There's not much Conway softball coach Chad Longing knows about today's opponent in the first round of the Class 7A state tournament that's not listed on the bracket.
"The only thing I know about Fort Smith Southside is that they're a sixth seed," Longing said. "I've never seen them or heard anything about them. ... We're just focused on what we need to do."
One certainty is the Lady Cats (19-8) and Lady Rebels are scheduled to meet at 5:45 p.m. today at Arkansas Tech in Russellville. Regardless of how well the opponent is known, the objective remains the same.
"There's 12 teams in this thing, and I expect them all to be competitive," Longing said. "We're going to have to be sharp and play our game to the best of our ability."
Conway finished as the third seed in the 7A-Central, after finishing as a No. 4 seed last season. But a couple of late-season losses prevented the Lady Cats from finishing where they had hoped.
"A 3 seed never satisfies us," Longing said. "... I'm satisfied in that we played through some adversity, and I'm really pleased with how we responded to the injury bug. I'm almost certain this bunch could have been better than a 3 seed.
"I'm glad we responded and answered the challenge, but I'm not satisfied with where we finished."
Wednesday's game against North Little Rock could have been for a share of the conference title had Conway won the previous two games. Longing, though, isn't worried about that dropping the team's confidence heading into the postseason.
"I think our mindset is fine," Longing said. "The girls have been laid back, laughing and have really been working hard. Coaches sometimes take it harder than the players, though."
That's especially true when Longing examines the bracket. Should the Lady Cats win today, they'd meet Bentonville in the second round Saturday.
"To me, the bracket is strong top to bottom," Longing said. "If you look at the teams, you're kind of splitting hairs right now. It's literally going to come down to pitching and who makes the fewest mistakes."
Longing's also hoping for more production than what he's seen in recent days.
"The last couple of games, the middle of the order hasn't really produced," Longing said. "Whenever (leadoff hitter) Tia Houston gets on base, we score. Our 3, 4 and 5 hitters have a job to do. ... In order for us to be successful, we're going to need those players to be on."
If enough of the Lady Cat players are on, then a rematch with the Lady Tigers would be next. Conway battled Bentonville in the Lady Cat Invitational earlier in the season.
"We had them for awhile, but unfortunately we didn't come out on top," Longing said. "You better be ready when you play them. They'll be a very big challenge. We'll have to be ready to go."
Wins, though, aren't the only thing the Lady Cats are striving for. Having reached the quarterfinals last season, Conway is hopinng to build on that achievement.
"We want to go a game or two deeper and expose player to what it's like to play for a state championship," Longing said. "Some really don't know what it's like. Once you get that opportunity, it really doesn't come around much."
