Nick DeBiasse has received the OK to play in Lawrence High’s Class 6A state baseball opener.

DeBiasse was ejected in the fourth inning of last Thursday’s state-qualifying win over Free State High after colliding with Firebirds’ first baseman Alex Hardman while attempting to beat out a ground ball.

The Kansas State High School Activities Assn. does not have a rule stipulating that a player must sit out the next game following an ejection, but the Sunflower League does, so the Lions filed an appeal with Sunflower League president Charles McLean.

Earlier this week, Lawrence High principal Steve Nilhas and school athletic director Ron Commons met with McLean, the principal of Shawnee Mission West High. They viewed a tape of the LHS-Free State game supplied by Sunflower Broadband, which had produced a delayed telecast of the game in its entirety.

“After reviewing the tape,” Commons said, “it was determined (DeBiasse) will be eligible to play.”

Commons noted that the tape showed “:the play was not malicious and there was no intent of harming anyone. The first baseman was in the path the runner needed to get to the base.”

Free State’s Hardman, normally an outfielder/designated hitter, was playing first base because Ben Wilson, the Firebirds’ regular at the position, had suffered an appendicitis attack earlier in the day.

On Friday, in the first-round game of the 6A state tourney, the Lions will meet Olathe East at 4 p.m. at Wichita’s Lawrence Dumont-Stadium. Olathe East is also a member of the Sunflower League, but Commons said the common affiliation was not a factor.

“It wouldn’t have mattered who we played,” Commons said. “We are a part of the Sunflower League and feel we need to uphold the league’s policies.”

Lawrence High baseball coach Brad Stoll breathed a sigh of relief when he learned of the favorable ruling.

“Nick is the heart and soul of this team,” Stoll said of the 6-foot-2, 235-pound senior first baseman. “He’s got the ability to step up at any time and hit it out of the park.”

Stoll also called DeBiasse a “: clutch fielder who has made our infielders look good with big-time picks over there.”

Also a football standout, DeBiasse was a two-time All-Sunflower League performer as an offensive guard and linebacker. He also owns a 4.0 grade-point average.