Today, around 3 p.m., the Selma Cloverleafs will take the field at Bloch Park for the final time this season.

It begs the question: Is this the last time… ever?

Don’t ask Noopie Cosby that question.

Cosby has adopted the Cloverleafs as his own. After being part of an investment group that ran the Montgomery Wings last season, Cosby was given the steering wheel of Selma’s fledgling team and literally asked to drive with blinders across the windshield.

“No way is this the last game,” he said of today’s matchup against Baton Rouge. “Of course, it’s about this league surviving, but we’re going to make it.”

The Leafs’ season is not over yet. Beginning Monday, they head out for a 12-game road trip before the playoffs begin Aug. 28 in Pensacola.

“We’re still focusing on that,” Cosby said. “We need to get through this road trip and the playoffs, then we need to focus on next season.”

According to Cosby, the owners of all Southeastern League teams will meet in Pensacola during the tournament to discuss plans for next season.

“I know Pensacola and Montgomery are committed,” Cosby said.

Though he did not mention Baton Rouge, the River Bats — who defeated Selma 10-1 Saturday night — were one of the hold-over teams from the All American Association baseball league from last season. They, along with Montgomery, joined to begin the Southeastern League.

“Right now, we’re looking at picking up new teams,” Cosby said.

And picking up teams may be an understatement. According to the former state representative, the goal of the Southeastern League is to field teams from as far North as Virginia all the way to central Florida.

“We’d like to have a 24-league team in five years and have four different divisions,” Cosby said.

With all the optimism, it’s easy to see why Cosby won’t look at today’s game as a going-away party. But then again, there will be some emotion at Bloch Park today.

“Most of these boys out here… I’m old enough to be their father,” Cosby said. “I’ve kind of adopted them, and it will be hard to watch them leave.”

At the beginning of the season, the Cloverleafs had one Selma native on their roster. Heading into the team’s final home game, none of the players are from this city. The players are paid only for the time they spend playing baseball, and most likely will not stay in town after the season concludes.

Sammy Torriera, who originally came to play for the Cloverleafs, ended up as the team’s general manager in the office rather than on the field.

The Miami native said he’ll leave Selma after the season and go home for a short break. That doesn’t mean baseball is falling off his radar. In fact, Torriera has baseball plans for himself and for “maybe three-quarters” of the team.

“Hopefully, we’re going to Australia to play in a winter league,” the general manager said. “I’m looking at something where I might get to work as a player-coach.”

And a large group from the Cloverleafs may follow.

“This is still pretty tentative, but I want to take a big group from this team with me,” he said. “Maybe even about three-quarters of them.”

Cosby will stay in Selma to tend to his business. That doesn’t mean today’s game won’t be a little hard to watch.

“I guess in some ways, I’m relieved that we made it through the season,” Cosby said. “On the other hand, I see that the end is coming, and the players will be leaving, and that will be tough for me.”