By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
Two area powerhouse programs will collide in Abilene this evening as the 3-1 Cowboys prepare to host the 6-2 Trojans of Southeast of Saline.
Despite both finishing with stellar seasons in 2023, these two programs entered 2024 with drastically different expectations and will have an opportunity to test their mettle against one another today.
While Abilene has only played in four games thus far, the Cowboys have made those games count, sweeping a 5A foe in Salina South and splitting with a fellow 4A state tournament team in Rock Creek last week.
“We’ve been pretty good overall on the mound, in the field and at the plate,” Abilene head coach Travis Bartley said. “We don’t always have all three going at the same time but so far we’ve been solid in all three phases of the game.”
The Cowboys will play their first two games at home ranked as the #8 team in Class 4A by the Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches, and will be eager to keep their foot to the floor after narrowly sweeping the Trojans a season ago.
On the other side of this matchup, Southeast of Saline finds themselves in the midst of an offensive revival after a slow 0-2 start.
In their last six games, the Trojans are a perfect 6-0 with a run differential of +98
All of this has been done with a lineup that features just two returners from last year’s league title-winning team, and a youth movement that sees just two seniors in and out of the starting nine.
While it’s been smooth sailing for the last two weeks, the Cowboys represent the tallest task the Trojans have faced this season, and all in Abilene should anticipate a good set of hard-fought battles on Friday night.
“Southeast always has pretty solid teams that are very competitive on the 3A side and they’re always in it toward the end of the year,” Bartley said. “There are no easy ones there but we enjoy playing this series.”
First pitch of this doubleheader is scheduled for 4:30 at Abilene High School, and both games will be streamed free with live audio and video on the Salina Post courtesy of Smart Insurance and Don’s Tire and Supply.