CLASS 6A 
  
2025 State Champion: Free State 
  
2025 State Runner-up: Shawnee Mission West 
  
2025 Review: Free State captured its first state championship since 2015 after making the state tournament in nine of its last 10 seasons. The Firebirds took down Shawnee Mission West, 7-1, in the title game in Lawrence and finished with a 28-2 record. They finished third in the previous two state tournaments. Starter Zane Shaw led the Firebirds in the title game as he went six innings and struck out seven. No. 1 Free State downed No. 4 Manhattan, 6-0, in the semifinals, while No. 7 Shawnee Mission West knocked off No. 6 Blue Valley, 10-3, to reach the state championship game as the Vikings had 11 losses coming into the tournament. Blue Valley went on to defeat Manhattan 14-0 in the third-place game. Washburn Rural, Maize, Olathe West and Mill Valley also earned regional championships to reach the state tournament.  

  
2026 Contenders: Free State is coming off an impressive 28-2 season that resulted in a state championship in 2025 and the Firebirds are poised to try to make it a second straight. Free State has a good core to build around as it returns three Division 1 players and it begins with senior starting pitcher Zane Shaw. The University of Nebraska commit finished with a perfect 10-0 season and had 80 strikeouts to lead the Firebirds. The team also returns its starting shortstop/second baseman in senior Ben Graves, who is committed to Oral Roberts. Graves also serves as the team’s closer. Junior centerfielder Ryker Mahnke, a Missouri commit, is also back after hitting .426 last season. After making a run through the state tournament last season, Sunflower League Coach of the Year Todd Reed will try to lead Shawnee Mission West back to the postseason after losing several senior starters from a year ago. The Vikings do return senior starter Ben Goodwin, who had more than 60 strikeouts and a sub-1.50 ERA last season. Blue Valley is off to a good start to its season as the Tigers try to improve off last season’s third place as they have won 10 of their first 11 games to start the year. The Tigers return first team All-Eastern Kansas League and all-state outfielder in junior Grant Westphal, a University of Texas commit, along with all-state pitcher Matthew Gravitt. Manhattan, which took fourth last season at state with a 21-8 record, will be led by the return of starting shortstop Sawyer Newton, who was an all-Centennial League and all-state player a season ago. Mill Valley also finds itself among the best in Class 6A again this season as the Jaguars have opened the 2026 season with 12 consecutive wins and are led by the Class 6A Player of the Year Beau Peterson — a University of Texas commit — along with junior All-Sunflower League designater hitter Easton Englehart. Olathe West is also coming off a regional championship and has won nine of its first 12 games to start the year and are led by all-state pitcher Max Hamilton, who is an Oklahoma State commit. After making it to state last season, Maize returns a core of players from last season’s squad as the Eagles have won nine of their first 11 games and are led by junior all-state pitcher Quincy Koehn and senior all-state first baseman Parker Meirowsky. Washburn Rural brings back a large group of its state tournament team from a year ago, including first team All-Centennial League shortstop Austin Ditch. Olathe East, which just missed out on the state tournament a year ago after it was knocked out in the regional final by Blue Valley, is off and running in 2026 as it has won its first 12 games to start the year. The Hawks are led by senior shortstop, and Missouri commit, Milo Burton, along with senior all-state outfielder Luke Venneman. Blue Valley West has won 10 of its first 11 to begin 2026 and the Jaguars return several players from as season ago, including junior all-state infielder Cole Ryherd. 
 

CLASS 5A 
  
2025 State Champion: St. Thomas Aquinas 
  
2025 State Runner-up: Great Bend 
  
2025 Review: The moment wasn’t any less sweet for St. Thomas Aquinas as the Saints registered their second consecutive state championship in a 7-4 victory over Great Bend under head coach Rick Sabath. It was the fifth state title for the Saints as they put together another memorable state title run with a 27-4 record. They jumped on Great Bend early with standout performances from Lincoln Boyle and Cru Huenfeld. Boyle earned the victory on the mound, while James Forgy, for the second year in a row, came in to get the save. No. 1 St. Thomas Aquinas rolled through No. 5 Hays in the semifinals with an 11-3 victory to reach the title game, while No. 2 Great Bend knocked off No. 3 Blue Valley Southwest, 4-1, in the other semifinal. Valley Center, Shawnee Heights, Piper and Eisenhower also found their way to the state tourney with regional titles.  
  
