photo by: Jamie Baker

Eudora's softball team poses for a photo after winning a regional title Thursday night at LHS on May 20, 2021. The Cardinals claimed a pair of double-digit victories on their way to notching a state berth. Photo courtesy of Jamie Baker.

Eudora High School is sending both its baseball and softball teams to their respective state tournaments this week, but their paths to the final event of the season have been completely different.

On the softball diamond, Eudora is 18-4 and returning to the Class 4A state tournament after doing so in 2019. Despite having just two returning players from that squad, the Cardinals have clicked for much of the year while bringing a number of new players into the mix.

Eudora’s baseball team took its lumps during the regular season after not getting a 2020 campaign due to COVID-19. EHS (9-13) hit its stride as a team just before the start of the postseason, leading to a pair of upset victories in regional play.

It means the two teams will also have different paths this week in the state tourney, which will take place in Salina for both squads.

As the No. 5 seed, Eudora softball is slated to face No. 4 Andale/Garden Plain (19-3) in the opening round at 7 p.m. Thursday at Bill Burke Complex. EHS baseball is the No. 8 seed, taking on No. 1 Paola (20-2) at 3:30 p.m. Thursday at Dean Evans Stadium.

The semifinals, state championship game and third-place contest will all take place on Friday. Here is a look at both Eudora teams and how they got here:

Eudora softball comes together

The Cardinals have won 11 in a row entering the state tourney, but things weren’t always so easy. They actually began the year with a loss, dropping a 6-5 decision to Bonner Springs in the season opener on March 30.

“We had a lot to learn after the first game,” Eudora coach Bill Finucane said. “Since then, they’ve really come a long way in trying to work hard to get better and be where we’re at.”

Part of what helped the Cardinals put it all together was the camaraderie they demonstrated on and off the field. Finucane noted that they have really come together as a team, a process that first started in a doubleheader loss to Spring Hill on April 13.

Spring Hill entered the series undefeated and had yet to give up a run at that point, rattling off six double-digit wins to begin the season. Eudora changed all that, suffering a 5-3 loss in the first game before pushing Spring Hill to extra innings in a 10-7 defeat in the nightcap.

Despite the two losses, the Cardinals got a sense that they belonged that day. After all, Spring Hill is now 21-1 and the No. 2 seed in the Class 5A state tournament.

“I think our kids at that point started to kind of believe that maybe we’ve got something here,” Finucane said. “We had a chance to win both ballgames and we were that close to doing that. So I think that gave them a little bit of confidence.”

The Cardinals have only lost one game since that series.

Eudora’s outfield has made great strides, which is something Finucane credited assistant Jan Kushner for being responsible for. It played a part in how Addison Woods was able to make an incredible diving catch in right field in the regional championship that brought everyone to their feet.

EHS has also hit the ball well and pitched lights out for much of the year. Senior first baseman Jayla Pierce is hitting over .600 to go along with seven homers and shattering the team’s RBI record with 40 runs driven in. She hasn’t committed an error all season either.

Junior Harper Schreiner, who is willing to do whatever the team needs, moved from centerfield to shortstop to step in for an injured player. She’s stellar on the defensive end in the new position while hitting nearly .500 and scoring 37 runs.

Junior Kira Baker, the team’s No. 1 pitcher, has been phenomenal in the circle. She’s piled up 170 strikeouts while also hitting over .350 as a batter. Junior second baseman Elli Han is also hitting over .400 and has scored 32 runs during her first year playing at the varsity level.

“All of these kids have been a pleasure to coach,” Finucane said. “As a coach, it has been really enjoyable and a really enjoyable season to watch these girls get better.”

photo by: Eudora Athletics

Eudora’s baseball team poses with the regional championship plaque Tuesday afternoon at Benedictine College on May 18, 2021. The Cardinals, who were the No. 14 seed, advanced to the Class 4A state tournament after two upset victories. Photo posted by Eudora Athletics.

EHS baseball hot at right time

Eudora opened the year with just three wins within its first 10 games, as the team was trying to figure out what it took to win at the varsity level. The Cardinals then swept Baldwin in a doubleheader on April 19 to inch closer to .500, but the turning moment for this team occurred nearly a month later.

In the final series of the regular season, EHS swept Kansas City-Piper — a Class 5A squad — in a home doubleheader on May 11. Eudora earned a 5-2 victory in the first game before grabbing a 3-2 win in the nightcap to enter the postseason on a win streak.

“We ended up winning both games there and kind of took that momentum into regionals,” EHS coach Wilson Kilmer said. “We have quite a few seniors in the program this year and they really missed that junior year — that developmental year where they kind of get used to the varsity setting.”

Eudora then entered its regional as the No. 14 seed before earning a pair of upset victories to capture a title. EHS recorded a 10-8 win over No. 3 seed Atchison before netting a 3-1 victory over No. 6 seed Tonganoxie in the regional championship.

“The focus was good,” Kilmer said of his team’s mindset in regionals. “We played with more of an energy and more of doing what the team needed above what we wanted to be able to do as an individual.”

The Cardinals have been led this year by senior Sebastian Lewis, who has been the team’s No. 1 pitcher as well as the cleanup hitter. He has posted a 3.37 ERA while striking out 58 batters and walking 29 over 43 2/3 innings of work. Lewis is also hitting .380 with 19 RBIs in 71 at-bats.

Senior second baseman Gavin Hobson is posting a .343 batting average to go along with 18 RBIs and 14 runs scored. Senior shortstop Keaton Herron has a batting clip of .333 while driving in 12 RBIs and scoring 19 runs for the Cardinals.

The opening-round matchup will be a rematch for the Cardinals. Eudora was swept by Paola on April 6, suffering a 7-1 defeat in the first game and a 9-5 loss in the second outing.

“They are good,” Kilmer said. “20-2 now on the year. To be able to do that, especially in our league, is a pretty amazing feat.”

“So it’s gonna be a tall task in front of us,” Kilmer added.

Class 4A state baseball bracket

No. 1 Paola (20-2) vs. No. 8 Eudora (9-13), 3:30 p.m.

No. 4 Bishop Miege (15-7) vs. No. 5 Towanda-Circle (15-7), 5:45 p.m.

No. 2 Clay Center Community/Wakefield (19-3) vs. No. 7 Topeka-Hayden (10-12), 11 a.m.

No. 3 Mulvane (15-7) vs. No. 6 Clearwater (14-8), 1:15 p.m.

Class 4A state softball bracket

No. 1 Holton (21-1) vs. No. 8 Winfield (14-8), 5 p.m.

No. 4 Andale/Garden Plain (19-3) vs. No. 5 Eudora (18-4), 7 p.m.

No. 2 Clay Center Community/Wakefield (20-2) vs. No. 7 Pratt (17-5), 5 p.m.

No. 3 Bishop Miege (19-3) vs. No. 6 Wamego (17-5), 7 p.m.