From the first pitch to the last out, Delta Charter School baseball coach Jarrett Hoffpauir has established a distinct brand of trust for his team.

After the fifth-ranked Storm (14-11) received a first-round bye in the LHSAA Class 1A playoffs, Hoffpauir will leave today’s matchup with Beekman Charter in their hands.

“At this point, if we haven’t learned it by now we are in trouble,” he said. “It’s win or go home, and we understand that. That’s the kind of mentality we need to play with.”

The second-round matchup comes as nothing new, either. DCS has defeated their district rival, ranked No. 12, twice already this season.

Both in late March, each win was earned by just one run. The first came 5-4 and the second 7-6.

“Just because we have beat them twice, doesn’t mean anything,” Hoffpauir said. “It’s hard to beat a team three times in a year, it really is. We are going to do everything we can do to get over that myth. This is a brand new game and a brand new day.”

Hoffpauir said with the certainty in his players, he doesn’t plan to move anybody around, including starting senior pitcher Lee Lancaster.

Lancaster will be shadowed by either Trenton Miller or Drake Smith.

“We are sticking to it and trying to keep them comfortable. (Lee’s) our spark plug right now, we do what he does,” Hoffpauir said. “We are blessed this year to have a few arms. We have confidence in all three of them. We could flip a coin and they are all competitors.”

“I like to put it in my hands, but we know we have to stay focused and humble,” Lancaster said of the starting position.

Hoffpauir also said he isn’t expecting anyone specific to stand out at the plate, and he said he thinks the team has played well as a unit on offense.

In its wins this year, the Storm has outscored its opponents by an average of 8.4 runs.

“We just have great kids who love to play and are eager to learn,” Hoffpauir said. “I think they are jelling together at the right time, which is good.”

With the win, DCS would earn its first postseason win in program history, and Hoffpauir said he is pleased to see how much baseball has developed at the school over four short years.

“We are obviously doing something right,” he said. “It’s never fun when you have people who don’t want to be out here, and we don’t have that. We are in it for the same goal.”

The game is set to begin at 6 p.m.