VALDOSTA — As the young women trot around the bases and field grounders throughout the preseason of the 2005 slate, the Lowndes High softball team has grown sick of playing against its mates, and are antsy to get some competition.

Today the constant glare of the sun expelling more sweat with each swing of the aluminum bat will finally become worth it.

Also today will be time to finally answer the demons that have been haunting the Vikings since its playoff exit in 2004.

“They’re tired of seeing one another practice every day in the hot sun,” coach Jared Dickey. “They want to reap some benefits of their hard work this summer.”

The Vikings will host Lee County today in the 5:30 p.m. season opener.

The Vikings will be happy to finally look across the diamond and see someone other than a teammate in the batters’ box.

“We’ve been after it all summer, and we’re ready to play somebody besides ourselves,” Dickey said. “We get a little laxidazical playing against one another, so we need to get out and find some different competition.

“We’re excited to be playing.”

Lowndes will take the field for the first time since its 4-0 loss to Newton in the sectional tournament Oct. 23.

The loss combined with three others kept the Vikings from becoming Region Champions for the first time in the program’s six year history.

“Last year kind of left a sour taste in our mouth,” Dickey said. “Last year was kind of a rebuilding year for us.”

To compare the experience of last season’s squad with 2005, this year’s Vikings have nine seniors on the roster, while in 2004 there were only two.

“We had a young group last year,” Dickey said. “We had two seniors last year, and we were really young across the whole field.”

The Vikings will have seniors at every position, Thursday, except for catcher.

Both of the Vikings pitchers this season will be seniors as well.

Lowndes will send Alden Pope into the pitching circle against the Trojans.

Throughout 2005 Pope will team with Krystle Robinson to form the Vikings’ pitching staff.

Robinson returns to the Vikings after a second-team all state performance as a freshman in 2002.

“She is going to help out our pitching staff,” Dickey said. “We’re going to have two aces this year. Two really good ones.”

The Vikings will let their pitching staff stand on its own and hope that their offense can provide the needed run support.

“If we can keep them both healthy,” I feel like were going to be really tough to beat if we can score some more runs.”

The Vikings will use the motivation of a missed championship and the redundancy of practice to start their climb back towards the region

“We’re going to be back and ready to try and take over the region this year,” Dickey said. “(The team is) more ready than me I think.”