Just a week into the regular season, Lawrence High and Free State High are ready for their first baseball showdown.

The Lions (2-1) will play host to the Firebirds (2-0) in a Sunflower League contest at 4:30 p.m. today at Ice Field.

“I’d prefer to go against them a little later,” second-year LHS coach David Petry said.

Petry will get that chance. LHS and FSHS also are scheduled to play on April 27 at Free State.

The Lions, third at 6A state last spring, are averaging 8.7 runs a game and surrendering 4.3 per game. LHS has victories over Olathe North (11-6) and Lee’s Summit, Mo., North (12-2). Lee’s Summit North beat LHS, 5-3, in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday for the Lions’ lone loss.

“They’re extremely good,” fifth-year Firebird coach Mike Hill said of the Lions. “They’re a state championship-caliber team. They have all of the ingredients. Offensively, they can swing it. Their team speed can create a lot of problems and their pitching has improved and their pitching was good last year.”

Junior Ryan Rowland (1-0) is the Lions’ scheduled starting pitcher tonight. He was the winning pitcher in the opener against O-North.

Senior Eric Peterson (1-0) will start for Free State. He allowed six hits and struck out 10 batters in a 3-0 victory over Shawnee Mission South on Thursday.

“When he’s on the mound, they can beat anybody in the state,” Petry said. “We’ve got to try to manufacture runs early. If he gets the lead, he gets a whole lot tougher.”

With a win today, Free State would be more than half way to its win total last season, when the Firebirds finished 5-16. FSHS opened this season with a 19-5 rout of Kansas City Washington.

“For us it’s a process,” Hill said. “We’re trying to get better every day. Sometimes you win and get better. Sometimes you win and don’t get better. Sometimes you lose and improve or lose and not improve. We’re getting better.”

LHS declined an offer to hold today’s game at Kansas University’s Hoglund Ballpark.

“We prefer to play our home games at Ice Field.” Petry said. “KU’s a nice facility and we like to play up there. Anytime you play somewhere other than your home field, you lose an advantage. Since our park is smaller than Free State’s, playing at (bigger) KU works better for Free State.”

Hoglund Ballpark worked for Free State last year. The Firebirds beat LHS, 3-2, when Jeremiah Gress hit a game-winning single off first base in the bottom of the seventh. Peterson was the winning pitcher in that contest, striking out five batters and allowing four hits in seven innings.

In the first meeting last year, LHS beat Free State 13-12 after bolting to an 11-0 lead in the first two innings.

Free State leads the intracity series 4-3. The Firebirds won their first three meetings with the Lions and lost three in a row to LHS before winning at KU last May.