By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
Two of the hottest softball teams in the state of Kansas will collide in Gypsum on Friday afternoon as Southeast of Saline prepares to entertain Chapman.
The Lady Trojans enter this two-game set at a perfect 8-0 while the Lady Irish come in at 6-2, having tangled with a pair of state-caliber foes in Clay Center and Rock Creek.
For Southeast of Saline, this represents another opportunity to take on a larger opponent and face some of the best pitching in Class 3A.
“We actively seek out challenging opponents and this year we’ve added teams like McPherson and Wamego to our schedule,” SES head coach Pesha Ptacek said. “To be the best you have to beat the best and we want real measuring sticks on what we have to work on.”
For the Irish, this game is a chance to continue taking the next step, as Chapman has already improved from their 8-12 finish last year, where they were swept by the Lady Trojans.
“Southeast of Saline always has a good ball club and during this stretch of our season, we know we have to play well to have a chance to win,” Chapman head coach Kyle Cook said.
This game will feature elite pitching on both sides, with Lady Irish ace Madalynn Harold taking the circle for game one and boasting a 0.79 ERA, 51 strikeouts and only nine walks.
“Chapman has a strong pitcher and they have a lot of young girls that play a lot of summer ball so we expect them to be a worthy opponent,” Ptacek said. “We need to play clean today and we need to continue executing the things that we do well.”
For the Lady Trojans, the 1-2 punch of Lexi Jacobson and Bryna Baird has continued to stifle opponents, with the two combining to strike out 56 while walking 18 and posting a team ERA south of 1.50.
“We feel confident with Maddie pitching game one but we have to play good defense and we’ll need timely hits,” Cook said.
First pitch for this doubleheader will be at 3:00 on the campus of Southeast of Saline and once again both games will be broadcast on-demand, with live audio and video being made available after the games on Salina Post.