The forecast for Saturday calls for sunny 74-degree weather, making it a beautiful day to watch softball.

Warren Central will welcome Terry, Pearl and crosstown rival Vicksburg down Highway 27 for a round-robin style tournament at Lucy Young Field. Each of the six games is scheduled for 75 minutes and its purpose is to help swing off any early season rust to get players geared up for what’s ahead.

Vicksburg kicks things off with a doubleheader against Terry and Pearl beginning at 9 a.m.

As hosts of the tournament, the Lady Vikes won’t take the field until noon against Terry, after all the guests have taken the field.

“We’re trying to get Terry out of here. Their basketball team is still in the playoffs over in Jackson so we’re going to try and get them done pretty early,” Warren Central coach Dana McGivney said.

Serving the students and residents of Warren County, the Missy Gators and the Lady Vikes will end the daylong tournament at 4:30 pm., which serves as the first of their two regular season meetings. They’ll play again March 17 at Vicksburg’s home field.

McGivney hasn’t seen the Missy Gators or Terry play but will approach those games like any other on the schedule.

“We’re just going to come out, try to play our game and not worry about who the opponent is. We just want to play well,” McGivney said.

It’s this same attitude the Lady Vikes have against playing Vicksburg and Terry that they view tournaments in general.

“You go into every game, whether it’s a tournament or a regular season wanting to win and just wanting to improve from the game before,” McGivney said. “That’s where we’re at. We just want to improve every game and have a complete game.”

After a scrimmage at Germantown, another tournament at Northwest Rankin and a game against Brandon, the Lady Vikes (0-3) are still looking for the right pieces to fit their softball puzzle. McGivney hasn’t decided on positions and is still moving players around. She’s said so far this year, no one has played a position they started in last year.

Through this tournament, and more so on the defensive end, she’s looking for her players to eliminate errors and feel more relaxed in their new positions.

The Lady Vikes, from top to bottom, are a team full of really good softball players and no player shines brighter than the other.

“Some teams may have a big star, but we don’t have any stars. We just have a whole lot of kids that can play softball,” McGivney said. “Any given day any one of them can step up and lead the team.”

LADY VIKES INVITATIONAL

Saturday, at Warren Central

9 a.m. – Vicksburg vs. Terry

10:30 a.m. – Vicksburg vs. Pearl

Noon – Terry vs. Warren Central

1:30 p.m. – Pearl vs. Terry

3 p.m. – Pearl vs. Warren Central

4:30 p.m. – Vicksburg vs. Warren Central