photo by: Photo courtesy: Ryker Mahnke

Free State Firebirds, from left to right, Ryker Mahnke, Ben Graves and Zane Shaw pose together as members of the 2025 Kansas team in the High School Baseball National Championship Series tournament in Omaha, Neb. from July 4-6.

The 2025 Kansas team in the High School Baseball National Championship Series went 2-2 in a national tournament over the weekend, with three Free State Firebirds on the team.

Ben Graves, Ryker Mahnke and Zane Shaw joined some of the top 2026 and 2027 baseball players in the state on the roster and made it to the semifinal round of the national tournament.

The HSB-NCS included all-star teams of rising juniors and seniors from 12 states, including Kansas. The California team beat Arizona in the championship game, which gave California its second straight championship. Kansas was one of four teams to reach the semifinal round of the tournament.

“I feel like a lot of teams went in and didn’t think Kansas was very good, and we kind of showed them that we could hit offensively,” Mahnke said. “We had really good pitching, and it was really cool competing against all the high-level states. And winning, of course, was probably the best part.”

Kansas started with Nebraska on Friday and won 5-3. After three scoreless innings, Kansas scored twice in the fourth, with Graves scoring the first run after leading off the inning with a double. Nebraska scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth, but Kansas came back to score twice in the sixth and once in the seventh.

On the final run, Mahnke replaced Mulvane High School rising senior Parker Clubb as a courtesy runner, and Graves brought him home in the next at-bat with an RBI double.

“I remember I was on second and he hit one in the gap and I scored,” Mahnke said of Graves’s RBI double. “It was a special moment for us, too, because we’ve been doing it all season in high school, and it was cool to do it at the next level.”

Graves finished with two hits — which led the team — on four at-bats with a run and an RBI. Mahnke scored one run as a courtesy runner with one plate appearance. Mahnke played center field, while Graves played shortstop in the game. Shaw did not pitch in the first game.

Kansas blew out Hawaii in the second game, 12-1, on Saturday, with both Graves and Mahnke playing.

Kansas scored a run in the bottom of the first inning, followed by six runs in the bottom of the second. Mahnke brought a runner home on a ground ball to center field, and Graves singled in the next at-bat. The two reached home on the same double a few at-bats later, scoring the fourth and fifth runs of the game.

Hawaii scored its one run of the game in the top of the fourth, and Kansas scored another five runs in the bottom of the sixth to close out the game. Mahnke and Graves walked for the first two plate appearances of the inning, and Mahnke scored again on an error during the at-bat following Graves. Graves scored the ninth run on a single after the Mahnke score. Kansas finished with three more runs in the sixth inning, triggering a run-rule victory.

“Our bats offensively were really hot,” Mahnke said. “We had a couple of bombs that game, and we had a lot of extra-base hits. It was a lot of fun just watching us finally connect on some pitches that we should have connected on.”

Graves had two runs on three at-bats with a hit and a walk. Mahnke scored two runs with an RBI and a walk in two at-bats.

Kansas took its first loss later on Saturday against Arizona, losing 2-1. All three Firebirds played in the game, with Shaw earning the starting nod. He threw five innings and allowed two hits and one walk against six strikeouts.

Arizona took a one-run lead in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single. Kansas tied the game in the top of the sixth, but Arizona took the lead back in the bottom of the frame with a second run. Kansas put one runner on base but couldn’t score in the seventh, ending the game.

The next day, Kansas and Arizona faced off in a rematch in the semifinal game, which Arizona won 10-6. Graves finished with a run on three at-bats, and Mahnke struck out in his only at-bat.

Kansas scored three runs in the top of the first inning, but Arizona responded with three runs of its own in the bottom of the frame. Kansas scored a fourth run in the second, but Arizona took the lead for good in the bottom of the third with two runs. Arizona took an 8-4 lead with three runs in the fourth inning and added one run in both of the fifth and sixth innings. Kansas scored twice in the fifth but were unable to complete the comeback.

Of the three Free State Firebirds on the roster, only Mahnke is eligible to come back next year. If invited again, Mahnke said he’s looking forward to another chance at the title.

“I’m looking forward to doing it again next year, if I get invited back, and being able to see if we can win the whole thing,” Mahnke said. “I feel like next year we’re having a really special team and can make a deep run again, like we did this year.”