Farragut: No. 8 in Preseason Xcellent 25 Baseball Rankings

At Farragut High School, losing baseball games is a big deal.

It's not that the Admirals have become accustomed to falling short on the scoreboard. In fact, the opposite is true. Matt Buckner's program wins so much that when it does lose, it becomes the topic of conversation, especially in the postseason.

The Admirals (37-8, 15-4 a year ago) have won four straight Tennessee AAA state titles and seven of the last nine. Buckner's "Greatest Show on Dirt" has posted a sterling 162-22 record during its four-year title run, including a 16-1 mark in the state baseball playoffs.

Farragut's lone playoff loss since 2007-08 was a 4-0 setback in Game 11 to Collierville (Tenn.) in 2010. But the Admirals bounced back to take game 13 by a 6-5 score before outscoring Houston (Germantown, Tenn.) 3-1 in the championship game to keep the title streak alive.



Farragut has won eight state baseball titles, second-best in Tennessee, falling just short of Christian Brothers' (Memphis, Tenn.) 11 championships. With a dominating pitching staff returning in 2012, and a defensive nucleus second to none, the expectations at Farragut are for more of the same and it seems fitting that the team is ranked No. 8 in the Preseason Xcellent 25 National Baseball Rankings.

A season ago, Xander Taylor joined forces with 2012 Vanderbilt freshman Philip Pfeifer on the mound to befuddle Columbia (Columbia, Tenn.) 2-0 in the championship game with a combined no-hitter. The senior lefty, who is committed to play at Volunteer State Community College, has been clocked in the 84-87 mph range and posted an 8-2 mark with 75 strikeouts and a 1.86 ERA a year ago.

Unfortunately for Buckner, who is 79-14 through two seasons at Farragut, Taylor is in need of shoulder surgery due to a torn labrum and is finished for the season. The third-year coach, however, will still be able to put an outstanding pitching staff on the mound this spring.

Back in Buckner's rotation are junior righthander Eric Freeman and sophomore Chase Chambers after they posted 5-2 and 5-0 records, respectively, a year ago. Junior Kyle Serrano, a transfer from California, and freshman Patrick Raby are also set to start on the mound, while senior sidearmer Jordan Newby is the top Admiral reliever.

University of Tennessee signee A.J Simcox will once again man the shortstop position for Buckner. Leading the state with 70 hits a year ago, Simcox put together a first team all-state season after hitting a robust .470.

University of Tennessee commit Cameron "Jammer" Strickland returns to left field, while fellow junior Anthony El Chabani will roam right field once again. Juniors Nick Senzel and Brett Hagenow will start at second base and catcher, respectively. Junior catcher/infielder David Logan is a former home school student that enrolled at Farragut in the fall.



Simcox, Senzel and Strickland give Buckner a solid nucleus from which to build another outstanding defense.

Local look: "Farragut is probably the preeminent baseball program in the state. They've won the last four AAA state baseball championships in Tennessee all while undergoing coaching changes. When Tommy Pharr left a couple of years ago, his protégé Matt Buckner took over and I'm sure there was a lot of scrutiny – as well as a lot of pressure. But he took the talent he had and kept going with it. I think the job he did last year gave him a lot of credibility in a lot of people's eyes. They had to overcome the injury (to Philip Pfeifer) and had some sick players. Nicky (Delmonico), in my opinion, wasn't matching the numbers he had in the past. But (Buckner) pulled the guys together and they found a way to win it again.

