The Farragut Admirqls defeated Clarksville 11-3 on Saturday, May 24, 2025, to win the Class 4A state championship in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Photo by Danny Parker/5Star Preps)
BY JESSE SMITHEY
MURFREESBORO — If the 2025 season was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Farragut High School baseball team, then the Admirals might be the quickest construction crew to ever exist.
That Farragut even reached the 4A championship game proved mind-boggling. The program graduated roughly a dozen Division I signees off its 2024 championship roster and longtime coach Matt Buckner announced his retirement from coaching following the 2024 title game.
Moreover, this 2025 Farragut team didn’t win a district nor region championship and had to fight off elimination multiple times throughout the district-, region- and state-sectional tournament rounds.
Yet, there the Admirals were Saturday, having not lost a state tournament game this week in Murfreesboro, as if they were the unquestioned tournament favorite all along.
Farragut star pitcher Cole Draper overcame a few rough opening innings to win his third consecutive state championship start — all three as complete games — and the Farragut bats erupted in the fifth and sixth innings to give the Admirals an 11-3 win Saturday over Clarksville in the Class 4A state championship.
“These guys showed up and competed every single day. That’s how it happened,” Farragut coach Garrett Copeland said of Farragut’s run to the title. “These guys came in with a chip on their shoulder. They were ready to work hard.
“These guys, they have belief in themselves. For one, they have fun. They play with freedom. They, obviously, don’t feel any pressure. They were 5-0 in elimination games this year.”
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The win gave Farragut its fourth consecutive state title — and 14th overall for its program. That total now tops the TSSAA history books in all-time baseball championships won. Christian Brother is second with 13.
The four-peat matches the four in a row Farragut won from 2008-2011.
Farragut (32-11) has also won 16 consecutive state tournament games.
Clarksville finished 38-8, claiming runner-up in the program’s first-ever, title-game appearance.
Farragut sophomore Braxton Tye went 2 for 3 with four RBIs Saturday, his sixth-inning grand slam giving Farragut a 10-3 lead.
Owen Stelzer went 3 for 4 with three RBIs.
But when Aidan Flagg bombed a solo shot to deep left-center, that moment not only tied the game at 3-all in the top of the fourth but it also brought about the offensive onslaught.
The Admirals trailed 2-0 early but collected 10 hits and seven walks to manufacture the rout.
Known for his command and steadfastness on the mound, Draper threw atypically off target in the first inning, needing 25 pitches to complete it. He walked one, gave up three hits and allowed two earned runs.
He even authored a pitch that sailed behind a batter’s back.
Copeland did entertain the thought of bringing in a reliever.
“Early in the game, that’s a thought we had. We had our guy working early in the bullpen,” Copeland said.
“But, he’s proven himself over the years, so he’s got to have a little bit of a leash. And when the game, offensively, is staying that close, it allows us to give him a little bit longer leash. He found his groove late. He just kept getting better and better with his rhythm.
“Luckily we were able to continue putting runs on the board, and it worked out for us.”
Farragut senior Stelzer’s RBI-single in the top of the second helped mitigate the early damage by Clarksville. Still, the Admirals stranded three runners to end their half of the second inning.
Draper labored once more in the bottom of the second, loading the bases.
This time, though, the true Draper started to appear— striking out two in a row to end the Clarksville threat.
Travis Brummitt Jr.’s RBI off a fielder’s choice knotted the score at 2-all in the top of the third for Farragut. But Clarksville broke the tie with a two-out RBI-single in the bottom half.
Flagg, the Farragut junior and Lipscomb commit, hit a shot to left-center to tie Clarksville at 3-all in the top of the fourth.
And when Draper retired the side in the bottom of the fourth, he let out a few roars to fire up his squad during his dart back to the dugout.
He was back — and Clarksville’s fun was over.
He allowed just two hits the final four innings.
“It’s amazing. I have no words to describe it,” Draper said of capping his career with a title. “Nobody thought we were going to come back out here and do it again. Everybody said we weren’t going to do anything, that we lost all of our guys. They thought it was over for Farragut Baseball.
“But we came out with other things to say. Couldn’t have done it without the team. They came out and hit right when we needed it. They produced in a big-time way today.”