Andalusia baseball players were having fun during practice on Thursday.

They hope to translate that to today’s second-round playoff series against UMS-Wright in the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Class 4A state playoffs in Mobile.

AHS baseball coach Tyler Dent said the players have been real “loose” since playing the third game of the first round against Clarke County on Monday.

“They’re real relaxed,” Dent said. “It’s going to be fun. They’re a good opponent. It’s going to be a good atmosphere. If we play loose, I think we’ll be fine.”

For the past two seasons, AHS has met UMS in the first round of the postseason, and has fallen in both instances.

The past is in the past, Dent said, adding that the team hasn’t really talked about the fact that it’s been years since AHS made it past the second round.

“Our goal is that we’re trying to get to Montgomery,” the coach said. “That’s just a stepping stone in that direction.”

To get ready for a strong UMS squad, which sports one senior, AHS made sure it practiced on a more relaxed level.

“We had three days of good work,” Dent said.

Andalusia senior Justin Scherzinger will start in game one, where first pitch is slated for 4:30 p.m. Game two will start at around 7 p.m. If both split, the if-necessary game is at noon on Saturday.