CLASS 6A BASEBALL CAPSULES
 

 
FREE STATE
 
Coach: Mike Hill
 
Record: 24-4 (No. 2 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Liberal, 11-0; beat Topeka High, 15-0.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Olathe Northwest (7: 15-12), 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at Blue Valley West
 
Key Players: Ben Graves, sr., SS; Zane Shaw, sr., P/OF; Nathan Young, P/OF; Ryker Mahnke, jr., OF; Owen Lester, 3B.
 
Worth noting: Free State is defending state champion, winning the program’s third title last year with a 7-1 win over Shawnee Mission West in the championship game to cap a 28-2 season. … Other state titles came in 2015 and 2006. … Firebirds have been fixture at 6A state tournament with this year’s berth their eighth straight and 16th overall. … Nine of those state trips have ended with final four appearances with Firebirds also placing second three times (2004, 2016, 2019) and third twice (2023, 2024). … Hill in his 29th season as head coach and won his 450th career game this year, owning a 462-193-1 career record. … Firebirds were runners-up in the Sunflower League this year. … Free State has wins over fellow 6A qualifiers Gardner Edgerton, Mill Valley and Shawnee Mission South as well as 5A qualifier St. Thomas Aquinas. … Two of four losses came to out-of-state programs and only losses to Kansas teams this year came to fellow 6A qualifier Olathe Northwest and Olathe North. … Firebirds get rematch with Northwest in quarterfinals after falling 5-0 to Ravens on May 7. ... Three of four losses were one-run games. … Firebirds have a team ERA of 1.44 and have allowed just 58 runs this season. … Shaw leads the staff with a 9-1 record and 1.11 ERA while Young is 8-0 with a 1.03 ERA and has 91 strikeouts and has walked just four batters. … Graves is the leading hitter with a .519 average while Mahnke is right behind at .494. … Mahnke has scored 36 runs and has 5 triples. … Lester is hitting .350 with 24 RBI and Shaw has driven in 22. … Free State has committed only 32 errors in 28 games.
 

 
GARDNER EDGERTON
 
Coach: Corey Schrack
 
Record: 15-13 (No. 8 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Olathe West, 2-1 (11 innings); beat Shawnee Mission Northwest, 5-0.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Maize (1: 26-2), 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at Dean Evans Stadium, Salina
 
Key Players: Baylor Vesey, sr., SS; Tucker Thompson, sr., P; Easton Vesey, fr., INF; Chase Munden, sr., OF; Jacob Dahlin, sr., P; Finn Hart, sr., P.
 
Worth noting: Trailblazers making first state appearance since 2021 when they finished as Class 6A state runner-up to Blue Valley, losing 4-3 in the state championship game. … Gardner was just the No. 11 seed in the 6A East standings, but knocked off No. 5 seed Olathe West in 11 innings with Thompson allowing just 1 hit and striking out 12 in the game. … Trailblazer pitchers allowed just three hits and one run in 18 innings during regionals. … Thompson has a 1.70 ERA overall with 63 strikeouts in 37 innings pitched. … Dahlin is 3-1 with a 1.71 ERA and 21 strikeouts and Hart is 4-3 with a 3.62 ERA. … Baylor Vesey is hitting .382 and has 3 triples and 3 home runs. … Easton Vesey is hitting .317 and has 7 doubles and a homer. … Munden also has homered and has a .280 average.
 

 
MAIZE
 
Coach: Rocky Helm
 
Record: 26-2 (No. 1 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Wichita Southeast, 10-0; beat Wichita Heights, 9-4.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Gardner Edgerton (8: 15-13), 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at Dean Evans Stadium, Salina
 
Key Players: Parker Meirowsky, sr., 1B; Gavin Short, sr., P/OF; Scotty Hadley, sr., 2B; Brodie Jarvis, sr., SS; Porter Newell, sr., P; Quincy Koehn, jr., P; Drake Blasi, jr., OF; Ryder Zimmerman, jr., OF; Malachi Leichner, jr., OF; Zane Brungardt, jr., P.
 
Worth noting: Eagles making 22nd state tournament appearance and third straight. … Eagles have lost in the quarterfinals each of the past two seasons. … Program has four state titles, five runner-up finishes and also has two thirds and two fourths. … State titles came in 2017, 2011, 2005 and 2003. … Eagles were undefeated Ark Valley Chisholm Trail I champions at 12-0 and haven’t lost a game to a Kansas team this season. … Only losses came to a pair of Arkansas teams, Har-Ber and Rogers. … Maize pitching staff has thrown 2 perfect games and 3 additional no-hitters for 5 total. … Newell is 8-0 with a 1.98 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 53 innings. … Koehn is 8-1 with a 2.14 ERA and Short is 4-0 with a 1.66 ERA. … Short is also leading hitter at .439 with 5 home runs and 32 RBI. … Blasi also has 5 home runs with 36 RBI and a .392 average and has been hit by a pitch 22 times. … Zimmerman has 3 home runs and 32 RBI, hitting .337. … Meirowsky is hitting .424 with 24 RBI and 35 runs scored and Hadley has 34 runs scored with a .353 average. … Seven regulars are hitting over .300. … Eagles’ defense is stellar as well with just 18 errors in 28 games.
 

