CLASS 3A SOFTBALL CAPSULES
 

 
BAXTER SPRINGS
 
Coach: Aaron Roberts
 
Record: 17-10 (No. 7 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Prairie View, 12-2; beat Jayhawk-Linn, 18-3; beat Osawatomie, 19-6.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. (2: Haven, 27-2), 3 p.m. Monday at Trusler Sports Complex, Emporia
 
Key Players: No information submitted by coach.
 
Worth noting: Baxter Springs making first trip to state since 1993. ... Lions have six state appearances overall, including a runner-up finish in 1991 when Class 5-1A were all in the same tournament. ... Lions also finished fourth in 1990 and 1986 both showings coming when all classifications were in one state tournament.
 

 
COLBY
 
Coach: Tucker Branum
 
Record: 21-6 (No. 6 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Holcomb, 16-1; beat Beloit, 10-4; beat Scott City, 13-2.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Silver Lake (3: 25-4), 5 p.m. Monday at Salina South
 
Key Players: Sadie Cheney, sr., U; Ryler Carter, jr., P; Myka Nolan, so., 1B; Morgan Hills, jr., U; Ellie McCarthy, fr.; Madi Hull, sr.
 
Worth noting: Trip to state is second straight for Eagles, who fell in quarterfinals to eventual state champion Frontenac last year. … Eagles were Great West Activities Conference champions for second straight year. … Eagles swept fellow 3A qualifier Lakin. … Two of losses came to 2-1A qualifier TMP-Marian and another came to 3A qualifier Haven. … Eagles beat league rival Scott City three times this season. … Carter is 19-3 with a 1.81 ERA and 154 strikeouts, going 3-0 in regionals with a 1.16 ERA and 16 strikeouts. … She’s also hitting .458 with 2 home runs and 31 RBI. … Nolan is hitting .552 with 2 home runs and 35 rBI. … Hills is hitting .506 with 7 home runs and 30 RBI. … Cheney is hitting .409 with 3 home runs and 35 RBI. … McCarty hit .636 at regionals with 9 RBI. … Hull had two key pinch hits at regionals. … Hills hit two of her homers in regional play.
 

 
FRONTENAC
 
Coach: Jess Murhpy
 
Record: 21-4 (No. 4 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Anderson County, 25-2; beat Iola, 11-1; beat West Franklin, 18-8.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Jefferson West (5: 21-6), 2 p.m. Monday at Baker University, Baldwin City
 
Key Players: Gracen McLaren, 2B; Stevi Likely, CF; Paige Unruh, SS; Ace Ogle, P; Hadley Goodwin, P/3B; Hayden Goodwin, 1B/P.
 
Worth noting: Raiders captured fifth state championship last year and second straight, beating Silver Lake in the championship game for the second straight year. … Raiders also claimed 3A state titles in 2022 and 2019 and a 4A Division II state crown in 2016. … Murphy took over program this year after Cassie Rhuems, who led Raiders to their state titles, took head coaching job at CNC rival St. Mary’s Colgan. … Raiders started season 0-2 with losses to Colgan, a 2-1A state qualifier, before winning 15 straight games. … Only other losses have come to 4A qualifier Fort Scott and Mt. Vernon (Mo.). … Raiders swept fellow 3A qualifier Baxter Springs 10-0 and 24-3. … Raiders have outscored their opponents 293-76.
 

 
HAVEN
 
Coach: Darin Ashworth
 
Record: 27-2 (No. 2 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Fredonia, 19-0; beat Halstead, 11-4; beat Osage City, 9-4.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Baxter Springs (7: 17-10), 3 p.m. Monday at Trusler Sports Complex, Emporia
 
Key Players: Avery Brawner, sr., P; Morgan O’Neal, sr., SS; Mayzie Warden, sr., CF; Paige O’Neal, fr., P; .
 
