NATCHEZ &045; Cathedral’s biggest competition in the MHSAA Class 1A playoffs opening round tournament might be itself.

At least that’s what the Green Wave players are saying.

&uot;Our biggest competition is ourselves,&uot; Cathedral’s Preston Hicks said. &uot;We’ve been beating ourselves lately, but if we play like we can I don’t think anyone can stop us.&uot;

Cathedral will play Puckett at 7 tonight. Enterprise and Mize will face off in the first game at 4 p.m. The winners will face off Friday at 1 p.m., and the losers will play after that game.

Cathedral head coach Craig Beesley may have a more experienced outlook on this tournament than his players.

&uot;You never know at this time of year,&uot; Beesley said. &uot;We played Enterprise twice this year and 10-run ruled them both times, but this is the playoffs. I think Mize might be tough. We’ve played them the last three years in the playoffs, so we know they’re good.&uot;

And for Beesley, entering the playoffs is still a chance to improve his team.

&uot;With this team, we’re still looking for certain spots to step up,&uot; Beesley said. &uot;It’s the playoffs, but certain spots out there can still be better.&uot;

The key to Green Wave success in this tournament, and throughout the playoffs, may be its defense.

&uot;The teams are a lot better now that we’re in the playoffs,&uot; Cathedral catcher Drew Burns said. &uot;If we play defense, we can go all the way. Our hitting is dynamite right now.&uot;

After some midseason struggles at the plate, Cathedral’s bats have come around in recent games.

&uot;If we swing the bats like we did Saturday at Brookhaven, we’ll be fine,&uot; Beesley said.

Beesley also wants to make sure his team stays in the winner’s bracket.

&uot;If you stay on the winners’ side, you’re all right,&uot; Beesley said. &uot;If we lose, it could be tough on our pitching. With the three days in a row, your Thursday pitcher probably can’t come back on Saturday unless it’s a real short outing.&uot;

Tonight will also be a chance for Hicks to hit the mound again. He broke his ankle playing football in the fall and has pitched only sparingly this season, but he will start tonight.

&uot;It’s been a while since I pitched,&uot; Hicks said. &uot;But the ankle feels pretty good. It’s finally coming around.&uot;

Hicks’ return gives a thin Cathedral pitching staff another starter which may be important in the tournament format.

But as Hicks comes off an injury, another Green Wave player may have to sit down. Cathedral third baseman Charlie Lane will not be at his usual position tonight because of back pain.

&uot;I’m going to put Jesse (Morrison) at third for him and have him DH,&uot; Beesley said. &uot;Jesse’s been DHing, so that will keep the lineup the same. If we score some runs early, Charlie will probably come on out. He’s not doing that good right now. We have to have him in the playoffs, but I don’t want him to get hurt playing Thursday.&uot;

And speaking of injuries, Green Wave pitcher Zack Calhoun may not be available to throw because of tendonitis, Beesley said, though the Cathedral coach doesn’t anticipate running out of pitching if things go well

&uot;If things go right, we’ll have Patrick McDonough go in Game 2 and Jeremy (Davis) in Game 3,&uot; Beesley said. &uot;That will leave us Alex Middleton and a few others in relief.&uot;

Pitching depth will be another important factor as Cathedral attempts to defend its state title.

&uot;Pitching is a problem for us,&uot; Hicks said. &uot;We don’t have as many pitchers as we had last year.&uot;