The postseason begins today for baseball and softball teams.
Teams from Faulkner County will be scattered across the state for the opening round of the state tournaments. Conway, St. Joseph, Greenbrier, Vilonia, Mayflower and Mount Vernon-Enola will all be represented.
Conway and St. Joseph will have teams in both softball and baseball in action. The softball teams from Greenbrier, Vilonia and Mount Vernon-Enola and the Mayflower baseball team are all also still alive.
ST. JOSEPH
Baseball
While today's matchup with Shiloh Christian may be a challenge, Bulldogs coach Brent Bruich knows it could be worse.
"We like where we're sitting in our draw," Bruich said. "There are a lot tougher spots on the bracket. We've got a tough game, but other teams are a little tougher."
The teams are set to play at 7:30 tonight at Searcy, and Bruich doesn't want to rank the difficulty of this game as opposed to other potential opponents.
"Everybody in the state tournament is good," Bruich said. "We're expecting a tough one. They're solid up and down the lineup, and they've got good pitching."
The Saints finished the regular season as the No. 4 seed from the 1-3A West. However, they defeated a No. 1 seed in the conference tournament and finished as the No. 2 seed from Class 3A Region I. St. Joseph is the third seed from Region II.
While there may be plenty of praise to go around for Shiloh Christian, Bruich has been pleased with what the Bulldogs (15-3) have done this season as well.
"We're looking forward to the challenge," Bruich said. "We think we have a good team and can make some noise in the state tournament. ... I'm looking forward to a good effort."
Bruich also said St. Joseph is entering the postseason with a determined and focused approach.
"We've been to the state tournament a lot of years, and we want to get a postseason victory and advance farther than any of our teams have before," Bruich said.
Softball
After missing last season's Class 3A state tournament, the Lady Bulldogs are set for a state title run this year.
They'll take on Smackover at 3:30 today at Pine Bluff Regional Park in the first round. That's something St. Joseph coach Debra Wilhite knows will be a challenge.
"They've got a lot of big hitters," Wilhite said. "They hit four over the fence in one of their (Class 3A Region IV) games. They've also got some really good arms. Needless to say, they're a solid team."
The Lady Bulldogs (10-6) represent the fourth seed from Region II, while Smackover won its region. Wilhite isn't letting the Lady Buckaroos' top seeding intimidate her.
"If (pitcher Brooke Mayor) is on, I think we can give it a shot," Wilhite said. "We just have to prey on their weaknesses and just have to keep their hitting down."
Besides, the losses haven't been in blowouts.
"We've been right there all the time," Wilhite said. "All of our losses were just by a few runs. Sometimes you just have a little hiccup."
Regardless of what the scores have been, Wilhite is proud of what the team was able to accomplish. That's something that's given the team a good feeling heading into the postseason.
"They're excited about being there," Wilhite said. "It's been a year or two, so it's good to be back."
VILONIA
If the Lady Eagles are going to repeat as class 5A state champions, they'll have to start with a win over Greene County Tech at 5:15 tonight.
Vilonia defeated Beebe in last season's title game and finished this season as the second seed from the 5A West. The Lady Golden Eagles finished third in the 5A East.
GREENBRIER
To Lady Panthers coach Brian Butler, the objective is clear.
"We're not going up (to the state tournament) to just play one game," Butler said. "We're going up there to put Greenbrier on the softball map."
The Lady Panthers (11-9) could make a large step in that direction if they can defeat Nettleton today. The Lady Raiders won the 5A-East, mostly behind the pitching of junior Shelby Wise, who has already orally committed to Michigan State.
"It's going to be a tough ballgame," Butler said. "We're going to have to put the ball in play and not make mistakes."
Facing isn't anything new to these Lady Panthers, who took the No. 4 seed from the 5A West. In fact, they're pretty used to it.
"We've been playing tough games all year," Butler said. "We expect it to be close. Everyone is expecting us to lose but us."
Either way, Butler hopes today's game serves as a building block.
"We want to get experience," Butler said. "We have a young team and want to build experience for next year."
Today's game is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. in Harrison.
MAYFLOWER
The Eagles are hoping to have more success in Searcy than what has transpired so far this season.
Mayflower (14-12) is 1-3 in games in Searcy and will take on Prescott at 5 p.m. in the first round of the Class 3A state tournament. While the Eagles, a No. 4 seed, may be the underdog to the No. 1 seed Curly Wolves, history indicates that may not always matter.
"Last year we were a No. 4 seed and beat Cave City, which was 34-1 at the time," Mayflower coach Joe Albritton said. "You never know what's going to happen. We're just excited to be playing."
Shane Fowler, the Eagles' No. 1 pitcher, will get the start on the mound. He and the Mayflower defense will be key to having success, Albritton said.
"We're going to have to pitch a good game and hold them to just a few runs," Albritton said. "They're going to be tough. ... We're going to see what we're made of."
Albritton said he is hoping previous games against schools in larger classifications will pay dividends.
"Most of our losses have come to 4 and 5A schools," Albritton said. "That's helped us get ready for these kinds of games. It's not impossible for a 4 seed to beat a 1 seed. We did it last year."
Despite the outcome in the tournament, the Eagles coach has already been pleased.
"It's been a great year and a great group of kids," Albritton said.
MOUNT VERNON-ENOLA
The Lady Warhawks won Class 1A Region III and will face off with Calico Rock, the second seed from Region IV.
The game is scheduled to start at noon today.