 
MANHATTAN
 
Coach: Don Hess
 
Record: 21-4 (No. 4 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Junction City, 3-1; beat Wichita West, 3-0.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Washburn Rural (5: 19-8), 5:45 p.m. Tuesday at Trusler Sports Complex, Emporia
 
Key Players: Sawyer Newton, sr., SS; Brayson Gnirk, sr., P; Jackson Goos, sr.; Asher Newton, so.; Carter Goodpasture, sr.
 
Worth noting: Indians are making fifth state appearance in the past six years, missing out last year. … Indians finished fourth at state last year, losing in the semifinals to eventual state champion Free State. … Indians have two state titles in program history, 1992 and 1998, and have finished runner-up four times and in the top four 13 times. … Indians have never had a losing season since the program started in 1989. … Hess won his 500th career game this season and is 513-150 in his 30-year coaching career. … Indians split with Centennial League rival and quarterfinal foe Washburn Rural, winning 3-2 and losing 12-5 and will face Junior Blues in quarterfinals for rubber match. … Indians also split with 4A qualifier and league rival Hayden and as well as with 6A qualifier Olathe Northwest. … Only other loss was in extra innings to Emporia. … Gnirk is 9-1 with a 1.17 ERA this season in taking over as team ace. … Asher Newton is hitting .400 from the leadoff spot with 13 extra-base hits. … Sawyer Newton is hitting .325 and has scored 27 runs. … Goodpasture has 6 wins. … Goos is hitting .338 with 22 RBI.
 

 
MILL VALLEY
 
Coach: Jason Strickland
 
Record: 24-4 (No. 3 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Lawrence, 12-2; beat Blue Valley West, 16-8.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Shawnee Mission South (6: 17-10), 5:45 p.m. Tuesday at Blue Valley West
 
Key Players: Carson Cooke, jr., P; Easton Engelhart, jr., DH; Ryan Gleason, sr., P; Blake Jay, sr., MI; Beau Peterson, sr., SS; Jackson Lucht, sr., C; Drew Yockey, sr., 3B; Kamden Dick, sr., OF.
 
Worth noting: Jaguars return to state for the second straight year and state appearance is eighth overall for the program in Strickland’s 19-year tenure. … Jaguars took out perennial power Blue Valley West in regional finals. … Jaguars have wins over fellow 6A qualifiers Olathe Northwest and Shawnee Mission South and 5A qualifier De Soto as well as out-of-state powers Park Hill (Mo.), Lee’s Summit (Mo.) and Millard West (Neb.). … Mill Valley's win over quarterfinal foe SM South was 12-11 in extra innings. ... Losses came to fellow 6A qualifier and defending 6A champion Free State, Olathe West, Olathe South and Blue Springs (Mo.) South. … Peterson is leading hitter with a .535 average and has 3 home runs, 36 RBI and 36 stolen bases and has only struck out 3 times this season. … Dick is hitting .468 and has 8 doubles and 27 RBI. … Jay is hitting .363 out of the leadoff spot and has 34 runs scored and 20 stolen bases. … Yockey is hitting .383 with 27 RBI. … Cooke leads team in innings and has a 2.02 ERA and 59 strikeouts. … Gleason is second in innings and has 43 strikeouts. … Lucht has been a rock behind the plate and has 31 RBI and 2 home runs. … Engelhart has 29 RBI. … Team has a batting average of .367 and ERA of 2.69.
 

 
OLATHE NORTHWEST
 
Coach: Drew Stinnett
 
Record: 15-12 (No. 7 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Olathe South, 7-1; beat Olathe East, 3-1.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Free State (2: 24-4), 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at Blue Valley West
 
Key Players: Cash Christiansen, jr., 1B; Luke Stinnett, jr., 2B; Landen Hays, so.; Brody Comfort, jr.; Brock Bukaty, sr.; Parker Christensen, sr.; Evan Cates, jr.; Tison Wren, jr., SS; Gannon Edds, jr., 3B; Owen Gray, sr., P; Brady Baswell, sr., P.
 
