Before the Warren Central baseball team engages in a duel with Terry in its first game of the season, players and coaches got the opportunity to shake off some rust in a doubleheader against Richland.

The teams played an abbreviated game with four innings and the Vikings swept Richland in the Vikings scrimmage on Saturday, which also featured Pisgah.

“We just want to see how our guys were matching up against another opponent. It’s good to get out here and see someone in a different uniform and get them out there to compete,” Warren Central coach Conner Douglas said.

Douglas added that there are a lot of guys battling for different positions, but the camaraderie on the team is great and hopes it continues to build further along in the season.

“We’re a very well rounded team,” Douglas said. “I just think we got to continue to do what we do, keep our identity, throw strikes, play good defense and be productive at the plate.”

Warren Central played solid defense against Richland and only gave up one run in the latter half of the doubleheader.

The identity for the Vikings is to play the game one pitch at a time, forgetting the last pitch and moving on to the next one.

“We play really well behind our pitchers. The pitchers right now are throwing strikes and I think we have a chance to swing it really well,” Douglas said. “I like our chances right now of going out and competing against whomever we run into.”

It’s too early to predict how the season will pan out, but Douglas wants his team to remain healthy and stick to their identity.

“Hopefully it pans out great where you’re playing your last game at Trustmark, but only two teams do that,” Douglas said. “It’s a long season, it’s a grind, and hopefully we stay healthy.”

As of now, the main goal for the Vikings is to win the game against Terry on the road next Friday. The two schools play every year and have become familiar with the other’s style of play and team identity.

Following the game against Terry, Warren Central faces North West Rankin, making it first few games of the season a difficult stretch.

“We want to play the game of baseball not the name of the jersey that we’re matched up against,” Douglas said.