GRANITEQUARRY — It’s no small task to find a hotter baseball team than East Rowan, which has won 15 of its last 18 games.

But South Point High fits the profile. The Red Raiders (20-7) from Belmont are on a major roll as they invade Staton Field tonight for a first-round 3A state playoff game. Picked by most everyone to win the Southwestern Conference, the Raiders staggered at the start and had to settle for third place in the regular-season race behind Burns and East Rutherford. But the Raiders got down to business last week, winning the conference tournament and bumping their league seeding from No. 3 to No. 2.

That sets up a battle with East (17-8), No. 2 seed out of the South Piedmont. First pitch is at 7 p.m.

“It’s a really tough first-round match for us,” said East coach Jeff Safrit. “We’ve gotta be at our best.”

The matchup is actually a rematch, because the same two squads met at Staton in the first round exactly a year ago. East grabbed that 2000 encounter with surprising ease — 7-0.

Still, it won’t entirely be a case of history repeating itself. South Point was young last season and essentially brings back the same talented cast of characters — potential pro draft pick pitcher Devon Lowery, center fielder B.J. Richmond, first baseman Ian Gibson, third baseman Chris Ensley and left fielder Drew Devine.

But East is minus its two leading men from last year’s romp. Brian Hatley, who pitched a three-hit shutout with the help of a spectacular first-inning catch by right fielder Nick Lefko, is at Catawba. Center fielder Brett Peiffer, who drove in four Mustang runs, is at Davidson.

“Honestly, I don’t think last year’s game affects this year’s game,” said Safrit. “Other than that we scored seven runs against them last time.”

That 2000 success should give East juniors, Cal Hayes Jr. (.410, 26 steals), Drew Davis (.400, 22 RBIs) and Lefko (.342, 17 RBIs), plenty of confidence. All swung well last season, chasing Lowery, who reportedly throws as hard as 92 mph, after just three frames.

South Point is coached, as it has been for 19 years, by Mickey Lineberger. Lineberger and Safrit, who’s coached 18 years (seven at South Iredell, 11 at East), have tussled and tangled enough over the years that they’re on a first-name basis.

“Our teams have played maybe seven or eight times,” said Safrit. “Mickey’s won some and I’ve won some.”

The most memorable game in the Safrit-Lineberger log was a 1994 meeting in the state semifinals that the Raiders took 2-1. That game was called after four innings because of rain and field conditions and concluded as Safrit likes to tell it — “in a near-riot atmosphere.”

Don’t expect any civil disturbances tonight, but you can anticipate a highly charged environment. South Point always brings a big following and Safrit expects East supporters to be out in force. He’s been fielding “Do you remember what happened in ‘94?” calls all week from fans and ex-Mustangs, so there should be final-round tension in this first-round game.

Safrit doesn’t expect the pressure to affect his players, who come in off a loss to Central Cabarrus in the SPC tourney finals on Thursday.

“I feel good about my team,” he said. “We had a good day of practice Monday and should be ready. It being the playoffs shouldn’t bother us. It’s been a playoff atmosphere around here for a long time. We should be able to just relax and go play.”

Safrit’s starting pitcher tonight isn’t certain, because East doesn’t have a clear-cut ace as it did last season when Hatley’s slider had South Point warming the bus by the sixth inning. This year’s three rested and almost even candidates are junior lefty Julian Sides (5-3, 2.04 ERA, 50 Ks), sophomore southpaw Spencer Steedley (3-1, 2.39, 57) and senior right-hander Jeremy Teague (5-4, 1.77, 53).

All have had their moments, but it’s likely one of the young lefties will get the nod. Safrit believes in playing lefty-righty percentages as much as anyone since Casey Stengel and South Point has three dangerous left-handed hitters.

Another factor, is that, reportedly, South Point’s only faced one portsider all spring. The crafty Sides or the hard-throwing Steedley would present a different look.

Don’t be surprised if Safrit employs two hurlers — or even all three — depending on the lefty-righty matchups and the flow of the game.

‘We’ll just have to see what happens,” said a cryptic Safrit.

With those seven words, Safrit plunges into the playoff fight for the 10th consecutive year. This is not his best team, but it’s one that’s already overcome an awful lot just to be here. If it survives tonight, it has a chance to do some damage.

Tonight’s winner faces the survivor of West Rowan-Asheboro in Friday’s second round.

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Contact Mike London at 704-797-4259 or mlondon@salisburypost.com .