Magnolia will look to put another state baseball championship trophy on its shelf.
The Panthers (20-5) will square off against the top-ranked Valley View Blazers (28-6) at the Benton Athletic Complex at 1 p.m. Friday.
The state finals are usually held at Baum Stadium on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville, but was moved to Benton because of the Razorbacks have a series scheduled.
“The finals are the finals, no matter where they are played,” said Magnolia head coach Bobby Beeson.
His Panthers and the Blazers have one common opponent this season. Both square off against the Star City Bulldogs, with the Panthers splitting their two contests and the Blazers winning 13-9.
Magnolia started the season with a 6-0 mark, but hit a slump and lost five of its next five games. The Panthers have since win 13 of their last 14 contests.
The Blazers also had a good start to the season, winning their first 15, before losing four of five late in the year.
“There are no easy games in the state tournament. Everyone is here for one purpose only. You are going to get everyone’s best. I tell my team to let’s just stay locked in and see what we can do,” explained Beeson.
Magnolia punched its ticket into the Class 4A State Finals with another impressive win in the state tournament at Morrilton.
The Panthers took care of Pulaski Robinson 11-1 in the quarterfinals and knocked off Farmington 8-2 in the semifinals at Dr. Ray Fullerton Field.