Kraus’ .594 average with Kai Jacobson and Annie Bryan each hitting .571. Kraus also has a 1.65 ERA and picked up her 400th career strikeout earlier in the season.
• Topeka High knocked off Class 6A No. 1 Olathe West 6-3 and then followed that win up with a 13-4 win over perennial power Olathe Northwest. Taimane Isaia had 3 home runs and 2 doubles with 4 RBI in the two games while Campbell Dawson was 5 for 7 with a home run, 2 doubles and 6 RBI and also got the win against West. Becca Gateley was 6 for 7 with 2 doubles a triple and 2 RBI.
• Washburn Rural is 10-2 with a 6-0 record in Centennial League games, getting sweeps of Topeka High, Emporia and Hayden. Olivia Koch is hitting .528 with 4 doubles and 6 triples. She’s broken Rural’s 31-year-old school record for career triples in the sweep of Topeka High in late March and has 20 in her career. She has 20 runs scored and is 12 for 12 in stolen bases. In the circle, she’s 5-0 with a 2.10 ERA and 20 strikeouts.
• Santa Fe Trail is off to a strong start, sitting 9-1. Gretchen Huizenga is 4-0 with 2 shutouts so far this season. She’s also 6 strikeouts away from 200 and has hit 3 home runs, pushing her school-record total to 17 career dingers. Huizinga is hitting .500 with 11 RBI while Trinity Fawl leads the team with a .529 average, 4 doubles, 2 triples and 15 RBI.

 

• Rock Creek is 12-2 with its only losses coming to Wamego and Chapman. Brynna Zoeller went 3-1 last week in the Mustangs’ 8-game week, striking out 32. She has an ERA of 0.85 this season and hasn’t walked a batter. Hailey Lies had 17 hits, 4 home runs and 10 RBI in the eight-game stretch while Acelyn Rottinghaus was 3-1 with 22 strikeouts and also hit 2 home runs.

 

 

• Council Grove’s Neenah Hesterman is hitting .556 with a .806 slugging percentage and .660 on-base percentage. She leads the Braves in hits (20) and extra-base hits and has driven in 15 and scored 24 run. Against Remington, she came up just a home run shy of hitting for the cycle and had 5 RBI and 3 runs scored. In the circle, freshman Aubrey McEuen had a huge week, striking out 81 batters in just 39 innings, including 15 against Herington, 13 against West Franklin, 14 against Remington and 11 against Northern Heights, that coming in a four-inning no-hitter. She is 6-1 and also has a save and is hitting .541 with 17 RBI, 20 runs scored and 16 stolen bases.
• Emporia’s Alivia Barrett got her 300th career strikeout against Highland Park. She has 39 strikeouts this season and is 3-3. Yzabel Ultreras went 4 for 6 against Junction City with a triple, 4 RBI, 3 runs scored and 2 stolen bases. The performance upped her season average to .630 and she’s driven in 17 with 2 homers this season.
• Perry-Lecompton went 4-0 last week with Olivia Hart recording all four wins in the circle. She struck out 19 in 28 innings and this season is hitting .372. Macie Corcoran was 8 for 15 for the week and is hitting .489 this season with 6 home runs. Jolie Corcoran was 8 for 16 for the week and Paxton Damme was 7 for 18 and had the game-winning hit in the second game with Holton. Ziva Rockhold hit .375 for the week.
• Seaman’s Lydia Dreher went 2-0 last week and also hit a pair of home runs, including a grand slam.
• Abilene’s Joelle Nichols hit .667 last week with four extra-base hits and 7 RBI. Josie Keener hit .529 with 5 extra-base hits and 10 runs while Hallie Johnson was 2-0 with a save, striking out 28.