2026 KSHSAA Team Preview: Lawrence Free State Firebirds
March 10, 2026
The Kansas high school baseball season kicks off on Mar. 19, opening day for regular season action under KSHSAA regulations. Leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2026 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, counting down to the official Prep Baseball Kansas Preseason Power 25 Rankings.
Perennially, we’ve submitted a preseason questionnaire to high school head coaches across the entire state. Their responses have been flooding in and we’re using the detailed insight they’ve provided in our team-by-team preseason analysis.
Our 2026 preseason coverage continues today.
Head Coach: Mike Hill (28 years)
Classification: 6A
2025 Record (Finish): 28-2 (State Champions)
2026 SEASON OUTLOOK
No. of Returning Position Players: 4
No. of Returning Pitchers: 5
Top Returners:
- Ben Graves (2026) - SS/P, 5'10, 180, L/R
- Oral Roberts commit
- 1st Team All-State Player
- Ryker Mahnke (2027) - CF, 5'10, 170, L/R
- Missouri commit
- 1st Team All-State Player
- Zane Shaw (2026) - RHP, 6'1, 195, R/R
- Nebraska commit
- 1st Team All-State Player
- Finn Moore (2027) - 3B/RHP, 6'1, 200, R/R
- Air Force commit
- HM All Sunflower League
- Nathan Young (2026) - RHP, 6'3, 190, R/R
- Barton CC commit
- Threw CG shutout in state semifinal
- Owen Lester (2027) - OF, 6'3, 180, L/R
- High level player
- High level player
Top Newcomers:
- Ferris Dinkel (2027) - 6'3, 185, OF, R/R
- Carter Laubach (2028) - 5'9, 180, C, R/R
- Darin Fehr (2026) - 6'5, 195, RHP
- Barton CC commit
- Karson Bowers (2026) - 6'1, 220, C, R/R
- Tabor College commit
Key Players Lost:
- Blaine Larkin - Central Missouri
- Cayman Cook - Barton CC
- Andrew Zimmerschied - Benedictine
- Charlie Peters - ASU Mountain Home
- Cole Wright - Fort Scott CC
- Wesley Cupps - Ohio
Coach’s Insight: “Our pitching staff will be highly competitive and has depth. We need to develop depth in the middle infield and lengthen our lineup. Despite high-level returners we need contributions from newcomers to be a complete team.” – Mike Hill, head coach
Find more information on the 2026 Lawrence Free State program below:
+ Follow them on X: @LFSHSBaseball
+ Visit Prep Baseball Kansas’ 2026 KSHSAA Team Previews page to learn more.
+ If you are a high school coach and didn’t receive our questionnaire, please click HERE to fill out the form