Jamie Trichell, St. Aloysius assistant baseball coach, rallies his team for practice Wednesday. Trichell will assume head coach duties for today’s playoff game against Lake, the defending state champions, while head coach Joe Graves is out of town.(The Vicksburg Post/C. TODD SHERMAN)

[05/03/01]St. Aloysius assistant coach Jamie Trichell crammed a career’s worth of coaching highlights into last weekend.

Filling in for head coach Joe Graves, whose mother died of a lengthy illness on Wednesday, Trichell got his first win and his first playoff win at the same time on Friday against Union. On Saturday, he took his first loss. And on Monday, he won his first playoff series and got his first Gatorade shower.

“That was rough. The Gatorade shower was definitely a thrilling experience,” Trichell said.

“It was great that they cared. I think when I got back and my truck was covered in toilet paper meant a little bit more. That was amazing too. It was from some of the fans or the students, because all of the baseball players were on the bus.”

This weekend, in the most important series for the Flashes in years, Trichell will be back in the head coaching box.

The Flashes (22-3) begin their South State championship series tonight at 6 p.m. at Bazinsky Field against division rival Lake (25-7). Game 2 will be Saturday at Lake at 7 p.m.

“They’re a scrappy little team, they won’t give up on you. If you get them down they’ll come back on you … They didn’t give up against Mercy Cross, they’re sure not going to give up against us,” Trichell said of Lake. “We’re expecting a battle.”

It’s a battle that Trichell has some time to prepare for, unlike last week’s second-round series with Union.

When Graves got word about his mother one week ago, he left immediately to be with her. That put Trichell and the Flashes on the spot for the series with Union, which began Friday.

“(Graves) had told us back in February … to be ready for anything. But then Thursday when he called, it was just Step up and do it,’ ” said Trichell, a volunteer assistant who works at the Downtown YMCA.

“It’s one of those things that just shocks you, and you’re in it so fast you really never think about it.”

The Flashes came through for their 30-year-old assistant coach, who also coached many of them in various youth leagues. St. Al won the first game of the series 7-2, then rallied for the series-clinching win in Game 3 on Monday.

Trichell said the St. Al players deserved more credit than he did for winning the series, but the Flashes were quick to return it.

“He gained a lot of respect from us after the second round,” senior left fielder Chris Bass said. “He stepped up when we needed him. He didn’t crumble the way a lot of assistant coaches would if they had to come in and coach a group of guys in the second round of the state playoffs, when he’s never coached in anything that big before.”

Trichell has changed his coaching role this week, but not his style.

During most St. Al practices, Trichell is often the quiet “good cop” to Graves’ barking “bad cop.” This week, Trichell has stayed low key, helping the Flashes to relax a little before the biggest series of their high school careers.

“Practices are still intense, but we’re just not as scared to mess up,” St. Al second baseman Victor Segers said.

Both Trichell and his players have worked through the tough situation together this week to prepare for Lake, the team the Flashes wanted all along. The teams split two games this season, with each winning on its home field, and both have looked forward to today since their last meeting at Lake in the regular-season finale.

“I think that’s going to be the key factor,” Bass said of St. Al’s rivalry with the Hornets. “Just knowing that we can beat them, that we have beaten them before, it’s just going to make it that much easier.

“There’s nothing sweeter than beating a rival, especially Lake, and Jamie knows how much we want this. I think he wants it just as bad as we do, because he’s been there with us.”

If the Flashes win tonight, it could also set up an emotional Game 2 Saturday at Lake. Graves may be back for that one, and could coach the Flashes into the championship round himself. His return for the series is doubtful, however.

“If we win (tonight), and Saturday is his first game back, if we win that one, it’ll be a tear-jerker,” designated hitter Charlie Amborn said. “I might even start crying, you never know.”