NATCHEZ — The formula for Cathedral has been simple this season — record double-digit hits and win.

The Green Wave have had at least 10 hits in 11 games this season, and they have gone 10-1 in those games. Last season, Cathedral had at least 10 hits in just nine games and went 6-3. The team average is also up to .353 after finishing at .302 last season.

Cathedral is getting extra base hits, as well. Of the 238 hits on the year, the Green Wave have 72 extra base hits, which accounts for more than 30 percent of the total.

“We can swing it,” Cathedral shortstop and leadoff hitter Andrew Beesley said. “And we are going to swing it every game.”

Beesley leads the team with a .455 average, but his teammates aren’t slacking. Eight Cathedral starters are hitting better than .300, and it is the bats that have pushed the Green Wave to the MHSAA Class 1A State Championship series.

“Once somebody gets a hit, everybody is going to get life in the dugout,” senior Quinton Logan said. “The confidence is going to go up, and we are all going to start hitting.”

Logan is one of the most dangerous power hitters on the team, accounting for 10 of the team’s 15 home runs this season. Last season, the Green Wave recorded only six long balls as a team.

What has stuck out for the Green Wave, though, is the recent success they had in the South State series against Stringer.

In Game 2 of the series, Cathedral pounded out 13 hits and had a team average of .433, which ranked among the best for any one game the whole season.

“We kind of slept walked through the first two rounds of the playoffs, there is no other way to put it,” head coach Craig Beesley said. “But this third round, we really brought the bats and the focus and concentration were really all there for us. I think if we play like that and keep the bats swinging we are going to be in good shape.”

Ultimately, Andrew said the credit goes to the work the team puts in off the field.

“Practice and lots of it,” he said. “We work hard everyday and get cuts. We get cuts off the tee, cuts off pitching and work on driving backside. It is just a mindset.”

Now, the Green Wave hope to carry that mindset to Trustmark Park Tuesday, where they will face Smithville for a shot at the Class 1A title.