Can Warren Central recapture the momentum of just a few weeks ago? If so, watch out.

The Vikings open their playoff run tonight at home in a best-of-three first-round series against Columbus (15-8). Game 2 and, if necessary, Game 3, will be Saturday at Columbus.

When the Vikings (15-13) shut out Madison Central 2-0 on March 10, they were ascending the mountain. They got a little higher a couple weeks later by opening Division 3-6A play with a 4-1 win over Clinton.

But, in April, the Vikings were swept away by an avalanche, starting with an 18-11 loss to Vicksburg. It started a downward spiral in which WC lost seven of its last nine regular-season games.

Coach Josh Abraham isn’t worried.

“What coaching staffs look at, in my opinion, are how hard are they playing? What kind of approaches at the plate they’re taking?” Abraham said. “Are the errors hustle or mechanical errors? So far, it’s been nothing, effort-wise. It’s just going to take a game to turn that around.”

Fixing those issues won’t be that hard. In a Class 6A bracket with just two 20-win teams — Northwest Rankin, which awaits the winner of the WC-Columbus series, and Madison Central — parity is the rule.

One key is the deep pitching rotation. Ace Cody Waddell (6-1, 1.04 ERA) has been nearly unhittable, with opposing batters hitting .173 against him, and the rest of the rotation been effective in spots. Devon Bell has eaten up some innings (42) and will start the second game of the series against Columbus. Bell had a solid start in a 6-5 loss to Vicksburg last week, allowing just four earned runs and striking out five while walking two.

Chase Ladd (6-2, 3.12 ERA) has been effective at times, using his off-speed repetoire. Cameron Upton (1-1, 5.92 ERA) is a solid candidate out of the bullpen as the Vikings’ No. 4 pitcher.

“We really have (option) 1A, 1B, and 1C,” Abraham said. “Any one of those three can win a big game at any point in the playoffs. They’ve thrown pretty well this year, but we’ve got to score runs for them.”

Hitting-wise, the Vikings were a potent bunch until their recent swoon. Abraham feels it’s going to take one spark in a big situation to ignite a big fire that could lift the team.

Hunter Austin leads WC with 34 RBIs and 12 extra-base hits. Brandon Gates is second with 12 RBIs and his power is key, with six extra-base hits. Will Stegall is hitting .429 with 10 RBIs.

“It’s going to take someone getting that big hit with runners at second and third and two outs,” Abraham said. “I think it’ll turn the tide for the rest of the season. We’re really one at-bat away.”