After taking a couple of days to celebrate the school’s first Region 4 championship, it is back to business for the South Warren softball team – which opens play in the state softball tournament against Scott County at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Jack C. Fisher Park in Owensboro.

Playing in the state tournament for the first time, South Warren is happy to be part of the field – but also determined to stay in Owensboro as long as possible.

“We’ve never had anything like this before, so it is amazing to be able to go,” sophomore infielder Emma Mills said. “It’s a great experience and I am just ready to play.”

South Warren coach Chris Riggs said he doesn’t expect his team to be overwhelmed by the big stage of the school’s first state tournament.

“We are going to have a great time,” Riggs said. “On top of having a great time, we are going to try to compete and see where we land. We know that the field is really stout, but we are looking to compete and see how far we can advance. We’ll take the first game, see what happens, take the second game, see what happens, and then go from there.”

South Warren (25-13) will be tested right out of the gate against a team with state tournament experience.

Scott County won a game in the state tournament last season and was ranked No. 3 in the state in the final coaches’ poll of the season.

Pitchers Kennedy Sullivan and CeCe Wittry have been dominant in the circle, with Hannah Davis and Jessica Tucker providing offensive pop for a Scott County team that beat the Spartans 10-0 in six innings on March 19. The Cardinals come into the state tournament 31-2, with their only two losses coming to top-ranked McCracken County.

“There is a team that is not going to beat themselves,” Riggs said. “They are going to go out and do all the fundamental things correctly. They are going to pitch it well. They are going to defend it well. They are going to hit it well. We are going to have to try and meet that standard and see what happens.”

Mills said the Spartans learned a lot about Scott County in that March meeting.

“I think playing beforehand gives us something to go by,” Mills said. “We know how to set up our defense, how we need to pitch, where we need to stand in the batter’s box. I think mentally it has prepared us a lot to not be so nervous (about who we are playing) and focus on doing the best we can.”

With the state tournament a double-elimination format, South Warren is guaranteed at least one more game on Friday – either a winner’s bracket game at 9 a.m. or an elimination game at 11 a.m. Riggs said staying in the winner’s bracket will be key to the team’s chances to make a run at a state title.

“You try to get the first couple to give yourselves a shot at winning it,” Riggs said. “Not that you don’t have a shot at winning it, but once you lose that first there is a lot of games to make up to play (in the championship game).”

Junior pitcher Karson Williams said the Spartans are eager to see how they stack up against Scott County and the rest of the field.

“We know going in that we are going to play really good teams,” Karson Williams said. “We are just going to give it our all.”

Riggs added he expects his team to play some of its best softball of the season, regardless of the outcome.

“I really expect the kids to come out and play well,” Riggs said. “You go through the season, play 36 games, and you know there are some games that you worry about. This group will be ready, play hard and compete. They will be ready for it.”

— Follow prep sports reporter Micheal Compton on Twitter @mcompton428 or visit bgdailynews.com.