VIDALIA, La. &045; You can go ahead and declare this much: No one at Vidalia is trying to be the next Barry Bowden.

No one is going to go out at this weekend’s Vidalia Tournament and strike out two batters an inning or finish the season with an ERA just above their age. Instead, the Vikings will turn to a number of pitchers, namely top starters Mac Ware and Brett Hinson, in their quest to build a solid pitching staff following Bowden’s departure for Southern Miss.

That’s not to say anyone won’t give it all they’ve got. The Vikings open the tournament at 6 p.m. today against Cathedral.

&uot;First of all, you can’t replace Barry Bowden,&uot; senior catcher Chris Williams said. &uot;He was Player of the Year two years straight. But those guys are working as hard as they can. Mac and Brett both are really looking forward to it. Two of the hardest workers on the team are those two guys right there.&uot;

But it goes without saying that filling Bowden’s shoes this season won’t be an easy task. The fireballer who froze hitters with his offspeed pitches got most of the starts last year for the Vikings, particularly in the playoffs as the team made a second straight trip to the state tournament in Baton Rouge.

Ware and Hinson are the leading candidates for the top spots &045; head coach Johnny Lee Hoffpauir has yet to label either as a No. 1 &045; while other pitchers can provide depth on the staff.

So far Hinson and Ware have taken turns starting with Tony Hawkins getting his first varsity start on Monday.

&uot;We knew what we had coming back with Mac and Brett,&uot; Hoffpauir said. &uot;(They’re) a year older and a year stronger. After that, not a kid had thrown varsity ball. But it’s kind of falling into place. Mac hit the weights real hard, and he picked up a few miles per hour on his fastball. Brett is really our hardest thrower. He and Mac are both tit for tat &045; they’re both mid-80s guys.&uot;

&uot;There’s nothing like having the ball handed to you when you’re the No. 1 or 2 guy and have to get the job done.&uot;

If you go by experience, the top spot could be Ware’s since he has the most experience. As a junior last season, Ware got the No. 2 nod behind Bowden and finished the season 8-1.

His loss in the state semifinals was the only one for the team that finished 27-1, but Ware has returned stronger thanks to about 20 pounds of muscle mass from last season.

&uot;(My fastball) is about the same as it was at the end of last year,&uot; Ware said. &uot;My breaking pitch is breaking a lot better than it did last year.&uot;

Ware threw the first game two weeks ago in the Cathedral tournament against Loyd Star and will start either today or Saturday as the Vikings face Caldwell and Avoyelles on Saturday. He also was sharp in last week’s 9-3 win over Tioga.

&uot;Mac has had a couple of good outings for us,&uot; Hoffpauir said. &uot;Consistency is his problem. He’s pitched behind in the count a little bit too much. He and Brett suffered from that last year. If he can get control of his curve, he can be a real good pitcher.&uot;

This spring will be more of a transition for Hinson, the junior hurler who still finished last season 6-0 while pitching sparingly. Hinson threw in the second game of that Cathedral tournament and held Class 4A Brookhaven to two earned runs on three hits.

But he got solid work on the mound last week at the Tioga tournament.

&uot;It’s going pretty good,&uot; Hinson said. &uot;It started coming to me pretty good last week against ASH. I threw pretty good, and our defense is coming around. Our defense and hitting is coming around. Me and Mac, we’ve just got to get settled down. That first inning is a tough inning, but after we get settled down we can do pretty well.

&uot;(My curve) is moving more this year than it did last year. This year it seems like it’s coming out of my hand good and breaking over the plate.&uot;

Said Hoffpauir: &uot;Brett has grown a couple of inches, and he’s an easy thrower. He’s got a good fastball and is getting better command of his curve. His fastball moves well. All Brett needs is innings.&uot;

After those two, the Vikings still have candidates for action on the mound &045; especially Hawkins, who tossed a five-inning shutout on Monday. The Vikings can also turn to first baseman Reid Simpson, Patrick Golden in relief or freshman Lane Moore to complement Hinson and Ware.

Hawkins, a senior, could make a solid third starter. In his first varsity appearance of his career, the right-hander threw strikes on Monday and had a breaking pitch that had Bolton confused most of the night while tossing a one-hitter.

It’s those three &045; and the others &045; that may make the Vikings a stronger staff across the board. Without that true ace last season in Bowden to get the ball every big game, the Vikings may be more solid across the board with competition for that top spot.

&uot;I think we found our No. 3 guy,&uot; Williams said of Hawkins. &uot;He threw a one-hitter his first game out. That’s unbelievable. But (no true No. 1) will make those two guys and the rest of them work harder. Last year we depended on Barry, and he’d get 12 or 13 strikeouts a game and dominate. They’re not as dominating as Barry, but they work just as hard.

&uot;We’re still searching for that state championship. Teams are not going to be scared, and they’re going to come out and want to beat us.&uot;