Farragut freshman Lukas Buckner makes contact during a Class AAA state quarterfinal against McMinn County on Tuesday, May 25, 2021, at Oakland High School in Murfreesboro. Farragut won 8-0. (Photo: Danny Parker)
By JESSE SMITHEY
MURFREESBORO — Lukas Buckner was once the kid on the grassy knoll outside the dugout, chasing foul balls or playing makeshift games of baseball with his friends while his dad coached the Farragut baseball to state championships.
Tuesday, though, he found himself in the same arena as his father — and with a much different vantage point this time around.
Buckner, a Farragut freshman starter at second base and son of head coach Matt Buckner, played in his first state-tournament game of his career, having seen his father steer the Admirals to state titles in 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2019.
Lukas Buckner didn’t buckle under the weight of the moment.
He fit right in with the Farragut brand.
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His two-run double in the second inning — his first at-bat at state — sparked a five-run inning, and the Admirals (37-5) sailed from there, blanking McMinn County 8-0 by a sterling pitching performance from senior lefty Hunter Merrick.
“It felt nice. I’ve always been over here, playing with tennis balls and stuff” Buckner said, looking over his right shoulder as a lawn area. “It was nice to be out on the field.
“And to get that hit, it was a nice ‘calm down’ moment. It’s not as hard as it always seems.”
Merrick (10-0) threw no-hit ball through 5.1 innings but walked away from the no-no after hitting 70 pitches. If he is to possibly pitch for Farragut in Friday’s Class AAA title game, he had to preserve his arm. It’s a TSSAA pitch-count rule.
So while walking away from a potential no-hitter might have been hard, all parties understood the deal.
“We knew what we were doing from the beginning. He knew how many pitches he had,” said Farragut coach Matt Buckner.
“He knew he wasn’t going over 75 pitches. That was the plan. … win, lose or draw. I’m not coming down here to try and win second place.”
Merrick struck out nine and walked two in his time on the mound. McMinn County (20-13-1) got one hit off reliever Michael Delp but that was it.
Farragut, meanwhile, gave its pitchers plenty of run support. Kentucky signee Tanner Kim kickstarted it all in the second inning with a solo blast. Buckner chipped in a two-run double, and Parker Evans added a two-run single in the second.
Tennessee signee Angus Pence homered in the fifth inning.
As for Buckner, he finished the day 1 for 3. He’s recorded, at least, one hit in 10 of his last 11 games. His average fell as low as .289 in early April, but it currently stands at .379 — against a brutally tough schedule.
“It’s a lot different than a lot of other baseball that I’ve played in. It’s a great experience,” said Lukas Buckner. “I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better from it, too.”
Knowing Farragut will contend for state championships more years than not, Matt Buckner puts together a challenging lineup of games to prepare the Admirals for the final stretch.
His son has been forged into form like the rest of his teammates and earned his spot.
Still, seeing his son deliver in big games, especially on Tuesday, triggers his dad’s emotions at times.
“It’s definitely a different feeling for me, certainly,” said Matt Buckner.
“But he’s working really hard, and he’s performing. It’s pretty awesome to see.”
WHAT’S NEXT
Farragut advances into the winners bracket and will play at 12:30 p.m. Central time at Oakland High School against either Hardin County or Clarksville.
McMinn County dropped into a Wednesday morning elimination game against the loser of the Hardin County and Clarksville game.