STORY + PHOTOS: Carson Quillen tosses complete-game gem in Greeneville’s 1-0 win over Upperman in 3A Baseball Championship

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BY JESSE SMITHEY

MURFREESBORO — The Quillen Family had quite a conundrum Friday.

With both of their sons — Carson in baseball and Brady in soccer — simultaneously playing in separate TSSAA state championship games in Murfreesboro, there was no way for the parents to be in two places at once.

Carson Quillen, the youngest and a sophomore on the Greeneville Baseball Team, made it easy on his folks.

“Well, one thing is for sure is, I told them: ‘This is Brady’s last go around (as a senior). I want you to go watch him,'” Carson said. “I had some people here with me.

“But I really wanted them to go see him.”

What a son, right?

You betcha.

Still, Carson Quillen put on a show while his parents were away that they’ll no doubt wish they’d seen.

The Virginia Tech commitment pitched a complete-game, three-hitter, and Greeneville (37-4) won its first baseball state championship since 2018 with a 1-0 win Friday over defending-champion Upperman.

Quillen faced just 23 batters Friday, striking out seven and walking none. This all coming after he pitched 5.1 innings Tuesday in an opening-round win.

Taking the mound in a title game wasn’t something Quillen took lightly.

He took a one-hitter into the last. But with one out in the seventh inning of the Class 3A Championship, Upperman (32-11) got consecutive singles. And the two runners later advanced to second and third.

Quillen didn’t panic.

He got Julian Llano to line out to second baseman Maddox Bishop, who turned the double play to short stop Colton Richards to end the contest.

“Coach (Andy) Collins knew we had multiple leaders on the field at all times,” Quillen said. “Whether it’s in the infield or outfield or in the dugout, energy leaders.

“I like being responsible for being on the mound. But I wouldn’t be as confident in myself if I didn’t have all these guys all around me, like I did.”

The game’s lone run came in the first inning, as Bishop scored on a wild pitch. Bishop led off the game, getting hit by a pitch.

Upperman’s Mr. Baseball winner, Eli Huddleston, limited Greenevillle to just four hits, also striking out seven and walking none.

“We knew they had a good team. The other kid pitching, Mr. Baseball, so obviously we wanted to come in here and do what we could,” Quillen said.

“We did what we could and played all seven innings, like coach says. We played all seven innings, played our hearts out.”

GREENEVILLE vs. UPPERMAN PHOTOS