GRAY DEYOSports Writer

Now that the 2024-2025 baseball season has come to an end for Tullahoma, it is time to go back and look at some of the Wildcat players’ individual seasons, as well as some of the biggest wins from the season as a whole.

The Wildcats ended their year with a record of 32-12. This is an impressive record at first glance, but it gets more impressive with a deeper dive.

Tullahoma started the season 0-6. It looked like the juice from their state championship year had run out, but they quickly regrouped. They followed the losing streak by rattling off an 18-game win streak. Over that stretch, the Wildcats outscored their opponents 148-24.

The Wildcats proved that they were not just back, but that they were ready to make another deep postseason run. Which they did.

Individual seasons

The Wildcats’ superb season was thanks to the complete roster they had. There was little to no weakness on this squad, with the Wildcats excelling both offensively and defensively this year. They batted .308 as a team, which is above the national high school average, and they had an average ERA of 2.09 which was way better than the national average at 5.08.

Some players that ultimately stood out on the offensive side for Tullahoma this year were Baylan Tuten, JD Schmisseur, Parke Fulks, Hunter Hogan, and Andrew Fulmer.

The sophomore Fulks, the only non-senior out of the five mentioned, ended his year with a solid batting average of .246, with 11 RBIs to go with it. He was the only underclassmen that got notable playing time on offense this year, with the next underclassmen on the roster notching only nine plate appearances. Fulks’ solid year at the dish shows that promising play is still awaiting in the wings at THS.

The senior designated hitter Schmisseur went out with a bang in his final season as a Wildcat. He batted .293 this year and had 21 RBIs. Over the four games Tullahoma played at the state tournament, he logged a hit in each game. Schmisseur’s pop in his bat added another layer to a Tullahoma team that produced 290 runs this season. The senior DH was named to the all-district team after the regular season.

Another member of the all-district team, Tuten, had a season to remember as well. He had the second-highest batting average on the team at .387 and had 29 RBIs. He was also an integral part of the bullpen this year posting the lowest ERA on the team at 1.35 over 13 appearances. The dual play of Tuten will be missed in Tullahoma, as well as it will be for two other seniors Bratcher and Hogan.

Bratcher who won district pitcher of the year, thanks to an 8-1 record and a 1.39 ERA was also a dynamo on offense. He had the third-highest batting average on the team at .376 and had 32 RBIs.

Bratcher in an emotional moment when pitching against Munford in the state semi-final hugged his coach and his infield, as he stepped off the mound for his final appearance in his high school career. He received a standing ovation from Wildcats fans.

In that moment the appreciation was palpable on how much Bratcher meant to the Wildcat program. Opposing fans of the Munford squad must have felt it too, as they too joined in and applauded Bratcher. The hard work that the senior brought day in and day out will be brought to Lee University next season. It is where Bratcher will start his collegiate pitching career.

Hogan in his senior season posted a batting average of .287 and had 22 RBIs, and had an ERA of 3.62. Hogan was another player that helped tie this team together and take them to the next level both offensively and defensively.

District MVP and Mr. Baseball finalist, Andrew Fulmer, had a historic year for Tullahoma. He finished the year with a team-high batting average of .462, a team-high 50 RBIs, and a team-high six home runs. Fulmer was the star that took this team from a great team in the state to one of the best.

The Wildcats finished ranked as the fourth-best team in 3A.

Fulmer is currently uncommitted, but if he wants to continue his baseball career, the avenues are there.

The bullpen this year was the strongest part of the Wildcats’ winning machine. They had seven pitchers with a sub-three ERA—Bratcher, Fulmer, Tuten, Ben Quick, Grayson Waller, Xander Pogue, and Lukas Taylor-Rodriguez. The pen combined for 18 shutouts this season. The state-winning 2024 team had seven.

Tullahoma had the talent to repeat and win state. Sometimes things just don’t break the way they need to.

Best wins of the year

A long school rivalry was not much of one this year.

In the two meetings Tullahoma played Coffee County this year they won by a combined score of 22-1. To dominate both the games circled on everyone’s schedule is for sure to make the season highlight reel

In the postseason the two wins that stand out are two rematches. A split is a split, but whoever gets the last laugh is the person everyone remembers. And the Wildcats this season were that person.

The Wildcats lost heartbreakingly to Lawrence County in the district championship, losing 4-3. They quickly regathered and rifled through the regional tournament bracket and met to face them again in the championship. They won in a blowout, winning 10-0.

In the state tournament, Tullahoma lost their opening game to White House High School, losing 3-2. They won their next game against Anderson County and met to play the opposing Blue Devils once again, in an elimination game. Like their rematch game against Lawrence, the Wildcats won in a shutout, winning 3-0.

The Wildcats will look a lot different next season, with the loss of eight seniors. But come spring those new faces will be taking the field at Grider Stadium, ready to make some noise, and ready to try to make another run in Murfreesboro.

Another season of Wildcats’ baseball is officially in the books.