By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
After handling their business at this year’s regional tournament with wins of 2-0 over Ark City and 3-1 over Kapaun Mt. Carmel, the Salina South softball team is headed to the 5A state tournament for the first time since 2017.
As the 7-seed in Wichita, the Lady Cougars will have much to prove when state action gets underway on Thursday, but this year’s South team hasn’t backed down from anyone, and no plans of starting now.
“We had our banquet right after regionals and we talked a lot about ‘why not us,’ South head coach Pat Bryant said. “We’re in this, we play in the best league in the state and we’re ready for an opportunity like this. Whether it’s our time who knows but we’re not scared of anybody.”
Much of that fearlessness comes from a veteran-heavy group that includes eight seniors, all of whom have become stalwarts in the Lady Cougar lineup.
That order has provided a flurry of run support for standout pitcher Aracelli Rivas, who has dazzled in the circle this year, shattering the school record for single-season strikeouts with 230 heading into state.
“The biggest plus for our team this year has been in Aracelli Rivas,” Bryant said. “She’s pitched almost every inning for us all season and in addition to being a real workhorse she hits well too. There’s a lot of zip on her pitches and she’s been a major bright spot all around.”
With those two wins at regionals, the Lady Cougars have now won eight of their last nine games and will head to Wichita riding that momentum into a first-round matchup with 20-2 Basehor-Linwood.
While many teams would find themselves intimidated by the big stage, the leadership and experience of this year’s South squad have kept the ship steady, and the team’s previous battles in the AVCTL have prepared them for a moment such as this.
“This is just another game for us and another opportunity for us to go out and play softball the way we play,” he said. “You have to play the best to beat the best and we’ve done that. We’ll give it our best shot and see how things play out.”
First pitch between the Lady Cougars and Bobcats is scheduled for 3:00 on the campus of Wichita State University.
For continuing coverage of Salina South softball all season long, stay tuned to the Salina Post.