For the Niles baseball team to continue its journey toward a state championship, the Vikings are going to have to bring their “A” game to Lakeshore Saturday.

Niles will face No. 1-ranked Coldwater (29-9) in the opening game in Stevensville at 10 a.m. Saturday.

The winner advance to take on either Sturgis (25-10) or South Haven (23-13)  in the championship game, slated for 3 p.m. The Trojans and Rams play the second semifinals at approximately 12:30 p.m.

The Vikings (20-15) advanced to the regional by defeating Paw Paw 7-0 in the district semifinals and Edwardsburg 9-8 in the championship game.

Niles rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sevenths to win the district championship, its second in three years.

Coldwater won its district championship with an 8-4 win over No. 10-ranked Marshall. The Cardinals blanked Olivet 7-0 in the semifinals as Kameron Miller tossed a no-hitter with nine strikeouts and one walk.

Niles and Coldwater have two common opponents — Mattawan and Sturgis.

The Vikings swept Mattawan, while the Cardinals were defeated by the Wildcats.

Sturgis blanked Niles in a single game, while Coldwater swept a doubleheader from the Trojans.

“In order to beat Coldwater in the regional, we must acclimate ourselves to the game very quickly,” Niles coach Mike Vota said. “A slow start will not be favorable for our team on any platform from here on out. We know the things that we have to control in order to be successful and we will work on those through the week.”

Miller is 6-2 on the year with a 2.525 ERA for the Cardinals. He has 41 strikeouts in 52.2 innings of work.

Brayton Rzepka is 6-1 with an ERA of 3.860 with 42 strikeouts in 45.1 innings. Brendon Lewis is 5-2 with a 3.038 ERA with 66 strikeouts on 53 innings of work.

Brendan Spangler is Coldwater’s top hitter with an average of .470 with 15 doubles, a triple, three home runs and 35 RBIs.

Austin Krzeminski is hitting .342 with 11 doubles, a triple, 10 home runs and 32 RBIs. Miller is hitting .390 with 13 doubles, a triple, three home runs and 29 RBIs.

Vota says that he team needs to seize the opportunity and not shy away from it.

“When playing at this time of year, the bar is raised with each game played,” he said. “Games are played with an all new urgency as you face the end of the season each time you take the field. It comes down to using that gravity as a positive pressure, not a hindrance. Teams that can do that create their own momentum.”

Vota does not put any stock into those earlier games.

“Those games do not matter,” he said. “The times and situations were all much different than what we will face Saturday.”

Sturgis is 25-10 on the year.

The Trojans are led by Tristan Stewart, who is hitting .324 with four doubles, a home run and 24 RBIs. On the mound he is 3-3 with a 1.647 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 51 innings.

Bryce Jasper is 6-0 on the hill with an ERA of 0.560. He has 50 strikeouts in 50 innings of work. Brecken Stewart is 4-2 with an ERA of 2.240 with 29 strikeouts in 25 innings.

Jake Abbs is hitting .319 with four doubles, five triples and 27 RBIs for the Trojans. Caleb Frohriep is hitting .300 with 12 RBIs.

South Haven are led by All-Wolverine Conference performers Danny Dopp, Andy Klavins and Bryce Gargus.

Dopp delivered a two-run double in the sixth inning to propel South Haven to a 2-0 win over Lakeshore in the district championship game. It was his second double of the game.

Klavins went the distance to pick up the victory.

The Rams blanked Benton Harbor 9-0 in the semifinals to reach the championship game.

Colin Raczynski had a pair of doubles, while Quinn Johnson homered for South Haven.

Luke Cooper picked up the win for the Rams.

Dopp is hitting .412 with 17 doubles, two triples, a home run, 15 stolen bases and 47 RBIs.

Klavins is hitting .377 with 10 doubles, a triple, two home runs and 31 RBIs. Gargus is hitting .310 with eight doubles, two triples, a home run and 23 RBIs.

Gargus is 4-2 on the hill with an ERA of 3.11. Cooper is 5-3 with an ERA of 3.20 with 35 strikeouts in 39-plus innings.

Klavins is 4-1 with an ERA of 3.98 with 52 strikeouts in 51 innings pitched. Casey Cooper is 5-1 with an ERA of 4.20.

Admission is $5 per person and no passes will be accepted. Concessions will be available.