2026 Contenders: St. Thomas Aquinas isn’t satisfied with back-to-back state championships and the Saints are poised to make it three straight as they return several players off of last season’s 27-4 team. The Saints have already won seven of their first eight games and are being led by a number of all-state players, including the Class 5A Pitcher of the Year in Lincoln Boyle, who is also a University of Arkansas commit. Senior Brady Stewart, a South Carolina commit, is also back for the Saints as a returning all-state player who will play shortstop this season. James Forgy, who has closed the last two state title games, is also back along with returning starter Will Ray as the Saints look to get back to state with their pitching staff. As for Great Bend, the Panthers return three all-league players off a team that saw significant losses from a year, which includes head coach Randy Beck as he stepped away from the program after 30 years. Returning shortstop Daxton Minton will  be one of the team’s top players after he earned first team All-WAC honors and was an all-state honorable mention. Koehn Ribordy is also back as one of the team’s top hitters. Blue Valley Southwest, which took third a year ago with a 23-7 record, will try to work its way back to the top this year. The Timberwolves return sophomore pitcher Brock Bailey, who had a big freshman season that included first-team all-state honors. They also return a pair of all-state hitters in Brayden Shannon and Luke Hanahan. Shannon is a Nebraska commit, while Hanahan has committed to Xavier. Hays took fourth a year ago and the Indians had a senior-heavy team and we will rebuilding this season. Piper has won eight of its 10 first games to start the season and the Pirates return eight starters from a season ago, including first-team All-UKC selection Myles Ross, whose has committed to Texas Tech. Shawnee Heights will bring back its top two starting pitchers from a year ago in Cambren Floberg — the UKC Pitcher of the Year — and Brody Cooper as the T-Birds try to get back to the state tournament. Also back for Shawnee Heights is one of its top hitters in Makade Orton. Eisenhower and Valley Center lost a big group of seniors from last season’s squads and will try to rebuild. Bishop Carroll, which lost in the regional title game to Eisenhower as the No. 2 seed, returns three all-state players from a year ago in infielder Judd Blasi and outfielders Aedyn Acosta and Wyatt Fulfer. Seaman, which was the No. 3 seed and was upset in the regional semis, will try to get back to the state tournament and is led by junior all-state pitcher/hitter Axton Brewer. Salina Central is also off to a good start and has won its first eight games to begin the 2026 season. 
 

CLASS 4A 
  
2025 State Champion: Fort Scott 
  
2025 State Runner-up: Rock Creek 
  
2025 Review: Going up against a team that had won three state titles in the last 10 years, Fort Scott picked the perfect time to have its best season in program history. The Tigers got out to an early lead over defending champion Rock Creek and never looked back in a 6-4 victory over the Mustangs. Starter Brady Messer went six innings and gave up two earned runs and Lennox Vann earned the save. Vann struck out 12 batters over the state run and helped the Tigers to a 28-3 record and their first state championship. To get to the finals, the No. 2 seed Tigers held off No. 3 Paola for a 4-2 victory in the semifinals, while No. 5 Rock Creek edged No. 1 seed McPherson, 3-1. McPherson would bounce back as it cruised to an 11-4 victory over Paola in the third-place game. Tonganoxie, Mulvane, Abilene and Clay Center also earned a spot at the state tournament with regional titles, before falling in the state quarterfinals.. 
  
