The Free State High baseball team has been down this road before — oh, roughly one year ago.

But here the Firebirds are again, playing host to a four-team Class 6A regional where only one squad will emerge 2-0, and only that team will get an invitation to next week’s state tournament at Hoglund Ballpark.

Free State played host to the regional last year, too, and beat Lawrence High to advance to the state tournament.

That familiar nemesis is back. Lawrence High earned a fifth seed, and will play Topeka High approximately 4:45 p.m. today, right after top-seeded Free State faces Emporia at 2 p.m. Both games will be played at Free State.

The winners from the first-round games will play each other at 7 p.m. with a state berth on the line.

Neither team has played in more than a week, but neither FSHS coach Mike Hill nor LHS coach David Petry are discouraged.

“The mood is good,” Hill said. “We’re excited about the opportunity in front of us. We’re a little bit out of rhythm being off for a week. But at the same concern, our opponents are probably a little out of rhythm as well.”

Whether Hill wants to admit it or not, his Firebirds have a little more room for error. At 16-3, Free State brings the best record in the region into today’s games. The team’s batting average is a remarkable .368, and eight regulars are hitting better than .330. Senior Ryne Price is having the mightiest of seasons, hitting .480 with seven homers and 28 RBIs. Price’s brother, Robby, is hitting .415.

The firepower, to nobody’s surprise, is expected to be locked and loaded, but the perks of being a top seed is the one advantage that has Hill happy.

6Sports video: LHS, Free State once again on collision course

Instead of a coin flip determining the home team like in years past, this year it’s decided by higher seed, meaning Free State is guaranteed to be the home team today against Emporia, a team that’s stumbled to a 4-14 regular season.

“That certainly changes the way you strategize,” Hill said. “I also think our home crowd is very supportive, and our kids are comfortable playing here.”

Lawrence High, meanwhile, could be a dangerous fifth seed coming into today’s contest. At 8-10, the Lions haven’t enjoyed the success they were expecting in the preseason, but all that talent still is there. Lawrence’s last game was May 11 when it beat a powerful Olathe East squad in the second game of a doubleheader, 8-0.

Lawrence’s opponent, Topeka High, also is 8-10.

“They have the same record as us, and their record is probably as good as it’s been the last few years,” Petry said. “Historically, we’ve played them a few times in the first round and it’s never been an easy game for us. We can’t afford to be looking ahead to that second game.”

Free State, which normally doesn’t charge for admission to baseball games, must collect admission for postseason games in accordance with state rules. Cost is $4 for adults and $3 for students.