It took Cooper Karlin back to 2015. The Baker second baseman was being fitted for his championship ring with the rest of his collegiate teammates just days after the Wildcats stormed through the Heart of America Athletic Conference’s postseason tournament as the eighth seed. Baker’s five wins in six days came by a combined score of 51-13. For Karlin, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding ...
Four area baseball and softball teams will be in action in the final week of the season, two of which will compete right here in Lawrence. Both Free State baseball and softball squads are the No. 2 seed in their respective 6A state tournament. Both teams are in the state tournament for the second year in row, as FSHS softball claim the program’s first state title last spring. On the softball side, the ...
Before she even competed in Friday’s regional meet, Lawrence High senior Josie Hickerson knew she was going to qualify for the state track meet in triple jump. After all, history was on her side. In last year’s regional meet, Hickerson placed fifth in triple jump to just miss out on qualifying for the state meet in that event. Rather than get discouraged, though, Hickerson elected to use her career path in ...
Once junior Colter Maldonado reached first base safely, Free State’s baseball team rushed the field. A brief dogpile took place just beyond first base, as Free State finished off a crucial sweep Thursday night with a 10-0 run-rule victory over Wichita West in the regional championship game. It came after an 11-10 extra-inning win over Hutchinson in the regional semifinals at FSHS. The Firebirds (19-3) ...
Nobody wants to kick off the postseason by facing the defending champions. After a 3-17 campaign, though, the Lawrence High softball team knew it was going to get a tough test in the regional opener. At the very least, the Lions will be all-too familiar with their first-round opponent when they travel across town to take on Free State at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. LHS dropped both meetings with FSHS this season, ...
It is a week that Free State senior Jake Baker will never forget. Six years ago, Baker got the opportunity to play at the Field of Dreams Ballpark in Cooperstown, New York. He played in multiple games during an under-12 youth tournament, and even hit a grand slam in one at-bat. Baker also won the Golden Arm Competition and toured the National Baseball Hall of Fame to cap off a memorable week. Ever since that ...