East Limestone’s players didn’t have a lot of time to enjoy their emotional and exciting 16-11 victory over Arab in the deciding third game of the Class 5A first-round playoff series.

The Indians had to get right back to work to prepare for their second-round series against Springville, which begins today with games at 5 and 7 p.m. An if-necessary third game would take place 2 p.m. Saturday.

Springville wrapped up its first-round series Saturday, meaning they have three more days of rest than East Limestone, which had to push its series back twice due to rain and unplayable field conditions.

“We’re on a short week, so we’ve got to quickly get ready for round two,” East Limestone coach Bradley Craig said.

He said they had “a little bit of a light workday” Wednesday so players could go home and rest, but a long practice was planned for Thursday. Craig hoped to start preparing and putting in strategies for their game against Springville.

East will need to prepare well, as Springville is one of the top teams in Class 5A. The Tigers are 26-5 on the season and won its first-round series over Pleasant Grove by a combined score of 49-3.

“From all the information I have received so far, (Springville) has been waiting for this group to be seniors,” Craig said. “They have seven starting seniors, and they are all very good players and have been playing together for a long time. They can all really hit, too. From 1-9 in the lineup, they can all swing the stick.”

Craig said he has talked to several coaches, and all have said the same thing about Springville.

“I’ve heard from about four or five different schools, and they all told me (Springville) is the best team they’ve played all year,” he said. “They’d say, ‘Coach, we don’t want to scare you, but they are a really good team.’ But we are excited about the challenge. There are only 16 teams left playing baseball in the state, and they’re all good. And that includes us.”

The reason East Limestone is among the best 16 teams in Class 5A in the state is because it is a true team, Craig said. In any given game, a different person could take charge. In Tuesday’s playoff game, it was Barret Brown and Zach Pyles who stepped up. Brown hit a grand slam, while Pyles hit a three-run homer and pitched 4 1/3 innings but allowing only one run.

“You never know who is going to have to step up and make a play to get it done,” Craig said. “Make a pitch, catch a ball, get a bunt down, get a hit, steal a base. It could be anybody in our dugout at a certain time. And that will determine the game. Everybody has to play their part, play their role and win every pitch.”