Farragut: No. 8 in Preseason Xcellent 25 Baseball Rankings

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