As of Sept. 13, 2023, the Kansas State High School Activities Association Board of Directors voted 42-17 in favor of extending the baseball season to 26 games, after rejecting the proposal in a vote last spring. Many are curious as to how that will shape the season and how it will flow into the postseason playoff games.

“The extension will make teams more playoff ready and the competitiveness of the sunflower league will be as tough as ever which will make winning the sunflower league even sweeter,” sophomore Ben Graves said.

Playing more games within the season will affect the seeding for the playoffs. It will factor in team records at the end of the regular season and include head-to-head matchups.

With the increase of games means the loss of practice dates, there will be an emphasis within the coaching staff to prioritize the practices the team does have.

“SIx more games means six less practice dates, so we will need to make sure as a program we are taking advantage of the days we have to practice together. Baseball is a game that is meant to be played almost every day, so the addition of games will hopefully bring more energy to the players,” assistant coach Matt Hill said.

These hopes may become reality, many of the returning players are very eager to get back on the diamond and play more baseball. Though, with the increase in schedule, academics will be more important than ever.

“The extended season will definitely make academics more challenging because we have to work around traveling more often,” junior Wesley Cupps said.

After finishing in third place in the state tournament last spring, the Firebirds look towards the six extra games to hone their skills and better prepare themself for the playoffs.