Tate Farquhar following brother to MSU after COVID-19 impacted future baseball plans
WHITE LAKE, Mich. (BVM) — COVID-19 has disrupted the careers of many athletes from youth to pro levels. But Trent and Tate Farquhar have been impacted more than most. After Bowling Green State University decided to discontinue its baseball program in May — which has since been saved by donors and alumni — the brothers were forced to scramble to find a new place to play college baseball.
Tate first began playing travel baseball around 7 years old, following in his brother’s footsteps. He also played basketball growing up, and has continued to play football throughout his high school tenure.
The 17-year-old currently is the quarterback for Lakeland High School. Over his first two years, the Eagles’ signal caller has created a lot of fond memories — none better than beating their rivals 51-0 last season. With the MHSAA’s recent decision to reinstate high school football in the state of Michigan this fall, Tate is itching to get back under the lights for his junior season.
But the main sport for Tate has always been baseball, and he was hooked on the game as soon as his father, Brad, introduced him to it.
“I fell in love with the game immediately,” Tate said. “There was always something about throwing the baseball and trying to hit it as far as you can that just got to me.”
The Farquhars have a rich baseball history. Brad is a former college baseball star who played at Detroit Mercy. Trent was a first team all-state player at Lakeland. The brothers’ cousin, Micah Ottenbreit, is also a high school baseball player in the Class of 2021. Now, Tate is following in the family’s footsteps.
Tate and Trent have always had a special bond on the diamond, and Tate has always looked up to his older brother.
“Trent is the person I strive to be and that’s what I work towards,” Tate said. “He’s not going to jump out at you but he’s going to work really hard to be just as good as the best out there, and he’s proved it so far. It’s really just a blessing to be his brother.”
The two often had fun playing together on travel teams growing up. But maybe their favorite baseball moment together was Tate’s freshman season at Lakeland in 2019, when the two got to play together while also being coached by their father.
“Freshman year was special,” Tate said. “I hit second and my brother hit third and we won our league which was a blast to be able to win with my dad and my brother.”
Being coached by his dad is also something Tate cherishes. He notes that the two are able to find a good balance between the player-coach and father-son relationships.
“He’ll yell at me but I always know he just wants me to get better and he loves me,” Tate said about his dad. “I always keep in the back of my mind that whenever he’s coaching me up he’s just trying to get me to be the best player I can be and I really appreciate that.”
Growing up, Tate played with the West Oakland Wings. He enjoyed bonding with his team and traveling for different tournaments throughout his youth career. Shortly before high school, by the time he was 13, Tate realized he had a special talent in the game that could help him excel in high school and beyond.
After a special freshman season in the books at Lakeland, Tate went through the heartbreak, along with many athletes, of having his spring baseball season canceled.
“When I found out high school baseball was canceled it was tough,” Tate explained. “That was probably the first spring in 10 years that I didn’t play baseball.”
However, the cancellation of his sophomore season was just the tip of the iceberg for not only Tate, but Trent as well. This past May, Bowling Green State University (BGSU) decided to cut it’s baseball program, primarily due to financial issues created by COVID-19.
Trent had already been with the Falcons’ baseball program for a year, while Tate was committed to the university and ready to again follow in his brother’s footsteps. For Tate, BGSU was his only college offer, and he was sold on not only playing with his brother, but also playing for the Falcons’ coaching staff and with some elite players who were coming into the program.
But right before Tate was about to take an advanced placement test in May, his dad broke the shocking news to him — BGSU no longer had a baseball team.
“I was one second away from the test starting when my dad told me,” Tate said. “It was just heartbreak after that and was really tough to see my brother go through that because he really liked Bowling Green a lot — as I did.”
In a matter of weeks however, the BGSU baseball program was saved thanks to the fundraising of alumni and donors. But it was too late for the Farquhars, as both Tate and Trent spent those weeks between the discontinuation and save of the program looking for other schools to play at.
However, because of his love for the Falcons’ program, Tate did still consider going back to Bowling Green once again.
“I did consider it,” Tate said. “They made Kyle Hallock the head coach who is a really great coach that I like a lot. It’s a historic program and I was really happy they got the program back.”
But weeks later, Trent made the first move in finding a new school by committing to play for Jake Boss and the Michigan State Spartans.
“Coach Boss was really generous to Trent,” Tate noted. “He’s a great coach and Trent liked the feel of the campus and how Michigan State played.”
Tate, someone who has always had a love for Michigan State, didn’t take long to follow his brother’s path yet again. He will join cousin Micah in becoming a Spartan as well.
God is Great! Excited to announce after HS, I will be joining my brother and cousin as a baseball player at Michigan State University.
I would like to thank my family, coaches, teammates, friends & the Michigan State coaches for the opportunity. #SpartyOn #1% pic.twitter.com/8QJMYw1JlO
— Tate Farquhar (@TateFar335) July 19, 2020
“I’ve always grown up around Michigan State and have seen what they’ve done,” Tate added. “They’re a successful program with great coaches. And my brother is going there, as is my cousin, so that was a bonus.”
Playing with and against several college recruits with his travel team, Tate believes he is ready for collegiate baseball, and hopes to achieve big things in the future as a Spartan while playing with Trent.
“I’m really looking forward to playing there,” Tate said. “The ultimate goal is to just keep improving but I really can’t wait to play with my brother again.”
The No. 1 goal for the Farquhar brothers has always been to play baseball professionally. It will take a lot of work, but with the effort Tate is putting in on the diamond, it is possible his dream will come true someday.
“Playing professional baseball has always been the goal,” Tate said. “It would be pretty surreal because you always dream about it as a kid. But to actually be there would be pretty special.”
