The Farragut (Knoxville) Admirals (39-5) have won the Class AAA state championship three of the past four seasons, all under coach Tom Pharr, including last year's win over Mount Juliet.
However, Pharr has moved on to coach at Christian Academy of Knoxville and Matt Buckner has taken over as coach of the Admirals.
Farragut got its season off to a strong start, winning its first six straight games including a first-place finish at the Scenic City Tournament last week.
The Admirals have two of the top juniors in the country in pitcher Phillip Pfeifer and infielder Nicky Delmonico. Both were named to the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association All-State team with Pfeifer making the first team and Delmonico the second. The Admiral duo also participated on the Team USA 18U squad this summer that won the gold medal at the Pan American Games.
Pfeifer, who has committed to Vanderbilt, won 12 games last year and finished with 138 strikeouts in 77 games pitched. Delmonico, meanwhile, batted .465 with 12 home runs and 57 RBI.
Top seniors for the Admirals include catcher Ethan Bennett and first baseman Nick Williams.
The Admirals suffered their first loss of the season Monday with a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Maryville. The Rebels received an outstanding effort from senior pitcher Kaleb Moore, who held Farragut hitless in five of the seven innings pitched. Maryville had a successful run at a tournament in Orlando, Fla., going 4-1 during the week.
Soddy Daisy is off to the best start in the season with an 8-0 record, including a first-place finish at the Wildcat Classic last week. The Trojans defeated Dalton, Ga., 13-3 in the championship game.
Class AA
Defending champion Dyer County (Newbern) has already lost nearly as many as it did all of last year when it posted a 40-5 record. The Choctaws are 2-3 to start the season, but have won their last two games against Cordova and Collierville. Dyer County sophomore all-state pitcher Colton Harris returns after winning 13 games as a freshman last year.
Goodpasture Christian (Madison) figures to be in the mix this year after a 29-12 finish last season. The Cougars have seven starters back from last year's team, including all-state pitcher Jake McWhirter and all-state outfielders Lance Jarreld.
Class A
The defending Class A state champion Summertown Eagles (36-6) are already off to a strong start on the season, winning their first five outings, including big wins over Columbia Academy (11-1) and Marshall County (12-2).
Summertown will miss all-state players Clint Gobbell and K.J. Roberts, both of whom ranked among the state leaders in several offensive categories. Gobbell batted .536 with 19 home runs while Roberts batted .558 with 76 runs scored. The Eagles return just two seniors from last year's squad.
Riverside (Decaturville), last year's runner-up, is 3-1 to start the season. The Panthers have one of the state's top sophomores in Stephen Grant. He was an all-state second-team pick last year and was among the state hit leaders with 58.
Division II AA
Defending champion Brentwood Academy is just 1-3 to start the season after a rough outing at the Niceville Tournament in Florida. The Eagles' only win was over Southside of Alabama.
Bell Academy (Nashville) could be the favorite this year. In the Eagle Invitational last week, the Big Red defeated Tulsa Memorial, Paradise Valley and Regis Jesuit while losing to powerhouse teams Houston Christian and Broken Arrow.
Division II A
Webb (Knoxville) is one of the few teams in Division II A to get in any games so far this season. the Spartans are 5-1 with five straight wins before a loss to Anderson County on Tuesday.
