Lucy Young has been waiting all season for her Warren Central slow-pitch team to put together a complete game. And now that the playoffs are here, she’s hoping she doesn’t have to wait any longer.

Young and the Lady Vikes (17-10) will start the postseason at home today, with a best-of-three series against Harrison Central. The first game starts at 2 p.m.

&#8221We’ve had good defensive games and good offensive games, but not both,“ Young said. &#8221So maybe the playoffs will be a key to that happening.“

Harrison Central is a mystery to Young. The Red Rebellettes missed nearly a month of school because of Hurricane Katrina, and most of their schedule since returning to the diamond has consisted of makeups of postponed division games.

Young has had to rely on only a handful of reports from coaches in places like Biloxi and Hattiesburg to assemble a scouting report, but said that wasn’t a big factor in preparing for this series. Figuring out how to manage her own team was more important.

&#8221You can get scouting reports, and some are credible. You do go into it blind,“ Young said. &#8221But I always felt you need to pay more attention to what you’re doing yourself.

&#8221It concerns me more with what we’re going to do than what the opponent is going to do.“

And what the Lady Vikes have been doing for most of the season is be maddeningly inconsistent.

One game, WC will hit the ball well but make a few errors. The next, they’ll field exceptionally well yet manage just a few hits. Sometimes they’ll rally late, sometimes they’ll hang on after taking a big lead early.

More often than not, though, the Lady Vikes will find a way to win. That, along with a very capable lineup, has Young optimistic about their chances for a solid run in the postseason.

&#8221Everybody in our lineup is capable of hitting. There are no sure outs in the lineup if everything is working,“ Young said.

If the Lady Vikes can get by Harrison Central they could receive another reward. If Moss Point – which won three straight state titles from 2000-02 – also advances, Warren Central would host the second-round series on Saturday and avoid a four-hour bus ride to the coast.

Moss Point hosts Meridian in the first round.

&#8221With us being in the South, it seems like it’s always a long trip in the first round,“ Young said, adding with a laugh, &#8221It’d be nice to play Moss Point here. That is not a fun trip.“