Cullman shortstop Grayson Taylor slings a ball to third base during a playoff outing vs. Hartselle.

Brent Patterson is fully aware of the tasks that await his team in just a couple of days.

Tasks … as in multiple.

Not only does Cullman have to travel to Pell City for a second-round playoff matchup, but the Class 6A No. 2 Bearcats (28-8) also have to put last week’s emotionally draining home sweep of heated rival Hartselle in the rearview mirror in order to fully concentrate on their upcoming battle against the Panthers (13-18).

There’s literally no time to waste.

The postseason series gets underway on Friday with games at 5 and 7 p.m. Should the two teams split, they would duke it out in a winner-take-all clash at noon on Saturday.

For Patterson, he’s hoping to see an unwavering intensity from his guys come first pitch.

“We’ve talked about that a lot,” he said. “Against a bitter rival in the first round of the playoffs, we didn’t have to really ask them to come to the edge … it was going to happen. We don’t sit here and look at a record. It’s about getting hot at the right time. Pell City went on the road and beat a good Athens team. They do a lot of things on the field well. If we show up with no energy, we’re going to be in a dogfight. And if we have a few balls bounce the wrong way, we’re going to be sitting at the house.

“No matter your opponent, you have to show up every game with the same type of energy and focus you would have against your rival. If that happens, and you get beat, then you can lay your head down a little easier. But if you don’t do that, you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life.”

Senior shortstop Grayson Taylor doesn’t expect the latter to happen.

Not after listening to his coach’s words and not with the kind of guys on this particular team.

“We just need to keep doing the same stuff we’ve been doing,” he said. “Working hard, taking the reps, doing the little things right. I feel like this group has been able to come out with great energy no matter who we play. I’m not too worried about that being a problem on Friday.”

The Panthers needed three games to take care of the Golden Eagles last week but ultimately advanced after winning Saturday’s tiebreaker 10-2.

It didn’t take long for Patterson to begin his scouting process following the outcome.

To no one’s surprise, the longtime coach found plenty of concerns.

“They have a really good No. 1 pitcher,” he said. “He’s held some really good teams down to very few runs. They’re really terrific at the bunt game and playing small ball. The biggest thing they have going for them right now, though, is that the first round showed them what can happen when you play well. When you look at their schedule, you see they had quite a few losses in a row. But they played a lot of really good teams close.

“And if you give belief to a young team, then all of the sudden it goes a long way. It’s important for us to go up there and not get ourselves in a hole. Don’t make mistakes and do things out of character.”

Added Taylor: “We just need to play our game and do what we do best. Make every play, hustle, throw strikes and make things happen.”

Cullman — which won its 17th straight first-round series last week — is hoping to make it back to Montgomery for a fifth consecutive season for yet another shot at the 6A state title.

After a rough 3-5 start, the Bearcats have grabbed 25 victories in their past 28 games to put themselves into a good position to do just that.

They only need six more wins. The goal on Friday will be to cut that down to four.

According to Patterson, it wouldn’t be possible without the substantial growth his team has shown since March.

“Over the last several weeks, I’ve been really proud of how this group has matured,” he said. “The way they’ve approached practice and the daily work has been much, much better. That comes from leadership. The seniors see the opportunity that they are never going to get back again after this year. They’ve set the tone, and I really think it’s trickled down to the rest of the team.”