Farragut baseball tradition continues
Farragut High School hosted its annual youth baseball camp last week at John Heatherly Field.
Head coach Garrett Copeland, his staff and players hosted approximately 165 campers at the event, which took place Monday through Thursday, June 1-4, during the mid-morning hours.
The camp is one of the area’s most popular events in the community for aspiring baseball players and others.
And again in 2026, Copeland had to turn players away.
“We had 165-ish campers and we usually have to shut it down about a week before registration and we have to put kids on a wait list,” said Copeland, who recently completed his second as FHS’s head coach by guiding the Admirals to a fifth consecutive Class 4A state championship. “I hate to wait-list kids but I have to do it.
“We have to do it because of facilities and resources.”
At the camp, which hosted players ranging in age 7 to incoming freshmen, players are taught fundamentals of the game by Farragut coaches and players.
“We had stations and this is good for our players to give back,” Copeland said. “I think the kids enjoy being around our players and I think our players enjoy being around the kids.
“Farragut is a unique community and there’s a lot of community support and a lot of community interest in baseball.
“It’s a great thing to see players who have been coming to the camp since they were 6 and they come here to play. You also have kids who come that don’t even play baseball. They’re looking to just come and have fun and that’s a great thing.”
The camp has become an annual staple in the community, but Copeland couldn’t trace back its beginnings. He’s coached at Farragut for 14 years and has worked every year since coming to the school.
“I don’t know who started it,” he said. “I think (former) coach (Tommy) Pharr might’ve started it.
“I’ve been here for 14 years and we’ve had it every year that I’ve been here. Camps like this are pretty common and I think every school has their own.”
The camp emphasizes fundamentals but Copeland has the goal of keeping young players interested in the game and keeping the children active.
“We want kids stay interested in baseball,” Copeland said. “We want to keep them passionate about baseball and we want to just keep the players active.”