Worth noting: Ravens have qualified for state for the first time since 2019 when they fell to Mill Valley 10-6 in the quarterfinals. … Stinnett was an assistant coach on that Mill Valley team in 2019 before taking over as head coach at Northwest four years ago. … Trip to state is sixth overall for the Ravens. … Ravens beat Sunflower League rival and quarterfinal foe Free State 5-0 on May 7. … Northwest took out two higher seeds in regional play, including 3-1 upset of No. 3 seed Olathe East in regional finals. … Ravens lost 6 of 7 in a mid-season slump with the lone win in that stretch coming in extra innings, but they’ve bounced back to win 7 of last 11 games. … Ravens split with fellow 6A qualifier Manhattan and has losses to fellow 6A qualifiers Mill Valley and Gardner Edgerton. … Christiansen leads team with .394 average and has made only 2 errors all season. … Stinnett (.312), Hays (.308) and Comfort (.304) also are hitting over .300. … Edds has only 2 errors while Stinnett has just 3 and Wren just 4 as the infield defense has been stellar. … Gray has a 2.43 ERA and Braswell has a 3.02 ERA.
 

 
SHAWNEE MISSION SOUTH
 
Coach: Matt Hill
 
Record: 17-10 (No. 6 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Blue Valley Northwest, 4-3; beat Shawnee Mission East, 10-0.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Mill Valley (3: 24-4), 5:45 p.m. Tuesday at Blue Valley West
 
Key Players: Mac Solis, sr., SS/P; Connor McCool, jr., 2B; Caler Fossett, sr., 3B/P; Otto Knust, sr., DH; Jackson Barker, jr., P; Levi Robertson, sr., P; Luke McKenna, so., P.
 
Worth noting: Raiders making first state tournament appearance since 2008 after going into regional play as the No. 8 seed in the Class 6A East standings. … Raiders lost to Goddard in quarterfinals in last state appearance. … Raiders own wins over fellow 6A qualifiers Olathe Northwest and Washburn Rural and 5A qualifier Shawnee Heights. … South lost 12-11 in extra innings to Sunflower League rival and quarterfinal foe Mill Valley. ... This year’s winning season is first since 2009 for the program and the come-from-behind 4-3 regional win over Blue Valley Northwest was first postseason win in 15 years. … Hill is in first year as head coach after serving as an assistant at 6A power Free State for his father, Mike. … Barker and Robertson are both 3-0 this season with Barker holding a 1.31 ERA and striking out 36 and Robertson striking out 45. … Solis is 2-1, while McKenna is 3-1 and Fossett is 2-1. … Fossett has 52 strikeouts and McKenna 26 and Solis 23. … McCool has team-high .403 batting average and has belted 4 home runs with 23 RBI and 13 stolen bases. … Fossett is hitting .352 with 18 RBI and Knust is hitting .350 with 21 RBI.
 

 
WASHBURN RURAL
 
Coach: Jay Mastin
 
Record: 19-8 (No. 5 seed)
 
Regional results: beat Campus, 9-0; beat Derby, 3-1.
 
State tournament quarterfinal: vs. Manhattan (4: 21-4), 5:45 p.m. Tuesday at Trusler Sports Complex, Emporia
 
Key Players: Aidan Newberry, sr., C; Austin Ditch, sr., SS; Nate Selm, sr., 2B; Drew Moore, sr., 1B; AJ Payne, sr., DH; Dominic Nimz, jr., OF; Isaac Ansley, sr., P; Tyler Edmiston, jr., P; Gavin Payne, sr., P; Preston Bahr, jr., P.
 
Worth noting: Junior Blues earned second straight state berth and eighth since 2014. … Rural finished third in 2022, 2019 and 2016 under Mastin, who is approaching 200 wins at Rural. … Rural has 13 state appearances overall, winning state titles in 1950 and 1952 and taking second in 1947. … Junior Blues captured the Centennial League championship, clinching the league title with a late-season sweep of 4A qualifier Hayden after both entered the doubleheader tied atop the league standings. … Rural owns a win over fellow 6A qualifier Gardner Edgerton and bounced back from a four-game losing streak late in the season with the sweep of Hayden. … Junior Blues also split with quarterfinal foe and league rival Manhattan, losing 3-2 and winning 12-5. ... Newberry was named the Centennial League player of the year after hitting .391 with 2 home runs and 24 RBI. … Moore (.358) and Selm (.344) also hit over .300 for Rural. … Selm scored 30 runs and had 20 stolen bases while Moore scored 26 runs and drove in 15, as did Ditch, who scored 25 runs and had 9 stolen bases. … Bahr threw a one-hitter in the regional semifinal win over Campus and is 3-1 with 2 saves and a 1.40 ERA with 27 strikeouts. … Edmiston is 6-1 with a 1.81 ERA and 29 Ks. … Payne and Ansley each have three wins with Payne sporting a 1.35 ERA and Ansley striking out 26. … AJ Payne has 20 RBI and Nimz has 13.