The Athletics won the section title in 2023.

(ABC 6 News) — On Tuesday, one local baseball team will punch their ticket to State in the Section 1A Championship. The two programs of Lyle-Pacelli and Southland have a great deal of mutual respect, but there is quite a lot at stake come game time.

Rebels Baseball has a massive task to tackle in facing the Athletics. Both teams split their regular season games, but it will take two straight wins for Southland to send the defending state runners-up packing.

“You know, we’ve we’ve lost a game earlier in the tournament and that’s what gets us into trouble,” Rebels head coach Scott Koenigs explained. “Because then we’re having to throw, you know, everybody in the kitchen sink to get back into the championship game.”

“We’ve had to battle and we’ve had to come back through the elimination bracket. And that’s not easy to do with this many teams in the section.”

This is Southland’s fourth-straight section title appearance, but recent history has not been kind to the Rebels, having lost in the championship the past three seasons.

As for the Athletics, they acknowledged the history and rivalry they share with the Rebels, but in the end, the pressure is nothing new.

“(We are) prepared for this kind of stuff and played them twice and obviously many times through the playoffs and last couple of years,” Athletics head coach Brock Meyer stated. “It’s a lot of fun, but it puts a little more pressure on to it because it’s such a rivalry game.”

“But it’s good for the boys because it’s a good it’s a great atmosphere to play in and it’s a fun game.”

Lyle-Pacelli can head back to State with just one victory as first pitch in Austin starts at 5 PM at Riverland Community College.