In 2019, the Liberal Rattlers competed in the Cal Ripken World Series. It marked the second time the Rattlers compete in such an event. Many of those spunky little nine year olds are now wide eyed freshmen in the 2025 LHS baseball program. They have logged a lot of summer baseball innings under coach Brad Morris. Now, they join an experienced group of upperclassmen under Liberal’s most successful baseball coach Eric Olmstead. He has had the upper classmen the past few years in the spring and has helped coach the incoming freshmen the past couple of summers.
Liberal will have some holes to fill. Two time WAC Player of the Year Brooks Kappelmann is wearing Seward green and so is Aidan Schwindt. Meanwhile Zayden Martinez uses his long strides to haul in passes from K-State quarterbacks after chasing down fly balls in center for the Redskins the past several springs. Martinez was a 1st team all WAC player last year.
The Redskins return six seniors with experience including Skyler Hubbard, Xavier Porras, Landon Martinez, Alex Schwindt, Angel Soto, and Marco Alonso. Alonso was a 2nd team all WAC player as a junior. Both juniors are key players Blayden Betts and Austin Dodge. The freshmen are talented with some of these names already making a varsity splash in other sports. The varsity freshmen currently are Eathan Hernandez, Ethan Olmstead, McKye Morris, Bentlee Betts, Bren Kappelmann, and Bentlee Betts.
The Skins have improved each of the past four seasons as several seniors have played 2-3 years of varsity. Last year LHS was 13-11 for their first winning season since 2019. The Skins were 10-11 in 2023. The Redskins were 9-12 in 2022, an improvement from their return to the diamond in 2021 when they went 6-14. The 2020 season would have likely marked a sixth straight winning season, but it was canceled due to covid.
Eric Olmstead has guided the past 19 years and is in his 18th season as Redskin head coach. He is responsible for two of Liberal’s three WAC titles and one of the two state tournament appearances. Olmstead is 196-164 at LHS. Olmstead will be assisted by Rory Arnold, James Shelby, Andrew Potter, Brad Morris, and Deladris Green. The Redskins have 37 out for baseball and will have a varsity, JV, and C team.
Schedule
March 21- Blue Valley West DH 2pm at SCCC
March 25- Holcomb 4pm DH
March 28- Hugoton 4pm DH
April 1- Garden City 4pm DH (1270 and 92.3 FM)
April 8- Goddard Eisenhower 4pm DH
April 11- Great Bend 4pm DH (1270 and 92.3 FM)
Arpil 17- Woodward 5pm DH
April 19- 2pm Olathe West and Wichita East at WSU 2pm
April 22-at Garden City 6pm (1270 and 92.3 FM)
April 25- at Cimarron 4pm DH
April 29- at Great Bend 6pm (1270 and 92.3 FM)
May 1- at Hays 4pm DH (1270 and 92.3 FM)
May 6- at Dodge City 4pm DH (1270 and 92.3 FM)
May 13- Dodge City 6pm (1270 and 92.3 FM)
May 15- Hays 6pm (1270 and 92.3 FM)
May 19-22 Regionals 1270 and 92.3 FM)
