TOPEKA (KSNT) - Topeka High baseball is headed to the 6A state tournament for the second-straight year.
Topeka High, which is combined with Cair Paravel for baseball, posted a 15-4 regular season record, and is coming off a win over Derby in the 3A regional tournament. If their record wasn't confidence boosting already, the Trojans are feeling even mightier after knocking off the Panthers.
"They're a team that's beaten us," Topeka High head baseball head coach Cody Miller said of Derby. "They beat us in state last year and they've knocked us out of regionals a couple of times, and they're a really good team. So being able to get that monkey off our back a little bit I think gives us a little more confidence going into state as well."
Coach Miller said the excitement from making the state tournament for the first time in a long time in 2023 has worn off, and his team now expects to be in this position, beating rivals like Derby.
"From getting beat at state last year to beating them this year to go to state and knocking them out, it felt really good and gave us a lot of confidence," senior Elijah Elliot said.
"Not a lot of classes before us have been able to even make it to state," senior Matthew Genrich said. "So us doing it twice really just shows that we're different, change the tradition around here."
The first round of the state tournament brings another tough matchup. The four-seeded Trojans are set to face five-seeded Lawrence Free State.
"I think going into this next game, even though it will be a challenge, I think we're starting to understand the potential we have as a team," senior Isaiah Kincade said. "So if we just play off that potential that we have, I think we could go a very long way."
Topeka High and Lawrence Free State play at Friday, May 23 at 1:15 p.m. at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence. The winner of that matchup will play in the semifinals, and possibly the 6A title game, on Friday.
