photo by: Carter Gaskins

Free State's Grant Gregory (6) celebrated by teammates as he scores during a game against Brandon Valley Friday afternoon at FSHS on March 26, 2021.

One word in particular comes to mind for head coach Mike Hill when talking about this year’s Free State baseball squad: Toughness.

The Firebirds have demonstrated that during an up-and-down 2021 campaign, and that toughness will have to show up again if FSHS is going to play on the final day of the Class 6A state tournament. That’s because in order to get there, they’ll have to get past top-seeded Blue Valley in Thursday’s opening round.

Blue Valley is “as talented of a team as we have seen and would see all year,” Hill said. “They are going to hit you in the mouth a couple times, and we are going to have to be able to handle that. And I think that we will.”

Hill and his players can back up their optimism with their record. The Firebirds have been proving people wrong for most of the season.

“It was a pretty high goal for us because no one really thought we could be here,” senior Drew Bradford said.

• • •

Earlier this year, the Firebirds had a hard time finding their identity. Only two players from the 2019 squad that made it to the state championship game were still around — Joey Wood and pitcher Michael Uhler, both seniors. And they went on a four-game losing skid in April, which started with an 8-6 loss to Olathe North where the Firebirds gave up six runs over the final two innings.

But even when they weren’t seeing results, the Firebirds put in the work in practice. And slowly but surely they started to improve.

“We had a bad showing against Olathe North early in the year, and I think that was something that caught our kids’ attention in a way they didn’t want their attention caught,” Hill said. “Shortly thereafter, you started seeing some signs of growth.”

Soon the victories started piling up, including three games at the River City Baseball Festival where Free State outscored its opponents 34-12. The highlight of that event was a 16-6 victory over a talented squad from Raymore-Peculiar. At one point later in the season, Free State was on a five-game winning streak.

The Firebirds’ regular season finished strong with a 5-2 victory over crosstown rival Lawrence High, where Free State relied on strong defense and a brilliant effort on the mound from Uhler.

“We had our downs this season and I think that made us better in the end,” Wood said. “We came through adversity multiple different times.”

• • •

But the regular season’s ending was just the start of the Firebirds’ challenges. To get back to the state tourney, they had to show plenty of their signature toughness, particularly in the regional championship game against Wichita West.

Going into the top of the seventh, Free State was trailing 1-0. But the Firebirds put together a three-run rally in that frame to soar past Wichita West.

The comeback started with a leadoff single from senior Ben Stallard, and the rest of the team had his back after that. Senior Jake Roszak evened the score on an RBI base knock, and Wood and junior Calvin Urish then loaded the bases. Bradford finished it off with a single to center, scoring two runs on the game-winning knock. Uhler, who will get the nod against Blue Valley, then recorded the final three outs to finish off his complete game.

“I mean, honestly, I think everyone in the dugout knew we were going to score,” Wood said. “I don’t think there was a doubt in anyone’s mind that we weren’t going to get back in that game. Once we got that first leadoff hit, we had all the momentum and we were ready to go.”

• • •

That win against Wichita West demonstrated one more of Free State’s strengths, as well: The Firebirds don’t rely on any one guy to carry them offensively.

Bradford is hitting .308 with nine RBIs and 24 runs scored from his spot as the leadoff hitter. Junior Maddox Burkitt is pacing the team with 15 RBIs, and Stallard and Wood have each driven in 12 RBIs. Brady Kern has managed to draw a team-best 18 walks on his way to a .459 on-base percentage.

On Thursday, their balance will be put to the test by a talented Blue Valley squad. Blue Valley is anchored by star pitcher Carson Liggett, who is signed to play at Louisville next year, and just defeated Lawrence High in the regional championship with a complete-game shutout.

“We’re excited for the challenge,” Wood said. He knows there’s plenty of talent on Blue Valley’s side, but “we’ve been underdogs all season. So we’re ready to go.”

“I think we enjoy being the underdog,” he added. “I think we enjoy being underestimated.”

First pitch between No. 1 Blue Valley (20-2) and No. 8 Free State (13-9) is set for 3:30 pm. at LaRoche Baseball Complex in Fort Scott. The Class 6A semifinals, state championship game and third-place contest are all slated to take place on Friday.

Class 6A baseball bracket

No. 1 Blue Valley (20-2) vs. No. 8 Free State (13-9), 3:30 p.m.

No. 4 Olathe West (18-4) vs. No. 5 Manhattan (18-4), 5:45 p.m.

No. 2 Gardner-Edgerton (18-4) vs. No. 7 Washburn Rural (17-5), 11 a.m.

No. 3 Derby (18-4) vs. No. 6 Blue Valley West (17-5), 1:15 p.m.