Worth noting: Haven returns to state for the first time since 2023 when the Wildcats finished third in Class 3A. … Wildcats have played in 10 regional championships in the last 11 seasons and have won eight of those. … State trip is 11th overall for the program. … Haven finished as state runner-up in Class 4A Division II in 2016 and 2017 and has third-place finishes in 3A in 2007, 2018, 2021 and 2023. … Wildcats won Central Kansas League title for the sixth time in the last eight seasons. … Haven has wins over fellow 3A qualifier Colby and 2-1A qualifiers TMP-Marian and Inman and four wins total against teams with 20-plus wins and 11 against teams with 15-plus wins. … Wildcats are 17-2 against teams with winning records with losses coming to TMP-Marian and Pratt. … Program picked up its 500th career win this season. … Brawner is 15-1 with a 2.76 ERA, 125 strikeouts and a 2.76 ERA. … She’s also hitting .465 with 4 home runs, 4 triples, 39 RBI and 48 runs scored. … She has 561 career strikeouts and a 76-11 career record. … Morgan O’Neal is hitting .451 with 6 home runs, 43 RBI and 43 runs scored and has also walked 31 times. ... She has 21 career homers and a .472 career average. … Warden is hitting .432 and has 42 RBI. … Paige O’Neal is 11-1 with a 1.84 ERA, 97 strikeouts and 3 saves. … She homered in the regional semifinal and championship games and has 4 this season with 37 RBI.
 

 
JEFFERSON WEST
 
Coach: Maddy Barger
 
Record: 21-6 (No. 5 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Sabetha, 12-2; beat Oskaloosa, 2-1; beat Nemaha Central, 3-2.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Frontenac (4: 21-4), 2 p.m. Monday at Baker University, Baldwin City
 
Key Players: Harriet Dean, jr., SS/P; Emmie Dean, so., SS/2B; Addison Schwinn, sr., P/1B; Taryn Taylor, sr., C; Joslynn Sutton, sr., CF; Ashley Moser, sr., OF; Megan Malone, sr.
 
Worth noting: Tigers return to state for the second straight year after ending a 10-year drought with last year’s appearance. … Previous state trip came in 2015 when Tigers captured the Class 4A Division II state championship. … Tigers also took third in 2014. … Barger was on state title team and is in second year as head coach in return to her alma mater. … Tigers lost in state quarterfinals last year to Burlington, 9-0. … Tigers swept 6A Olathe South this season. … Tigers started season 0-3 with two of those losses coming to 2-1A qualifier Rossville. … Only other losses came to fellow 3A qualifier and Big East League rival Silver Lake (twice) and 4A Tonganoxie. … West survived loaded regional, knocking off last year’s 2-1A champion Oskaloosa in the semifinals before edging Nemaha Central in finals for third win over Thunder this season. … Schwinn has emerged as ace with 116 strikeouts and tied an 11-year-old school record with 15 against Nemaha in the regular season. … She struck out 13 in the regional semifinal win over Oskaloosa. … Moser has been errorless in the outfield. … Harriet Dean tied the single-seaosn home run record with 5. … Malone leads team in doubles with 10 and also in walks.
 

 
LAKIN
 
Coach: Logan Litton
 
Record: 15-12 (No. 8 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Goodland, 4-3; beat Southwestern Heights, 3-2; beat Cimarron, 7-2.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Southeast of Saline (1: 24-1), 1 p.m. Monday at Salina South
 
Key Players: Taybree Lohman-Fuller, jr., 1B; Sara Martinez, sr., C/2B/OF; Lileah Villa, jr., SS; Kiah Beymer, fr., P/3B.
 
