After a week of examination and assessment, varsity head coach Mike Hill is ready to lead his baseball program into action and kick off his 27th year in charge of the Firebirds. Last year’s team showcased an impressive performance in the postseason, finishing third in the Kansas 6A class, claiming a regional championship and ending the year with an 18-7 record.
Accompanying the 2024 season are a handful of aspirations and expectations from Hill and players alike. When speaking about the makeup of this year’s varsity team, Hill said that he is excited about what the squad has in store for themselves but is also ready to see how they stand up to the competition that the Sunflower Conference will present.
“We’re pleased with our progress so far. We’ve certainly got a long way to go, but our work ethic and attitude have been fantastic. We’re excited about the season and that we have a lot of returning players who have experience. We’ve got some holes to fill, but we have very capable players to do that. It’s going to be a challenging year in terms of the league and our competition level, but I’m optimistic,” Hill said.
The firebird’s roster has not gone unnoticed, as Free State has been ranked second in class 6A for the state of Kansas per amyosport.com, sitting right behind the Shawnee Mission East Lancers. Although he is thankful that his team is being recognized, Hill said that he encourages his players not to pay much attention to preseason rankings and noted that the emphasis within his program is focused on making the most of each day. Furthermore, right-handed pitcher and infield senior Kyle Graves said that the team is thrilled to play ball and isn’t bothered by the weight of the ranking.
“There’s a lot of excitement; we’ve been good for a long time, and in the past few years we’ve managed to get it done. Last year really set us apart with how we performed, and we know we can do the same thing again and hopefully win a state title this year.” Graves said.
The team features seven seniors who will look to make a mark as the year stretches on. Many of them, including Graves and infielder Mason Lester, return with dozens of varsity games under their belt — a type of experience that Hill hopes will help their leadership transpire early on.
“The key is, ‘How do they lead this team?’ The identity of a team is always going to be influenced heavily by a senior class. We have seven really quality kids who are selfless and all want what’s best for the program and certainly what’s best for themselves, and that is a great way to start,” Hill said.
The remaining varsity squad is composed of seven juniors, returning sophomore RHP Ben Graves and freshmen Finn Moore and Ryker Mahnke, all of whom Hill said he hopes will rise to the occasion this year.
Junior Wesley Cupps, a first baseman committed to the University of Ohio, said that he believes the youth inside the team adds an extra element to what they bring to the table. Hill agrees, and added that the healthy competition is encouraging his ballplayers to not become complacent.
“We have some talented underclassmen, so the key for all of our returning players is that they don’t feel comfortable,” Hill said. “The truth of the matter is that if they are comfortable with their placement, somebody within our own program is going to pass them up, so they have to have a little bit of hunger and a willingness to improve their level of play.”
Along the same lines, Cupps said that with their team, getting the type of success they want won’t be full of comfort and that the team must be ready for any challenge that could roll their way.
“We have a lot of big goals this year, so we can’t give up and need to keep grinding,” Cupps said. “Making sure we are leaders and ensuring everyone is doing the right thing at the right time is important.”
One of those goals includes a win out-of-state, as a new season extension will send the team down to Fayetteville, Arkansas, where they will enjoy an SEC baseball game and a game of their own at the end of March. Both Cupps and Graves said that they are excited for a new experience and are looking forward to bonding with their teammates along the way.
The varsity team will go on the road to begin their season, facing off against Maize South on March 8. The schedule has 14 home games slated as well as two games close by at the University of Kansas. Hill said that he encourages all who can to come out and show support as they prepare to take on a lengthy regular season and, hopefully, bring home a state title.
“We have a great group of kids that are talented and hardworking, and my hope would be that the students in the Free State community would come out and support these kids. We have a lot of home games, and like every sport here, our student-athletes benefit from people attending,” Hill said.