2026 Contenders: After an historic run that ended with its first-ever state tournament championship, Fort Scott will have some re-tooling to do as the Tigers lost seven seniors from last season’s team. The Tigers’ top returning player off that 28-3 team will be senior infielder Kanin Brown, who was an honorable mention all-state selection a year ago. Rock Creek, the 2024 state champion, which finished with a 23-7 record a year ago returns one of its top starting pitchers in Brock Lubbers, who went 9-0 and struck out 92 last season and was a first-team all-state selection, along with first team all-state outfielder Jordy Scott. McPherson, which took third a year ago, is out to a fast start as the Bullpups have won 10 of their first 12 games and return a pair of first team AVCT-III first teamers in infielders Carter Bengston and Cade Strathman off a team that lost seven seniors from a year ago. Paola, after a fourth-place finish last season, has started strong winning eight of its first nine games. The Panthers are led by returning all-state outfielder Blake Costlow after their 26-5 season. Paola also has to replace seven seniors from a year ago after winning the Frontier League title. Mulvane, after making it to the state quarters last season, won its first 10 games to start the year and will look to its pitching to guide the Wildcats this season. Not only to they return the AVCTL II Player of the Year and first team all-state pitcher in Parker Clubb (Louisville commit), they also had the AVCTL I Pitcher of the Year in Hagen Watkins, who transferred from Campus.  They also return second-team all-state pitcher in Grey Sanders (Kansas commit) and all-state outfielder Hays Ensley. After reaching the state tournament last season, Tonganoxie returns all-state pitcher Merek Davenport as the Chieftains try to make a repeat trip again this year after posting a 16-12 record. Abilene, which ended its year in the state quarters with a 16-11 mark, returns a handful of players as the Cowboys try to make another run, including first team all-state first baseman Jake Bartley. Hayden had a 23-0 record heading into regional championship, before being knocked out in a 9-8 loss by Tonganoxie. The Wildcats are back to make another run at it with a number of returning players including all-state outfielder Kade Mitchell and all-Centennial League hitters Caleb Menke and Aiden Roberts.   

CLASS 3A 
  
2025 State Champion: Trinity Academy 
  
2025 State Runner-up: Hesston 
  
2025 Review: After being denied the year before, Trinity Academy knocked the door down this time around. Trinity recorded its first ever-state championship with a 10-3 victory over Hesston in the title game. It was the 11th time the Knights had reached the state tournament before they took home the top spot last season. They used a 4-run fourth inning to take control of the game and never looked back behind a strong performance from starter Caleb Back. It was a pitching staff that shined all postseason as they gave up just 10 runs in all six postseason games. They won 20 of their last 21 games to take the top spot. To reach the title game, No. 3 seed Trinity earned a 5-2 in over No. 2 Humboldt in the semifinals, while No. 5 Hesston edged out No. 8 Sabetha in a 7-6 victory. Sabetha, who knocked off No. 1 seed Jefferson West in the quarterfinals, defeated Humboldt, 2-1, for third place. Silver Lake, Russell/Victoria and Columbus also reached the state quarterfinals with regional championships.  

2026 Contenders: Trinity Academy captured its first state championship in 11 tries in 2025 and it is hoping it won’t have to wait nearly as long for the second one. The Knights are out to a fast start in 2026 as they have won 10 of their first 11 games and are bringing back a good nucleus of players that include all-state pitchers Caleb Back and Brody Lee, along with sophomore catcher Cam Killgore and infielder Bryton Baty. Lee, Killgore and Baty all played big roles as freshmen for the Knights. Hesston, after an 18-7 finish a year ago as the state runner-up, will try to make its third state appearance in a row. The Swathers won seven straight to begin the season after losing a big senior class from a year ago. Sabetha will try to build off last season’s third-place state finish and an 18-13 record. The Bluejays will be led by senior all-state catcher Reid Mitchell after hitting .436 in 2025. Jefferson West entered the state tournament with just two losses before falling to Sabetha in the first round. The Tigers are back with much of the same roster intact as they had just two seniors a year ago. Back to lead the way is senior first team all-state pitcher Cooper Watkins, who was the Class 3A Pitcher of the Year. Silver Lake is no stranger to the state tournament with 40 overall appearances, including last year, but the Eagles are hoping to add to that this year despite losing three all-state players off last season’s team. Columbus had a 17-11 season a year ago to make the state quarterfinals and the Titans are led by junior all-state pitcher Ben Major. Russell/Victoria returns a bulk of its roster from its state team that includes first team all-state outfielder Sam Thielen and senior all-state infielder Max Evans. Girard is led by long-time MIAA coach Bob Fornelli and the Trojans are off to a blazing start to its season as they have won their first 11 games. First-team all-state pitcher, and Arkansas commit, Kam Smith will lead the Girard staff all season. Junior first team All-CNC infielder Bryor Schultz is also back. Collegiate is also off to a strong start to 2026 as it has won nine of its first 10 games after falling to the eventual state champion in the regional championship in 2025. Junior all-state first baseman Jacob Stehley is back to help Collegiate in 2026, as is all-state honorable mention designated hitter Maddox Drumright.  
 

