Ryne Price didn’t do a cartwheel when he heard his dad, Ritch, had been named head baseball coach at Kansas University.

In fact, Price confessed, “I was kind of mad.”

But that was about 11 months ago and today, Price admits, “It’s turned out to be all right.”

Robby Price, the KU baseball coach’s youngest son, was less emotional about the move from San Luis Obispo, Calif., to Lawrence.

“It didn’t really bother me,” Robby said, “because I knew it was a good situation for my dad.”

It turned out to be a good situation for Free State High’s baseball team, too. Darned good.

Ryne Price, a junior catcher, and Robby Price, a freshman second baseman, rank 1-2 respectively in batting average for the Firebirds, who are headed to the Class 6A state tournament for the first time since the school opened six years ago.

The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Ryne is hitting a cool .500 while leading the Firebirds in doubles (10), triples (5), home runs (4), stolen bases (8) and RBIs (39).

Robby, who is 5-7, weighs 145 pounds and just completed his ninth-grade year at Southwest Junior High, is hitting .480, leads Free State in runs with 33 and shares the lead in hits with senior shortstop Matt Berner. Both have 36.

“They’ve added so much to our offense and defense,” said Berner, the Firebirds’ third-leading hitter with a .462 average. “Robby may be the best defensive second baseman and Ryne may be the best hitter in the state.”

With Berner at short and Robby Price at second, the Firebirds have an usual keystone combination — a senior and a freshman.

“I didn’t expect I’d be playing with a freshman this year,” Berner said, “but I don’t consider him a freshman. I wasn’t worried about playing with a freshman. My concern was the pressure he’d face here, but he has no fear whatsoever.”

Facially, Robby looks every bit like a freshman in high school. In uniform and on the field, however, you’d never know it.

“If you underestimate him because of the way he looks,” Free State coach Mike Hill said, “you’re making a big mistake. He has the thought process of a senior.”

Ritchie, the oldest Price brother, is precocious, too. He was the Jayhawks’ starting shortstop as a freshman, hitting .319. Ritchie Price, incidentally, won’t be able to watch his brothers participate in the state tournament. He has already departed for Mankato, Minn., where he’ll play in the Northwoods League, a wood-bat summer league for collegians.

Ryne and Robby will be also be headed out of town after the state tournament. They’ll be returning to San Luis Obispo to play for the Firestone Rangers, a U.S. Amateur Baseball Federation traveling team that has games scheduled in Arizona, Washington, Idaho and all over California.

In fact, the Rangers have a 100-game schedule with only one day off.

“It’ll be a challenge for me playing against under-18 guys,” Robby said, “but I’ve been on a baseball field since I was born, and I have a love for the game.”

Most of the other Firebirds will remain in Lawrence, and many will play for the Raiders, the city’s top American Legion team that will begin its schedule next week. Berner, a Raiders’ mainstay for the last three seasons, wishes the Price brothers would remain in Lawrence, but he says he can’t blame them for returning to their former home.

“We’ve tried to get them to stay, but I can understand those guys going back to California,” Berner said. “It’ll be fun for them. If I had moved, I would love to come back and play in Lawrence.”

The Firebirds (18-3) will meet Maize (18-4) at 1:30 p.m. Friday in a first-round 6A tournament game at the Maize Sports Complex.

Matt Lane, a 6-4 senior right-hander with an 8-1 record and 2.56 earned run average, will start on the mound in Friday’s opener and, like his teammates, he’s happy the Prices have delayed their return to California.

“They’ve helped our team tremendously,” Lane said. “They’ve shown us what it takes to be a (NCAA) Division One player, and it’s rubbed off.”