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On paper, it looks as if Friday’s first-round state baseball match-up between No. 1 seed Free State (19-2) and No. 8 seed Lawrence High (11-10) could be a five-inning run-rule in the Firebirds’ favor.

But that’s probably what Washburn Rural and Manhattan fans thought last week at regionals.

Didn’t matter.

Perhaps conjuring up the same spirits as the lovable slugger “Serano” from the movie “Major League,” the Lions, seeded sixth at regionals, got their bats going in back-to-back games last Wednesday and mowed through the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds to get to state.

With their second trip to state in as many seasons locked up, the Lions are hoping their offense still has some life.

“If we can keep our bats going like they were last week, I think we can beat anybody,” LHS junior Clint Pinnick said.

Therein lies the problem; even the biggest day at the plate might not be enough to top the powerful Firebirds.

Free State enters the tournament with a .355 team batting average. What’s more, the Firebirds feature a .497 on-base-percentage. In other words, just about every other batter the Firebirds send to the plate finds a way to get on base. When you’re talking about a heart of the order that averaged .417 and combined to drive in 81 runs, you’re staring at a potent lineup.

But potent only begins to describe it.

The Firebirds scored 188 runs this season, good for nearly nine a game. In addition, Free State reached double digits offensively eight times and pounded out 55 doubles, nine triples and 11 home runs.

“I think our lineup’s a little surprising and underrated,” said Free State catcher E.J. Swanson, who hits fifth in the lineup and carries a .348 average into Friday. “We want to go out and put runs on the board, and we’ll take them any way we can get them.”

That includes allowing a freshman to win the team batting title. Designated hitter Cody Kukuk, whose .489 mark is tops on the team, hits sixth in the order and has flourished while being surrounded by upperclassmen.

“The seniors have made it real easy for me to hit this year,” Kukuk said. “I’d say we don’t really have any weak spots in our lineup.”

Lawrence High can’t quite say the same, as the Lions have just three players hitting above .300.

Junior shortstop Aaron Rea leads the team with a .360 average, while Pinnick, the team’s cleanup hitter, comes in at .359. No. 8 hitter Tyler Bailey is the only other member of the lineup above .300, checking in at .308.

As a team, the Lions own a .251 average and have scored 101 runs, 4.8 per game. Like the Free State, LHS has a high on-base percentage (.432), which proves that the team makes the most of what it has.

The Lions don’t get caught up in the numbers, though. Instead, they focus on things like fundamentals, effort and intensity.

“The ultimate compliment a coach can get is when someone tells you that your team plays hard,” LHS coach Brad Stoll said. “And I think both of our teams play hard.”