Free State pitcher Caleb Gress delivers to the plate. Gress pitched five perfect innings against Leavenworth and later earned the save against Olathe Northwest on Thursday at Free State High.

You can call him Caleb, and you can call him Bubba, and you can even call him in from the bullpen.

Caleb “Bubba” Gress was unhittable as both a starter and reliever as Free State High disposed of Leavenworth and Olathe Northwest in Class 6A regional baseball Thursday at the FSHS field.

“He was awesome,” coach Mike Hill said of Gress after the senior left-handed pitcher helped the Firebirds reach next week’s state tournament.

Gress pitched five perfect innings – 15 up, 15 down – as Free State run-ruled Leavenworth, 10-0, in Thursday’s opener.

Then, approximately three hours later, Gress made an unexpected appearance out of the bullpen and retired the five batters he faced to secure a 9-4 victory over Olathe Northwest.

In other words, Gress retired all 20 batters he faced in what was a classic reversal of fortune from a year earlier.

During the 2007 regional, Gress was the losing pitcher when Lawrence High prevented the Firebirds from returning to the state meet and defending their 2006 title.

“That brought me down big-time,” Gress said. “I went home, and I definitely cried. I couldn’t help it. I felt so bad for the seniors.”

There were certainly no tears in Gress’ eyes Thursday. In the opener against Leavenworth, he was so dominant the Pioneers didn’t manage to hit a ball out of the infield until Josh Herrig flied to right to end the fifth.

Thirteen of the Pioneers’ 15 outs were either strikeouts – Gress fanned six – or ground balls. And, although few if any expected it at the time, Gress wasn’t done.

Kelson Boyer started against O-Northwest and was sharp until he gave two walks and two singles with two outs in the fifth.

Boyer wiggled out of trouble, but the senior right-hander was clearly tiring, so Hill brought in left-hander Cody Lown to start the sixth. However, after Lown retired only one of the five batters he faced, Hill went to the mound, and suddenly Gress rushed in from the bullpen.

“We didn’t anticipate having to use him,” Hill said, “but he threw only 47 pitches in the first game, and he said he felt great. Caleb wanted the ball.”

After retiring the Ravens’ Brad Alberts on a liner to left – the hardest ball hit off Gress all day – he fanned Kevin Huckleberry to end the inning. Then Gress retired the Ravens 1-2-3 in the seventh.

Gress, by the way, has been called Bubba ever since he was born.

“My aunt gave it to me,” he said with a smile, “because I weighed 10 pounds, nine ounces at birth.”

Adam Rock did most of the offensive damage for the Firebirds. The senior centerfielder was 3-for-4 and scored three runs against Leavenworth, and he was 1-for-3 with three RBI in the second game.

Mostly, though, everyone contributed. In the first game, for instance, only two Firebirds failed to collect a hit. In the second game, only one failed to reach base safely.

Left-fielder Nick Hassig, the No. 9 hitter, went 3-for-5 in the two games with a pair of doubles.

With a 19-2 record, Free State is assured of earning the No. 1 seed in the state tourney next Friday and Saturday at Topeka’s Hummer Park.

Although it wasn’t official, the Firebirds were likely to play Lawrence High in the first round. The Lions, who qualified Wednesday night, have an 11-10 record and were the likely No. 8 seed.