By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
On the heels of a 13-7 campaign that saw them secure a share of yet another league title, the Southeast of Saline baseball team will open postseason play on Tuesday, when they square off with 7-seed Eureka at this year’s Burlington regional.
The Trojans enter this bracket as the two-seed having won six of their last eight games, and with a team run differential of +118, while the Tornadoes come in as the 7-seed at 1-15.
After a grueling campaign that saw them square off with a number of top teams competing in regionals across the state this week, Southeast is now free to turn all of their attention to their white whale; punching an elusive ticket to this year’s state tournament.
“We do feel like the real work begins now,” SES head coach Mike Garretson said. “We’ve had one thing on our minds all season long and that’s getting to state and getting something done while we’re there.”
While the Trojans will be heavy favorites in their opening-round matchup with Eureka, this remains a loaded bracket, with 19-1 Humboldt, 12-8 Council Grove, and 11-6 Fredonia all capable of giving anyone else fits.
Despite the stiff competition, Southeast remains optimistic, leaning not only on their previous regional experience, but on the lessons learned throughout their gauntlet of a schedule.
“We know that whether you’re ahead or behind you play out every pitch and you see what happens from there,” Garretson said. “There’s no killing the clock, there’s no taking a knee, you’ve always got a chance.”
This 2:00 bout between the Trojans and Tornadoes will be the first to kick off the action in Burlington, with the winner awaiting whoever emerges from a 4:00 battle between Fredonia and the hosts in 6-12 Burlington.
On the other side of the bracket opening round matchups will feature the 1-seed in Humboldt against 0-18 Hillsboro, and the 4-5 contest between Council Grove and 11-8 Neodosha.
In order to overcome their past struggles and make their triumphant return to Manhattan, SES must maintain command on the mound, an area that the Trojans have lived and died by in 2023.
“Simply put, we have to throw strikes this week,” Garretson said. “We’ll face some good arms on the other side and timely hitting is more valuable than almost anything but in terms of what we can control we have to throw strikes. If we can do that we give ourselves a chance to win any game.”
The semifinals and regional championship games are scheduled for Wednesday in Burlington, with a punched ticket to Manhattan up for grabs entering the week.
For continuing coverage of SES baseball all postseason long, stay tuned to the Salina Post.