Carson Quillen will go down as the most accomplished baseball player to ever walk the halls of Greeneville High School, at least since Dale Alexander a century ago, and among the best athletes the school has seen in any sport.
After putting together a litany of remarkable performances while at Greeneville, including tossing a three-hitter in the state championship game as a sophomore, and running for 307 yards and five touchdowns in a playoff win this past fall, Quillen may have saved the best for last.
The senior took the mound on Saturday in Siegel High School for the Class 3A State Championship game against Munford. He tossed a complete game shutout and never gave the Cougars a chance. At the plate he was a perfect 4-for-4 with a double and five RBIs. Then his Greene Devils’ career ended in true Hollywood fashion.
In his last game as a Greene Devil, in his final at bat, and on his final swing Quillen clinched the state championship. He took a thunderous swat and blasted the ball into the deepest part of park for a two-run double that gave Greeneville the 10-run lead necessary to end the game by run rule.
“It was fitting the way that that ended,” Greeneville coach Andy Collins said after the Devils’ state title victory. “That was everything. He is such a leader, he’s talking to our young guys all of the time, and I’m just going to miss him a heck of a lot. It’s kind of sad that its over.”
While Quillen has undoubtedly been the leader of the group, winning the Class 3A Mr. Baseball Award on Tuesday while earning All-State honors as a sophomore and junior, he has had a strong supporting cast around him the last four years.
As freshmen Quillen, Noah Murray, Carson Norris and Kobe Mundy were thrust into the fire and had to play important roles from day one. They probably were not ready for varsity action at the start of that season, but the scrappy group showed that by the end of the season there were signs of great things to come.
In 2022 the Greene Devils went 18-19, and they started the year 5-14. They went to Myrtle Beach and came back with four losses by a combined score of 42-2. They lost to Dobyns-Bennett 13-1, Science Hill 10-0, and Grainger beat them twice in league play.
But that group got better and by tournament time they beat Grainger, and third-round MLB draft pick Brady Smith, twice to win the District 2-3A Tournament.
That group carried that momentum into the offseason and they were key parts of Greeneville’s 36-4 Class 3A state championship team in 2023.
Winning one state championship is hard, and with the way the postseason is constructed winning a state championship in baseball might be the state’s toughest test. That group of Greene Devils who took their lumps as freshmen were ready for the biggest stage as seniors and they led the the program back to the top spot in the state.
“That was the only year we have been below .500, but you knew it was going to pay off because you could see how talented they were,” Collins said. “I could go through all of them and they have all been so important to this. They are just a special group.”
What that group did to get through this week’s tournament will be remembered for a long time at 210 Tusculum Boulevard.
The Devils’ seniors even spurned the opportunity to walk at their graduation with their classmates on Saturday morning because they had business to take care of 250 miles away in Murfreesboro. Principal DeAnna Martin and the Greeneville High staff did make sure they had a special graduation ceremony at Dale Alexander Field on Saturday night once the team returned to town.
“It means a lot to go out as a state champion. Being a Greene Devils for four years and winning here twice is really cool, and a lot of people don’t get to experience that,” Murray said. “We were supposed to graduate today, but I would rather do this 100 times out of 100.”
At least this writer has probably never fully credited Murray at catcher for the role he played in some truly phenomenal pitching performance over the past four seasons. The Walter State signee has been a piece that the Devils could trust every single pitch over the past four seasons. He caught 32 of the 33 innings Greeneville played this week, and he made sure every pitcher Greeneville put on the mound had the opportunity to succeed.
“I don’t know that Noah even realizes what he has meant to this team over the past four years. When you just look at how many games he has been back there behind the plate for us, its really impressive,” Collins said.
In a do or die game on Friday Norris took the mound and gave a heroic effort in a complete-game victory over South Gibson. His previous start, in the state sectionals against Seymour, Norris delivered another gem that sent the Greene Devils to the state tournament for the third straight season. Norris was never the first arm Greeneville called on, but when his team needed him most he delivered in the biggest way.
Mundy used his bat to cement his legacy at Greeneville. With their backs against the wall in the state semifinals Mundy found the right stroke, going 3-for-4 with a double and four RBIs in a 9-1 win over South Gibson. He backed that up by starting a five-run second inning with a leadoff single to centerfield in Saturday’s championship game. By the end of the frame Greeneville was firmly in control of the contest and Munford was on their third pitcher of the day.
“Words can’t describe what I’m feeling right now,” Mundy said after Saturday’s championship win. “It’s sad because it’s my last game with these guys, but what a way to go out. I don’t think you can write a better ending than this. I just want to thank Greeneville for everything. When I moved here four years ago these people were nothing but perfect, and I just want to say thank you for everything.”
Jeriah Griffin was only with the Greene Devils for one year after transferring from Elizabethton, but the senior made sure to leave his mark on the program. In that crucial semifinal game the right fielder made a diving catch in the third inning and carried that over to offense in the fourth inning where he got a two out rally started that eventually scored three runs.
In the championship game he laid down a momentum-rising bunt single that was a big piece of the Devils’ five-run second inning. Then he scored the game-ending run on Quillen’s fifth-inning mash.
“This one was emotional for me. Tears were going down my eyes as we went out there to tackle Carson,” Griffin said. “Winning means a lot to me, and winning a state championship with these guys as my teammates means so much. I wouldn’t trade this for anything in the world. This season has been the most fun I’ve had in my life. These guys filled me in all year on what it’s like at the state tournament. This is something I’ve always wanted to be a part of, and it feels great to finally be here. To end it with a state championship is really cool.”
Conner Ireland was the other senior to finish his time with the program on Saturday. He missed much of this season with an injury, but was always a voice of encouragement in the dugout.
The place the these seniors have put Greeneville baseball over the past four years is one that almost every program in the state would be envious of. The Greene Devils have been in the state tournament three straight years, they have won three state championships since 2018 and they have been in the state tournament five times in the last 10 seasons.
“We could sit and talk about Xs and Os all day, but I think it just comes down to hard work,” Collins said. “We’re going to wok at it. That’s not a special formula or anything, but it’s a credit to these kids. This is the 10th year I’ve been at Greeneville and I think baseball has gotten better in the area. We have gotten better, but the game has gotten better as a whole.”
Don’t think the cupboard is bare at Greeneville with these seniors leaving. Ace pitcher Will Harmon will be back, three-year starter Maddox Bishop will return to the lineup, and so does Kaine Ricker who was terrific in the title game. Promising arms Grayson Crosby, Jaxon Winter, Sam Thompson and Randen Fillers will all be back in 2026 as well.
