Oak Ridge and Farragut baseball have their own World Series matchup that desperately needs a resolution in the biggest game of the 2026 TSSAA season.
The two top teams in the Knoxville area split the season series, 3-3. Farragut (32-10) claimed the District 4-4A championship, while Oak Ridge (33-9-1) swiped the Region 2-4A title in their last meeting. Both qualified for the Class 4A state tournament and sit on opposite sides of the bracket.
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A final game between the two Knoxville area programs would decide the rivalry and declare the 4A champion if they were to meet in the title game on May 22 in Murfreesboro.
“It would be kind of a cool story for us to circle back for the seventh time in the state championship game,” Oak Ridge coach Travis Free told Knox News. “It’ll be one to watch, that’s for sure.”
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Free has been wary of the Admiral’s premier hitting through their first six games. Farragut, led by Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association Mr. Baseball finalist Travis Brummitt Jr., scored 18 total runs in its two wins over Oak Ridge for the district championship.
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“Farragut’s offense one through nine is really talented in terms of college-level hitters on their whole lineup,” he said.
The contrasting styles of Farragut’s offense and Oak Ridge’s defense could lead to an all-time finish in a state championship meeting. The Admirals could capture their fifth straight state title, which would be their 15th in school history.
“It’s kind of why it’s a dead even matchup,” Free said. “It’s power arms versus power bats. Who can come up with the big hits? Three times they were able to do that, and three times we were able to do that. It comes down to who gets the big hits.”
Farragut’s four straight titles (2022-2025) ties itself and Class 1A Eagleville for most consecutive championships in TSSAA history. Farragut also won four straight state championships from 2008-2011. The race is on between Eagleville and Farragut for a fifth straight this week. Farragut’s 14 total championships is the most in state history.
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Oak Ridge has yet to win a state championship and is making its fifth state tournament appearance, and third straight.
Oak Ridge countered Farragut’s offense with elite pitching. The Wildcats carry two future SEC pitchers with senior Tennessee signee Michael Teasley and junior Vanderbilt commit Joseph Webb. They also have left-hander Kamden Welch, who throws up to 91 miles per hour, according to Free.
“I thought we had some pretty good at-bats against them,” Farragut coach Garrett Copeland said about the previous matchups against Oak Ridge. “They’ve got three good arms that are tough to hit against. They’re going to strike you out, they’re going to challenge you. I thought we did a pretty good job of having challenging at-bats against them and challenging their pitchers as well.”
Wynton Jackson covers high school sports for Knox News. Email: wynton.jackson@knoxnews.com
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Oak Ridge, Farragut could break series tie in TSSAA baseball championship game