"Look for Farragut to be in lower-scoring games this season and to win with pitching. They have several young guys that earned experience in previous seasons that should step in this year. The Admirals should make the state tournament and challenge for another state championship."
- Jesse Smithey, Knoxville News Sentinel


{PAGEBREAK}
School size: AAA

Enrollment: 2,223

2011 finish: 37-8 (Four-time defending AAA state champions)

Head coach: Matt Buckner

Career record: 256-86

Years at school: 3



Notable players coached:
Brett Basham (Mississippi, Drafted by San Diego Padres)
Justin Miller (Middle Tennessee State, Drafted by Washington Nationals)
Michael McKenry (Middle Tennessee State, Pittsburgh Pirates)
Kyle Waldrop (Minnesota Twins)
Tony Delmonico (University of Tennessee, Drafted by Los Angeles Dodgers)

No. of starters returning: 6

Key losses:
C/INF Nicky Delmonico
LHP Philip Pfeifer

Key returners:
SS A.J. Simcox, .470, 2 HR, 70 H, 32 RBI
OF/INF/LHP Xander Taylor
CF Cameron Strickland, .293, 24 RBI, 3 HR
RF Anthony El Chibani, .326, 33 R, 14 RBI
2B Nick Senzel, .341, 27 RBI
C Brett Hagenow, .271, 16 RBI

Key newcomers:
RHP Kyle Serrano
C/INF David Logan
1B/LHP Chase Chambers
RHP/INF Patrick Raby

{PAGEBREAK} Toughest game: Farragut handled District 4 rival Bearden (Knoxville, Tenn.), which went 24-14, twice a season ago. But it's never easy when these two powerhouses battle, especially when you consider that Buckner took the Admiral position while coaching at Bearden. The Bulldogs return a trio of first team all-district selections in seniors Derek Lance (INF/OF/C), Trey York (SS/2B) and Ronnie Broyles (P/OF/INF). Also back are seniors Zach Sale (P/OF/1B) and Tyler Hill (OF/P/1B), both of whom garnered honorable mention all-district status a year ago. It's quite likely that the district title will be up for grabs when the Admirals and Bulldogs take the mound twice in a five-day stretch in April.



Local outlook: Maryville (Tenn.) split six games with the four-time defending state champions, and won a pair of district tournament contests over the Admirals a year ago to send Farragut to regionals as the district tournament runner-up. Maryville, meanwhile, rode its district title momentum through regionals and sectionals and into the state tournament for the first time since 1989. First team all-district pitcher and infielder Jordan Norton, of Heritage (Maryville, Tenn.), as well as honorable mention selection Riley Melton, an outstanding senior outfielder and left-handed pitcher, return to make the Mountaineers a threat. According to Knoxville News Sentinel sports writer Jesse Smithey, Heritage also brings back pitcher Trevor Clifton, who was named to the USA 16-under national team this summer. Buckner said the Admirals will also be pushed in their own Dimarini Diamond Invitational slated for the first week of April. Along with the Admirals and fellow AAA power Mount Juliet (Tenn.), the tournament will host 20 teams in five pools, including several out-of-state squads.

Overall outlook: Farragut probably won't hit as many balls out of the park this spring, but it's doubtful they'll need to. With another top-notch pitching staff and all-star defenders all over the dirt as well as in the outfield, Buckner's four-time defending state champions won't have to score a bunch of runs. If Freeman, Serrano, Chambers and Raby can keep the Admirals close going in to the late innings, look for Newby to be a steady reliever. Should the Farragut opposition put the ball in play, Buckner's defense will be ready to make the stop. Experience goes a long way, especially in the postseason. After winning seven of the last nine state championships in Tennessee's AAA, and playing in 10 of the last 12 title games, its hard to imagine Farragut not making another deep playoff run and contending for a fifth-straight state title.

Coach quote: "It's always a goal here to win the last game, and that's pretty much the case again this year. This is a very unique school. It's a baseball school. The whole school is ingrained in baseball. The kids are really committed to it, and so is the community. They've had a silly run here and I've been fortunate to be a part of it. Everybody is shooting for us, so we have to bring it every day. We have to bring our A effort every game, but that's good. It'll help us in the long run.

"We have to find that guy that becomes the guy that pitches in the big games. The guy that wants to pitch in the game that gets us to the state title game. And I think we will."
- Matt Buckner