January 3, 2024 by
Three Farragut High School baseballers are headed to Starkville as student/athletes for a Mississippi State baseball program just two seasons removed from a College World Series title, made official during a National Signing Period ceremony at FHS Nov. 10: Landis Davila (middle), star outfielder; Lukas Buckner (right), state Player of the Year shortstop; and Cade O’Leary, a senior transfer from Pittsburgh who is one of the top high school pitching prospects in the Southeast. “For me, it was just the coaches and the relationship that I built with them,” O’Leary said about choosing the Bulldogs. “By far the most comfortable I’ve been with any coaching staff. And then obviously the pluses like the fans, the facilities — everything is just top-notch there.” Davila said about his decision, “I think it’s the best baseball in America and the people there are amazing, too. The coaching staff is wonderful and then all the culture and tradition they have there just adds on even more.”
Buckner said about wearing MSU Maroon, “Definitely for me, the coaching staff and the facilities and all the fans; I think it’s every kid’s dream to play in front of 16,000 people. I’m just really excited for that.” About transferring to FHS, “I’ve been playing with these guys in Summer (Travel) ball for a couple of years now, so it was an easy decision,” O’Leary said. About competing against UT and two of their FHS Class of 2024 teammates (see below), Buckner said, “It would be cool after growing up with those guys and then competing against them at the highest level.”
Photo by Alan Sloan
