‘Ryans’ rebound to lead Farragut fantastic finish
Dying their hair blonde in a show of unity, Farragut High School baseball players celebrate the program’s 10th TSSAA Class AAA state championship after beating Bradley Central 7-3 Friday evening, May 24, at Middle Tennessee State University. The Admirals, under head coach Matt Buckner, finished with a 42-3 record, the second best in program history.
Ryan Hagenow, Farragut’s staff ace and one of the state’s best high school pitchers, recovered from a few hard hit singles by Bradley Central to mow down the Bears in Koufax-like fashion — retiring the final 18 batters he faced, 10 on strikeouts — to close out the FHS program’s 10th Class AAA state championship.
The Diamond Admirals completed a 42-3 record — second best in program history with only one loss to a Tennessee team plus a 30-game winning streak — following a 7-3 triumph in the state championship showdown Friday evening, May 24, at Middle Tennessee State University’s Reese Smith Jr. Field.
“Knowing my guys are behind me, just ready to battle for me every time I pitch, makes it so comfortable on the mound,” said Hagenow, a 6-foot-5 junior and University of Kentucky commitment, who went the distance while allowing just one earned run, four hits and zero walks with 11 strikeouts.
About setting down the final 15 Bears hitters and going seven innings — despite his 74 pitches in 4.2 innings in a 4-2 opening tourney win versus Bartlett three days before on just two days rest — “Adrenaline went into overdrive. I was ready to go,” Hagenow said.
“We changed up our pitch-calling and made it a little less predictable — and just challenged guys,” he added. “We’d get a fastball first strike and then go to the breaking ball, and they were sitting on it, poking it through the holes.
“Then we just kept challenging them with fastballs, and then with two strikes throw sliders in the dirt and get them to chase.”
Ryan McCarthy, one of the best defensive catchers in the state according to Ads skipper Matt Buckner, had a rare throwing error allowing two runs to score in the top of the second, tying the game 2-2.
But the gritty senior stroked a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third that put the Ads up for good, 4-3, before his two-out, two-strike, two-RBI single to right field in the bottom of the fifth added insurance, making it 6-3.
“I knew I was going to get a pitch to hit sometime in the count,” McCarthy said. “I battled, and I got a fastball away.”
“Ryan McCarthy is an absolute warrior of a player,” Buckner said. “I’d go to war any day with him.
“Got a huge hit for our team ... and Ryan kind of went into cruise control and mowed ’em down,” the Admirals skipper added.
Ashton King, senior shortstop and pitching staff closer, singled and scored in the first inning on a Hunter Merrick groundout as the Ads led 2-0 after one inning. He also added an RBI double in the sixth inning to drive in senior Nick Barnes, who singled.
“Coach Buckner always said to just keep our heads on straight and play the way we play,” Barnes said.
King walked and scored on an error in the Ads’ two-run third inning. About the seniors, “We’ve been together for so long there’s just a special bond between us,” King said.
“He was absolutely phenomenal the whole tournament,” Buckner said about King, who picked up the win in Farragut’s 8-7 come-from-behind victory against Summit, 2018 state champ, Wednesday, May 22 (working 2.0 innings while allowing no runs, one hit and two walks with two strikeouts).
He also added four hits and six RBI in a 17-2 thrashing of Bartlett Thursday, May 23.
Parker Noland, senior standout third baseman and Vanderbilt signee, also had two hits while walking and scoring in the first inning on a two-out passed ball.
Overcoming his throwing error allowing Bradley to take a 3-2 lead in the top of the third, Noland’s third-inning single helped fuel the go-ahead effort. “I’m proud of our team, we did a great job,” he said.
Senior first baseman Cooper Mashburn and Merrick, sophomore left fielder, followed Noland in the third with back-to-back singles.
“It’s a tight group. We all grew as a family,” Mashburn said.
Noland got the fifth inning started with a single. Hudson Seigler, sophomore designated hitter, followed with a single. Bryce Burkey’s well-executed sacrifice bunt put Noland and pinch-runner Miles McFerran in scoring position.
Bradley finishes 25-15.
Buckner also praised the efforts of senior pitchers Landon Smiddy and Owen Kovacs, major contributors throughout the season.
Freshman Angus Pence had the game-winning walk-off RBI single in Farragut’s come-from-behind win against Summit. Junior Carter Gillette had two hits and three RBI in the 17-2 victory versus Bartlett.
Junior Adam Birkholz picked up a save in the 4-2 win versus Bartlett (2.1 innings: no runs, no walks, two hits and five strikeouts).
