[4/25/03]As far as Vicksburg High coach Jamie Creel is concerned, his Gators have already accomplished more than most would have thought coming into this season.

Not that he doesn’t want some more, but neither he nor his team is feeling any pressure heading into tonight’s matchup with Southaven (24-5), a team that swept Madison Central in the first round of the playoffs.

“There’s not a kid out there that feels any pressure whatsoever to continue this season on,” Creel said Wednesday as his players took short batting practice on Showers Field. “Vicksburg is a school that people look at and say, oh, they won the basketball state championship, and they are known for powerlifting, have a great football team and a girls soccer team.’

“There has never been one ounce of pressure in Vicksburg High School as far as this baseball program is concerned. The kids don’t feel it, I don’t feel it, and we are just going to go out and have fun.”

Creel’s laid-back approach to coaching will be evident in the Gators’ (19-7) pregame schedule. The team will leave for the 7 p.m. game in the late morning, stop along the way for a bathroom break, get to Southaven, eat and then, find a shade tree and curl up and take a nap,” Creel said.

“It won’t be like we took a bus trip at all,” the coach said.

If the Gators play like they did in their opening series against Starkville, the games could be equally as enjoyable.

Vicksburg scored 30 runs, including a 23-3 first-game win, and got outstanding pitching in the doubleheader sweep of the Yellowjackets.

“From all the coaches I have talked to, we should have our hands full,” Southaven coach Ed Rich said. “Vicksburg is a team that knows how to play the game, and they play hard.”

The Chargers, who finished second to Olive Branch in Division 1-5A, are a very young team that features only two senior starters. They only had eight hits in two games against Madison, but sport a pair of hard-throwing lefties that stymied the Jaguars.

Junior Michael Robbins is expected to get the start tonight, with sophomore Brach Davis pitching Saturday’s second game in Vicksburg.

“They must be able to throw the ball pretty good,” said Vicksburg senior Justin Henry, who leads the team with a .453 batting average. “We heard Madison didn

didn’t hit the ball particularly well, so you have to give pitching credit for that. I’m sure they’re good.”

The Gators will counter with the same rotation as they had in the Starkville series. Crafty left-hander Justin Boler is scheduled to pitch tonight, while hard-throwing James Jackson is slated to pitch the second game.

“You’ll see four left-handed pitchers in the first two games and that is something you don’t normally see at this level,” Creel said.

The winner of this series gets a matchup with either Clinton or Northwest Rankin for a chance to play for a state championship.

The Gators beat Northwest near the end of the regular season, but lost two of three games against Clinton.

Creel, however, is far from looking toward a North State championship series.

“We look forward to the challenges that Southaven poses for us,” Creel said.