The Pella High baseball team has ended the celebrations of their Substate victory and have now turned their attention to this week’s Class 3A State Baseball Tournament.

The Little Dutch will face the DCG Mustangs on Tuesday night in Des Moines.

Head Coach Jesse Jablonski says his team has been loose and relaxed at practice so far, a mood that fits the tone his team set at the beginning of the season.

“We’ve been playing music in the clubhouse and their just really enjoy this entire summer so far,” Jabonski says. “I don’t expect that to change.”

“It’s a special group of kids. They really don’t get caught up in the moment in the big game that we’ve faced throughout the year.”

Pella is preparing for Dallas Center-Grimes’ ace Cole Baker, a pitcher they were able to hit fairly well twice this season. Freshman Landon Vander Leest says they have to keep smacking the ball around the diamond if they want to advance.

“It’s gonna take a lot, we’re going to have to swing the bats really hard,” Vander Leest tells KNIA/KRLS Sports. “We’ve got a really deep lineup.”

Pregame coverage starts approximately 15 minutes before first pitch at 7:30 p.m. on 92.1 KRLS and kniakrls.com.