The taste of state isn’t merely enough.

It felt that way in 2016 when Bowling Green broke an eight-year drought from appearing in Lexington.

But there’s something different about the 2018 Purples, a team that has become an offensive nightmare for opposing pitchers.

“We’re not satisfied,” Bowling Green coach Matt Myers said. “This group right now, they don’t know any different: Somebody is in the way and we’re the underdog.”

The Purples picked up momentum in the regular season and rolled through the Region 4 Tournament – outscoring teams 35-2 – and will play in the first round of the KHSAA State Baseball Tournament on Friday against Madison Central at 7:30 p.m. CDT at Whitaker Bank Ballpark.

Bowling Green (21-11) has won 14 of its last 17 games while averaging eight runs per game with a team batting average of .322.

Should the Purples defeat Madison Central (30-7), they’ll play the winner of Campbell County-McCracken County on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The state semifinals and championship game are slated for June 15-16.

“We started feeding off each other,” senior right fielder Will Garske said. “I think everyone is pretty confident at the plate right now, up and down the order.”

Garske was a sophomore on the last state tournament team that lost 6-1 to West Jessamine in the first round. At that time, playing at Whitaker Bank Ballpark felt like icing on the cake to winning the region. Then came the disappointment of last season when the Purples took the No. 1 seed in the District 14 Tournament and lost in the semifinals to Greenwood.

This April, bats started syncing up and the entire Purples lineup became dangerous. Bowling Green earned run-rule victories over Cumberland County and Russell County in the semifinals and region championship game last week, respectively.

Even the loss of ace Jackson Haga didn’t sway the Purples’ confidence. Haga went out in early May with an elbow injury and had a chance to return but didn’t want to rush the rehab process. He was 4-0 on the mound with a 1.21 earned run average.

Without the ace, Ben Ginter (6-3, 2.94 ERA) has stepped in to become Bowling Green’s go-to hurler. He’ll start on the mound against Madison Central, the champions of Region 11.

“Most of our team is young since we only have five seniors,” Garske said. “These guys want to win. I just think we all believe we have a legitimate chance to go up there. Our pitchers have really produced. I would really like to be playing next weekend.”

Myers said he likes this team’s lineup more than the last state tournament team because it throws pitchers off balance. The Purples feature five left-handed batters and four righties.

“Our top six guys, it’s tough to navigate through those guys three times in a game,” Myers said. “We can keep the numbers in our favor. … We’ve got guys that are prepared for opportunities. These guys don’t care who they play. They just want to go play because they’re having fun right now.”

Madison Central defeated Scott County 8-6 to reach the state tournament for the first time since 2015. The Indians were ranked as high as third in the Kentucky Baseball Coaches Association poll April 30 and currently rank 10th in the Max Preps state baseball poll. Bowling Green is ranked 12th by Max Preps.

“I’m just making sure our kids can control their adrenaline in game one and play the baseball game,” Myers said. “Our schedule has prepared us. I don’t think we’re going to see any (pitchers) that just wow us. We’ve seen velocity with Ryan Hawks twice. I think it’s more controlling our adrenaline and our nerves.”

Projected Bowling Green lineup

Eli Thurman, CF, .307 BA

Jay Buser, 2B, .333

Will Garske, RF, .423

Joe Howard, SS, .368

Trevor Dennis, DH, .317

Evan Spader, LF, .385

Geoffrey Ross, 1B, .524

Bo Morton, C, .227

Eli Burwash, 3B, .322

Ben Ginter, P, 6-3, 2.94 ERA