MAN — The Man High School girls’ softball team is just four more wins away from completing an incredible feat.

That would be winning back-to-back Class A state championships.

But in order to get to Vienna and have a chance at defending its state title, Man must first get through Buffalo.

The No. 1-ranked and unbeaten Lady Billies (19-0) are scheduled to square off with the Bison on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the Class A Region 4 championship game at the Man Softball Complex.

Man, led by all-state junior pitching sensation Marlena Frye, have been nothing short of outstanding this season.

The dominating Lady Billies have outscored their opponents by a cumulative score of 170-2.

Yes.

One hundred and seventy to two.

Is that dominating enough for you?

Frye, Man’s standout pitcher, has only given up one earned run all season in more than 100 innings of work, an ERA that computes to a staggering 0.09.

The Lady Billies have taken their opponents to the toolshed all spring long.

The only two teams to score on Man this season were Double-A Scott and Triple-A Logan. The Lady Billies beat Scott 6-1 on March 31 in Madison and defeated county rival Logan 4-1 on April 23 at home. Man swept Logan this season, also taking a 2-0 win over the Lady Cats on April 25 at Logan. Logan is fighting for a berth in the Triple-A state tourney on Thursday.

Man advanced to the regional final with three easy wins over Gilbert (23-0) and Van (13-0 and 10-0).

The Lady Billies were then awarded a forfeit victory over a Mingo County opponent last Thursday. Man was supposed to play either Burch or Matewan but recent flooding in Mingo County caused the cancellation of school last week countywide, causing the game to be forfeited. Neither Burch or Matewan were expected to give Man any kind of a game anyway.

Man and Buffalo are no strangers to each other.

The Lady Billies and the Bison have matched up against one another over the last few seasons.

Man beat Buffalo 4-0 on April 11 in the Class A championship game of Buffalo’s Best of the Best Tournament.

Buffalo had been the site for the last several years of Class A regional championship games.

Last year, Man beat Buffalo 5-1 in the Class A Region 3 finals to advance to the state tournament at Vienna where the Lady Billies went on to beat Wheeling Central 7-3 in the state title game.

In 2007, Man lost 6-4 in eight innings to Buffalo in the regional final at Buffalo.

Back in 2006, Man lost to Harts 5-2 in an extra inning thriller in the Class A regional final at Buffalo. Harts was led that season by a freshman pitcher-catcher duo — Andi Williamson and Poppy Ramey. The two then led Harts to the Class A state final where the Lady Lions lost to Wheeling Central.

This year, however, the regional softball final will be on Man’s home diamond. The tourney will then rotate to different areas across the region in 2010 and beyond.

If the Lady Billies are able to beat Buffalo on Thursday Man would advance to play in the state tournament, which is set for May 27-28 at Vienna’s Jackson Memorial Park in the Parkersburg area.

Three wins at state would win the state title for Man.

Man would open up the state tourney on Wednesday, April 27 against the Region 3 champion around 12:30 p.m. on Field 2. A win there would advance Man to play in a winner’s bracket contest around 7:30 p.m. against the winner of the Region 1 vs. Region 2 game.

Two wins on April 27 would automatically advance the Lady Billies into the Class A state championship game which would be played on April 27 at 5 p.m.

Logan County could have three teams in the state tourney for the first time ever.

Not only will Man be playing for a Class A state tournament berth on Thursday, there will be two more in-county regional finals.

Logan (28-5) is set to host Greenbrier East on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the Class AAA Region 3 title game.

Down the road at Chapmanville, the Chapmanville Regional High School Lady Tigers (27-3) is scheduled to play host to Herbert Hoover in the Class AA Region 4 final in another 5:30 p.m. game.

If Logan makes it to state, the Lady Cats would open play against the Region 4 champion around noon on April 27.

A win there would push the Lady Cats into a 7 p.m. winner’s bracket game against either the Region 1 champ or the Region 2 team. Two wins on the first day of the state tourney would advance Logan into the 3A state finals which are set to be played on April 27 at 3:30 p.m.

Chapmanville would open the state tourney around 11:30 a.m. on April 27 against the Region 3 winner. A win there would move the Lady Tigers into a winner’s bracket contest later in the evening around 6:30 p.m. against the Region 1 or Region 2 representative.

Two wins would push the Lady Tigers into the Class AA finals which are set to be played on April 28 at 2 p.m.

The last time multiple teams from Logan County made it to the state tourney was back in 1999 when Chapmanville won the 2A state title and Logan lost in the 3A finals to Cabell Midland at Summersville.

In 2000, Man won one game and was ousted in the 2A state tourney at Summersville.

Logan won back-to-back 3A state crowns in 2001 and 2002 at Summersville.

Chapmanville advanced to state in 2004 and won the 2A state crown at Vienna.

In 2006, Logan went to state and brought home the 2A title.

Chapmanville won the 2A gold in 2007 and Man took the Single-A state title in 2008.

Man also won the state championship in 1983.

Logan won the state title in 1986.