BB's can be dangerous. They can put your eye out. They can also do a lot of damage on a softball diamond.

The Houston Astros were once known for the "Killer B's" in Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio. Now, the Astros have four "Killer B's" in Bagwell, Biggio, Geoff Blum and Lance Berkman.

The Pleasant Home Lady Eagles softball team also has four "Killer B's" only they come in groups of two in Brittney Blount and Britni Ballard. They are also know as the "Killer BB's" by Head Coach Jimmy Reeves.

"Yeah, I got me a couple of good BB's," Reeves said. "They've been our backbone the last two years."

Reeves said his BB's have been the team's "backbone" but he knows every member of the team has played a critical role the entire season.

"We have a very well-rounded team, but those two are our leaders and our backbone," Reeves said.

The BB's have helped Reeves guide the Lady Eagles to a 30-9 record a spot in the Class 1A State Tournament beginning Friday at Lagoon Park in Montgomery.

The Lady Eagles have also benefited from strong pitching, solid defense and a roster of speedy players.

"Our pitching depth is excellent," Reeves said. "Our pitching is probably not going to be as strong as what we are going to see in Montgomery, but we have three good ones."

Reeves said most teams, especially in Class 1A, have one pitcher who is usually very strong. However, most teams lack the depth his Lady Eagles have when it comes to pitching with Kim Jacobs, Kayla Wiggins and Leah Turman all capable of getting the job done.

"We have three better-than-average pitchers," Reeves said.

The Lady Eagles' defense compliments the pitching staff.

"I think our biggest strength is our defense with Ballard and Amy (Jacobs) up the middle and Blount behind the plate. Then, we have Beth Cox in center field," Reeves said. "Our defense is our strength and we have pretty good team speed."

The Lady Eagles will face the Westminster Christian Lady Wildcats in the first game of the Class 1A State Tournament at 9 a.m. on Friday.

Reeves said advancing to the state tournament is something he is glad the players were able to accomplish.

"It's a big, big win for us because it's just our second year in fast-pitch," Reeves said regarding the win against Fruitdale on Saturday. "Two years ago we went to Montgomery for the state tournament in slow-pitch. I felt bad for the girls because we moved up to become one of the best teams in the state in slow-pitch. The next year we were in fast-pitch.

"They have built themselves back up to be one of the best teams in the state since moving to fast-pitch," he added.

The Lady Wildcats are 27-7 on the season and advanced to the state tournament winning two out of three games against Athens Bible in sub-state action.

Westminster Christian Head Coach Kristin Click said the Lady Wildcats have a strong pitcher in Alison Petty. She also said her players are good with the bat.

"I think we are strong offensively," Click said. "We are a young team but we are pretty scrappy defensively."

The Lady Wildcats are a young squad with only one senior.

"The bulk of my team is sophomores and juniors," Click said. "I only have one senior. Three years ago we went to the state tournament in fast-pitch when it was Class 1A through Class 3A. I have eight girls on this team that were on that team."

Click just hopes the Lady Wildcats do better at the state tournament than they did three years ago when they went 0-2 to tie for last place.

Pleasant Home hopes to give the Lady Wildcats at least one loss in state tournament play on Friday. The Lady Eagles and Lady Wildcats play at 9 a.m. and both teams will play again at 4 p.m. on Friday.