Already lumped together at the district meeting on Friday, athletic directors at Lawrence High and Free State High met and flipped a coin to see which school would host next week’s Class 6A baseball regional tournament.

After Lawrence’s 4-3 victory against Free State on Thursday night, the Lions and Firebirds each finished the regular season with 16-4 records and therefore tied for the No. 2 seed in the eight-team regional. Kansas State High School Activities Association rules dictate that all ties regarding postseason seeds are broken via a coin flip.

So Friday afternoon, Free State AD and baseball coach Mike Hill flipped the coin, and LHS AD Ron Commons called it. Commons called heads, and the coin landed tails-side up.

As a result, the Firebirds will be the No. 2 seed and will host the three-game tournament. The Lions, meanwhile, will be the No. 3 seed and will play at FSHS. The Nos. 6 and 7 seeds, as well as starting times for all three games, will be determined today.

The regional is Wednesday. FSHS will play the No. 7 seed and LHS will face the No. 6 seed.

The winners of those games would face each other in the regional championship — on Free State’s field — for the right to go to the Class 6A state tournament.

This marks the seventh straight season that the Firebirds have earned the right to host a regional. The last time a Free State baseball team did not host was 2002.

“It’s something we’re proud of,” Hill said. “It certainly doesn’t guarantee success, but it’s a testament to our program and what we’ve been able to accomplish over the years.”