CLASS 2-1A 
  
2025 State Champion: St. Mary’s Colgan 
  
2025 State Runner-up: Valley Falls 
  
2025 Review: Pitching carried St. Mary’s Colgan to a familiar spot for the Panthers’ program. Colgan pitchers allowed just one run the entire state tournament and the Panthers ended it with a 10-0 victory over Valley Falls in the state game. It was the program’s 22nd state title and it was the 18th title under longtime coach Mike Watt. Colgan got a big performance from starting pitcher Brady Vanbecelaere in the state quarterfinals against Thomas More Prep-Marian as he had 11 strikeouts in a complete game victory. TMP’s Ty Schmeidler took a no-hitter in the seventh before the Panthers scratched across two runs for the win. The Panthers eventually went on to face Douglass in the semifinals and advanced with a 3-1 victory, while Valley Falls advanced with a 16-6 win over Remington. Valley Falls pitcher Trenton VanHoutan recorded a no-hitter in its state quarterfinals win over defending champion Medicine Lodge. Rossville and Central Heights also captured regional titles before falling in the quarters.  
 
2026 Contenders: St. Mary’s Colgan reached the top of the mountain once again in 2025 with its 22nd state championship and the Panthers are hoping for another this season under long-time coach Mike Watt. After finishing 19-9 last season, the Panthers bring back several key pieces from that team including all-state outfielder Lane Stultz, along with two key pieces to their rotation in Carston Simmons and Gabe Brown, who each pitched in the state tournament. The Panthers also return first-team All-CNC infielder Brock Radell. After a 24-5 season and a state runner-up finish a year ago, Valley Falls will try to take that next step. The Dragons return all-state pitcher Collin Kearney to help lead the way as he posted a 0.99 ERA with 91 strikeouts in 2025, along with junior all-state outfielder Matt Stapp as they have won seven of their first nine to start this season. Douglass will try to build off its third-place finish and first state appearance since 2010 as the Bulldogs bring back all-league outfielder Ryan Stiner and junior pitcher Kane Ast. Remington finished fourth after a 17-10 season, but returns a couple key pieces from that team including all-state pitcher Eli Claassen. Central Heights put together a strong season in 2025 with a 21-5 record and its first state appearance since 2008. The Vikings are off to a good start as they have won eight straight to begin 2026. They are hoping for a big season from all-state pitcher/first baseman Kreig Garrett along with first-team All-Three Rivers players Ethan Kraft and Stetson Miller as they helped lead the Vikings on a team that featured just one senior last year. Thomas More Prep-Marian lost a close game to eventual state champion Colgan in the quarters last year, but the Monarchs figure to make another run. They will be led by junior all-state pitcher Ty Schmeidler in what was a young team a year ago and will be joined by another all-state returning hurler in Carson Liles. Caden Dinkel is also back at catcher after earning all-state honors. Rossville returns a good chunk of its roster from a year ago, including its top two pitchers in Cael Horgan and Cameron Miller after. Also back is all-state starting shortstop Canann Mitchell to lead the Bulldawgs’ offense, that finished 18-8 last season. Medicine Lodge also earned a spot at the state tournament after winning a state title in 2024 and the Indians are ready to try for another. They return all-state starting pitcher Jack Schreiner, along with utility player Lane Crenner who hit .439 last season and had 25 stolen bases. Humboldt is competing at 2-1A this season. The Cubs must replace a big nine-member senior class after their fourth place finish at the 3A state tournament with a 24-6 record.