Why Tennessee baseball fans will like Carson Rucker's reaction to making last out in state championship loss

MURFREESBORO — Dirt spit from beneath Carson Rucker's right shoe Thursday as he dug into the right-handed batter's box.

The Goodpasture Christian senior shortstop wagged his bat, waiting to begin one of the biggest at-bats of his high school career. It turned out to be the final at-bat of his high school career, his team falling 6-5 to Northpoint Christian in the DII-A TSSAA baseball state tournament championship at MTSU.

The scoreboard in right field at Reese Smith Jr. Stadium summed up the situation: Bottom of the seventh inning. Two outs. Two on. Rucker's Cougars trailing Northpoint Christian by a run.

Rucker, a reigning Mr. Baseball of Tennessee, playing for the defending Division II Class A state champions, the kid who has signed to play baseball for Tennessee, was right where he wanted to be with the season in the balance.

He was right where every one of his teammates and coaches wanted to be, too.

He flew out to center field.

"I wanted to be up there," Rucker said. "Do it for my team. But in life, some things don't work out."

Rucker had been on such stages before. In 2016, when he played for the Goodlettsville team that made it to the Little League World Series but lost in the U.S. Championship game. Last season, when he helped the Cougars to the program's ninth state championship.

Goodpasture coach Jim Carter pointed to Rucker's family as a big reason for his ability to handle his disappointments as well as he handles his successes. Having baseball in his genes is one thing — Rucker's brother Jake is a prospect in the Minnesota Twins' farm system — but having humility is another.

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"From a strictly baseball standpoint, absolutely he's the guy you want up there with the bat in his hand, game on the line," Carter said. "He's been the best player in the state for the last two years."

"The other thing you have to remember is he's an 18-year-old kid playing in a high school baseball game. Carson had to play every game this year with scouts watching him, watching him take BP. He's carried a burden on his shoulders but you would never know it. That's because of how humble he is, because of his mindset."

Rucker showed these numbers to those scouts this regular season: .523 batting average, 16 doubles, 18 home runs, 79 RBIs, 57 runs, 31 stolen bases.

Carter pointed out that there was nobody better equipped to handle not succeeding in that situation than Rucker, who will begin classes at Tennessee in July. Rucker was red-eyed Thursday, choking back tears as he hugged teammates and parents and friends. Had Rucker and the Cougars won that game, another would have followed. He wishes he'd have had that chance - less for the feeling of winning another state title and more for the opportunity to play one more game with his friends.

"It's not so much losing," he said. "It's just losing these guys. We fight through.

"I'm a neutral guy. I'm pretty good at handling (defeat)."

Not that his team did much of it.

The Cougars' senior class went 108-16 the last three seasons, won three district championships, that state title, this runner-up. They were no pushovers Thursday. They lost by one despite committing four errors, hitting four batters, falling behind by four runs.

Catcher Logan Harrell hit a two-run home run and just missed another later in the game.

"Just who we are. We never give up, no matter the circumstance," Rucker said.

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