Aberdeen Circus Sports Bar will be facing a familiar foe to open the Class A Amateur baseball playoffs this weekend.

The local squad (10-4 on the season) will be taking on the Sioux Falls Brewers in the opening round at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Brookings. The two teams played each other twice in the regular season with Circus winning both matchups.

Despite winning both of those regular-season contests, Circus player Evan Brandt said that does not give Aberdeen an extra edge heading into the third meeting.

“I wouldn’t say it gives us any extra confidence boost,” Brandt said. “They’re a good team. It’s playoff baseball; I think you have to go into it with the same expectation and not take them for granted.”

One advantage that it does provide, though, is that the Aberdeen players somewhat know what to expect and what to look for.

“They’re young, they’re athletic, they’re fast,” Brandt said of the Brewers. “They’ve got some youth on us for sure, so I think any time you put athleticism on a baseball field it plays and that’s probably our biggest challenge when we see them.”

While the Brewers may have the advantage of youth and athleticism, Circus has the benefit of experience with its veteran players.

“I think (experience) is our biggest benefit just in general with our team. We’ve got guys that have played at a high level and done it for a long time in the amateur scene,” Brandt said. “I think any time that you put that on the field it’s a huge benefit to your entire team. It keeps us steady. We’ve seen everything on a baseball field. Nothing is going to surprise us in this tournament, so I think that’s huge to have.”

Brandt thinks that the team’s offense is one of its biggest strengths and something the squad can rely on.

“I think we hit the ball well. We do a good job putting it in play and moving guys,” Brandt said. “I think we pitch OK. We’ve got guys that have been in big games and that’s always a huge benefit when it comes to amateur baseball. The nerves go away quick when you have that, so I think that’s big for us. And then again, just the offensive ability our team has. We have guys that can swing it one through nine and guys that aren’t afraid of velocity and can hit breaking balls. So, I think that’s a huge key for our team.”

The other two teams at the region this weekend are the Brookings Cubs and the Sioux Falls Flying Squirrels. Three of the four teams will move on to the state tournament.

Aberdeen will play at least twice this weekend and up to three games. That can take a toll both mentally and physically, but Brandt isn’t too worried about the mental side of it.

“I think physically is probably more our factor. Like I said, mentally we’ve got experienced guys. We don’t break down quick. We’ve seen everything that baseball can throw at you and we’re not going to be surprised by any of those moments,” Brandt said. “Physically, we are getting older. We’re probably an older team in the league for sure, and that’s one thing, keeping arms healthy and keeping guys going for an entire weekend.”

If Circus is able to get two wins this weekend, the squad will be heading to the state tournament, and that’s big deal for the players.

“It’s always exciting. I think Aberdeen is kind of isolated from the rest of the league. Everything is either Rapid City or Sioux Falls and Brookings,” Brandt said. “It’s nice to get around those teams for an entire weekend and show South Dakota amateur baseball what Aberdeen has and the talent we have in our area. So that is huge for us.”