Southeast of Saline coach Tyler Smith has an interesting take on his Trojans’ postseason approach as they chase the school’s first-ever state championship.

“It doesn’t take anything from me. We’re the prisoners running the asylum,” he said with a smile following top seed Southeast’s 7-0 Class 3A state quarterfinal victory over Lakin on Monday at Salina South High School. “It’s they who take care of everything, honestly.”

And take care of business is exactly what the Trojans did in pushing their season record to 25-1 and punching their ticket to Wednesday’s semifinals at KU-Arrocha Ballpark in Lawrence.

Head coach Tyler Smith

“Today I said less before the game (and) I did less during the game, because you don’t need me at this point.”

While Smith downplayed his role, the victory over No. 8 seed Lakin was emblematic of Southeast’s entire season: clutch pitching, timely hitting and an all-out assault on the base paths.

Junior Karlee Zurfluh pitched masterfully, especially in working out of a first-inning jam that saw Lakin put runners at second and third with nobody out. Two strikeouts and a bunt lined softly to charging third baseman Ashley Whelchel kept the Broncs off the board.

Junior Karlee Zurfluh

“I had faith in our defense, and I had faith in me to just make the plays that we did to hold their runners to the bases, that we could get out of that perfectly fine,” said Zurfluh, who now has allowed just two runs in three postseason games. “I have a great defense behind me, so I know I can throw strikes, get the ball in play and get those grounders and pop flies.

“I know that they’re going to catch the ball and I know they’re going to make plays for me.”

Except for an error on a leadoff single that spelled trouble in the first inning, Southeast’s defense was flawless the rest of the way. Zurfluh, who allowed just three singles, helped her own cause by striking out 11 while walking two and hitting one batter.

“We were in that similar jam in our regional final against Wichita Trinity after giving up two runs, but you just looked at Karlee and Karlee was just calm,” Smith said of the first-inning escape. “We understood that a run or two early is not going to kill us, and then Zurf just did what she does.

“She buckled in.”

While Lakin came up empty to start the game, Southeast took advantage of its opportunities in the bottom of the first inning with speed and aggressive base running. Shortstop Reese Heinrich drew a leadoff walk and advanced on a passed ball, then got the Trojans on the board by scoring all the second on Kyiah Samuelson’s bunt single.

Samuelson, who advanced to second on the throw home, then scored in similar fashion on Annebelle Soell’s sacrifice bunt.

“With Reese, I was waving (her home),” Smith said. “Kyiah, I had no idea, and Kyiah just read that, and it was on her.

“I try to give them as much freedom in between the lines as they can have. You can X and O things, but at some point you’ve got to let athletes be athletes, and Kyiah was just that. She saw it, she knew it, and I thought that was huge for us.”

The early runs allowed Zurfluh to be equally aggressive in the circle.

“That’s super big, especially at the top with Kyiah and Reese,” Zurfluh said. “They’re like two peas in a pod. They work so well together.

“Reese always either a base hit or gets a walk, and she rarely strikes out.”

The Trojans added two more in the second inning, thanks to a leadoff triple by Hannah Thiel, followed by a walk to Paedyn Merrill in which she hustled to second base before Laking could react. Madelyn McFadden drove in the first run with a ground out to second, and Heinrich’s sacrifice fly plated the second.

Thiel, a sophomore, had a big day at the plate with the triple and an RBI double to highlight a two-run fifth inning.

Sophomore Hannah Thiel

“I’ve been working a lot at practice and working a lot at home to try to get my swing down for this postseason,” said Thiel, who also alternated with Zurfluh at pitcher during regular season doubleheaders, but now is slotted in at first base. “I guess I just kind of locked in today.”

Next up for Southeast is an 11 a.m. semifinal matchup Wednesday with No. 5 seed Jefferson County West (22-6), which edged two-time defending champion Frontenac, 4-2, in eight innings Monday at Baker University.

Regardless of Wednesday’s outcome, the Trojans know they now have two games left. They either will play for third place at 3 p.m. Thursday or for a championship at 1:30 p.m. Friday.

“Honestly, after (the regional final against) Wichita Trinity, we just kind of said the pressure’s off now, and the state tournament is fun. The expectations are just to go and have fun.

“Obviously, everybody wants to win a state title, but if you need to motivate your team to go win a state title, there’s something wrong. The girls know what’s up for grabs and they know the opportunities they have.”

The Trojans have reached the state championship game just once before, falling 5-0 to St. Marys in the 2003 final. They also finished third in 1993, 1996 and 2002.

The competition only gets tougher now that there are four teams remaining. The other semifinal has No. 2 seed Haven (28-2) against No. 3 Silver Lake (26-4) on Wednesday.

“It puts a lot of pressure, but it really tests our level of play,” Zurfluh said of reaching the final four. “It tests us to see where we’re at.

“If we do lose, oh well, we’ve still got the third and fourth place game. And if we win, that’s great.”