The phone rang. 

Baseball coach Corey Farra was standing in his bedroom, facing a lake, staring at the vibrating phone in his hand. He looked at his wife, took a deep breath and answered the call. A few seconds later, he heard the words he had dreamed of: “We’d like to offer you the job.” 

His wife started crying next to him. Farra asked for time to think about the decision, knowing he needed no time to think about it, only to process. His years of wishing and watching from the sidelines came to fruition. 

He was a Hebron Hawk.

After coaching at Frisco High School for the past eight years, Farra became the second head baseball coach the school has had since opening in 1999. He has coached the team to the No. 2 spot in the district. 

“It’s very difficult [to take over the program], but it’s also pretty easy,” Farra said. “The program is as successful as it is because of what [former head] coach [Steve] Stone did. I just came in and added my thumbprint to it. It’s already a winning tradition, and I wanted to continue that.”

Farra began playing T-ball when he was young, inspired by his brother. When he was older, he played baseball for Lewisville High School and eventually the University of Texas at Tyler. Due to his father being a pastor, Farra spent a lot of time in the youth group of his church. It led him to know exactly what he wanted to do after college: coach. He said he tries to live a life of faith through his coaching.

“By faith, you live a life of hope as well,” Farra said. “You hope that you do good. You hope you win. You hope your team makes the playoffs. Part of that hope leads back to faith. Whether that be faith in the work you do, knowing you can rely on your teammates, teaching others to keep going — that’s something I hope my faith has been shown through.”

In the past, Farra crossed paths with the Hawks a few times, but never played against them; in high school, he wished he could be a part of Hebron baseball. When Stone retired after 24 seasons, Farra knew he had to apply. 

“I went into that interview knowing I had a great place to go back to, but that I would leave it for a place like Hebron,” Farra said. “When I went into the interview, I had a calmness in me. I knew that no matter what path I ended up taking, it would be a good one.” 

Farra got the job a few days later. That summer, he told the Frisco players he had some news and asked them to come to the field if they were in town. Two students showed up. 

“When only two kids showed up, I knew it was the right decision,” Farra said. 

Farra missed the first week of school due to the flu and COVID-19, and held tryouts the week he was back. Only one starter remained from the 2022-2023 season, as 23 players graduated last year. Farra has focused on “small ball” playing on the field, consisting of bunts and focusing on getting as many players to first base as possible. Assistant coach Jim Farley said the team has adapted well to the changes. 

“At the end of the day, coaching baseball is coaching baseball,” Farley said. “A new team or a new coach can’t change that. It’s about teaching kids to love the game and play it well. That’s something Farra does.” 

In the pre-district season, the Hawks had seven wins, five losses and two ties. After one “really bad loss” attended by previous baseball players, Farra brought the team together and told the players to bring more energy to the games and push through their losses. 

“He said to never let Hawk pride die,” outfielder Chase Harris said. “He told us that we were Hebron baseball and a few losses wouldn’t change that. He said we needed to move past it — to change our mindset — so we did.”

The Hawks finished their district season with a final record of 11-3. Farra said he’s been focusing on building the team’s camaraderie — getting them to play for each other. Not only did he start having the Hawks break out by saying “family” before every game, but Farra said he’s found that family in them, too.

“I tell the team that a family isn’t always perfect,” Farra said. “Sometimes, it’s messy; sometimes, it’s clean. Sometimes, it’s great; sometimes, it’s bad. My hope is that the team has learned to stick together through it all, knowing they can go to battle because the guy right next to them is doing the exact same thing. That’s our mindset — that’s what makes us a family.”