Worth noting: Broncs upset No. 1 seeded Southwestern Heights in regional finals, handing the Mustangs just their second loss of the season. … Only previous trip to state came in 2003 when Lakin lost in quarterfinals to eventual state champion St. Marys. … After graduating eight seniors off last year’s team and taking on a new head coach in Litton, Broncs got this season off to slow start, going 1-9 in first 10 games. … Broncs have gone 14-3 since with one of three losses in that stretch coming to Cimarron team Lakin knocked off in regional finals. … Lakin has had three games where it has scored more than 20 runs, including a 35-12 win over Ulysses for the lone win in its tough season-opening stretch that included 16-1, 9-0 losses to Southwestern Heights. … Beymer has been impact freshman in the circle and at the plate, owning a 2.89 ERA with 106 strikeouts as a pitcher and hitting .467. … Lohman-Fuller is hitting .333 with 23 RBI. … Villa is hitting .315 and Martinez is hitting .307.
 

 
SILVER LAKE
 
Coach: Nick Hamilton
 
Record: 25-4 (No. 3 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Holton, 6-0; beat Perry-Lecompton, 6-0; beat Hiawatha, 12-2.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Colby (6: 21-6), 5 p.m. Monday at Salina South
 
Key Players: Kailyn Hanni, sr., CF; Riley Mohler, jr., P; Taylor Swygert, sr., C.
 
Worth noting: Eagles were state runner-up a year ago for the second straight year, falling 2-1 to Frontenac in the state championship game. … They also lost to Frontenac in 2024 state title game, 3-0. … Eagles have 29 state appearances in the program’s 36-year history. … Silver Lake has 13 state championships in program history, the last coming in 2018. … That capped a run where the Eagles claimed seven state titles between 2004-2018. … Silver Lake won five state titles from 1992-1996, the first of those coming in Class 5-1A. … Eagles also have six runner-up state finishes. … Eagles were Big East League champions this year with an 18-2 league mark, the losses coming to Holton and 2-1A qualifier Rossville. … Other two losses came to 4A qualifier Wamego and Eagles swept fellow 3A qualifier Jefferson West 3-2 and 7-3. … Hanni is hitting team-best .495 among regulars with 43 runs scored and 22 stolen bases. … Swygert is hitting .417 and Mohler .409 with Swygert hitting 7 home runs and driving in 39. … Paige Heiman has 4 home runs and 27 RBI while Mohler has 28 RBI and Savanah Wende has 3 home runs and 30 RBI. … Saylor Liggatt has 33 RBI and 35 runs scored. … Mohler has also stepped in as the Eagles’ ace and struck out 113 with a 1.68 ERA. … Eagles are hitting .374 as a team and have scored 265 runs.
 

 
SOUTHEAST OF SALINE
 
Coach: Tyler Smith
 
Record: 24-1 (No. 1 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Herington, 16-0; beat Hesston, 6-0; beat Trinity Academy, 3-2.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Lakin (8: 15-12), 1 p.m. Monday at Salina South
 
Key Players: Reese Heinrich, so., SS; Kyiah Samuelson, so., OF; Karlee Zurfluh, jr., P; Ashley Whelchel, jr., 3B.
 
Worth noting: After narrowly missing out on second straight state berth last year, falling in regional finals to Silver Lake, Trojans return to state this season. … Trip to state is 19th in program history. … Best state finish was runner-up in 2003 in Class 3A. … Trojans swept 4A qualifier Chapman and beat another 4A qualifier McPherson. … Trojans were North Central Activities Association champions, going undefeated in league play. … Only loss came to Clay Center/Wakefield in the second doubleheader of the season and Trojans have won 21 straight since. … Zurfluh is one of top pitchers in the state and has a 0.37 ERA with 132 strikeouts. … She had 19 strikeouts in the regional wins over Hesston and 2025 3A qualifier Trinity Academy. … Hannah Thiel threw a perfect game in the regional quarterfinal against Herington. … Heinrich is the engine of the offense and leads the team in hits, stolen bases, RBI and runs scored. … She’s hitting .478 with 27 RBI and 47 stolen bases. … Samuelson has 22 RBI and 28 stolen bases. .. Whelchel is hitting .433 with 22 RBI. … Zurfluh also has hit 3 home runs. … Smith has lead program to 46-6 mark the past two seasons.