The opposing coaches in tonight’s Class 4A state championship series between Vicksburg and East Central have a common belief: Play strong competition throughout the year.

Most of East Central’s non-division schedule was filled by strong Class 5A teams, including Class 5A finalist Ocean Springs, along with Class 3A finalist Sumrall. East Central (28-9) also swept Gulfport and split with Pascagoula.

“It was pretty tough early, because we started out 1-4,” EC coach Gary Long said. “We struggled early with our pitching. We played Ocean Springs twice (a split) and two tournaments, one in Hammond (La.) and the other in Petal. We lost to Harrison Central and Sumrall at Petal, but my thinking was that this could help us down the road.”

VHS coach Jamie Creel did the same thing with his Gators, playing five games against strong teams in Louisiana, including ranked 5A teams in Ruston and Captain Shreve and 4A clubs West Ouachita and Tioga. The Gators went 1-3 in their annual trip to Monroe and came home with a 7-5 record.

CLASS 4A STATE BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIESBest-of-three series, at Trustmark Park in PearlGame 1: Today, 7 p.m. – Vicksburg (28-8) vs. East Central (28-9)Game 2: Saturday, 4 p.m.Game 3: If necessary, TBAState playoffsTickets: $8 per game. Directions: I-20 East to Pearl (exit 48). Turn left at traffic light, then left again at second light. Proceed one mile and turn right at traffic light.OnlineFollow all the Gators’ action including in-game updates and an audio slideshow.”We became a different team after that spring break tournament in Monroe,” Creel said. “Over there we had lost three games, including a five-run lead and two, three-run leads and we were just scratching around. We made an adjustment on defense, moving Bowen (Woodson) to third base and letting Ryan (Ferrington) be our shortstop. That move really solidified our defense.”

The Gators didn’t lose again in the regular season, reeling off 15 straight wins to enter the playoffs with a 20-5 record. The streak included 11 straight wins to win Division 3-4A and two against Class 5A semifinalist Clinton, including a 10-1 beatdown on senior day.

East Central did much of the same thing. It won 10 in a row to gain control of Division 7-4A. A split with Pascagoula ended the streak but it got it ready for Vancleave, the Hornets’ Jackson County rival, and its toughest divsional foe. They beat the Bulldogs 4-2 with ace lefty Phillip Byrd striking out 13 in the win. They then won the second meeting 12-3 behind the combination pitching of Trey Porter and Matt Linton.

They wrapped up the divisional title with a 6-0 win at home against St. Martin as Byrd won his eighth straight decision and went over the 100-strikeout total for the year at 103.

“Phillip has shown he’s a great pitcher and he’s also been a great hitter and leader for this team. His teammates look up to him,” Long said.

That’s not hard to do, considering Byrd is 6-foot-5 and weighs 235 pounds. The left-hander, who has been clocked between 88 and 92 MPH, has signed with South Alabama.

In the playoffs, East Central escaped from a tough opening round series with Picayune, winning the deciding Game 3, 12-11, on a walk-off single by Byrd. The Hornets had entered the last inning down 11-10 after the Maroon Tide had scored two runs against Byrd following errors.

Picayune returned the favor, dropping two third strikes, allowing the tying run to score and then seeing the eventual winning run reach base.

“We didn’t play well in the Picayune series, but we got some breaks and have played well since,” Long said.

“I really think having played some good competition early helped make us better.”

Long added he expects a similarly tough time with the Gators.

“I really don’t know much about Vicksburg, other than what I’ve heard about (Stanton) Price and their speed. They have a solid team,” Long said.