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VA/DC Scout Blog: Charles Colgan at James Madison 6/26

June 28, 2021
John Nolan
Virginia Scouting Director & Managing Editor

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Saturday evening, unbeaten Charles Colgan traveled to take on top-ranked James Madison in Vienna for the Class 6 State Championship in front of a packed house. The teams both entered the game coming off of dominant wins in their State Semifinal matchups, with Madison shutting down defending champ Lake Braddock and Colgan blowing out a very good Cosby team. Both teams were able to bring back their top arms to start the State Championship game, with Colgan sending junior righty Connor Knox to the mound and Madison starting senior righty James Triantos (North Carolina). 

Triantos worked a quick top of the first, striking out two as he sent the Sharks down in order. Triantos then continued his spectacular offensive season by leading the bottom of the first off with a single up the middle. He was bunted to second, and then came around to score when Colin Tuft (Virginia) was able to just reach out far enough to poke a two-strike fastball through the right side for an RBI single. Knox got a pair of flyouts to end the inning, and after 1, Madison led 1-0.

Triantos struck out the side in order in the second and Knox matched him with a perfect inning of his own in the bottom half of the inning. Triantos again retired the side in order in the third via a pair of groundouts and a flyout. Knox struck out the first batter in the bottom of the third, but Triantos was the second batter and he launched his eleventh home run of the season to center field, making the score 2-0. That was not the end of the trouble for Knox in the third. He hit Miggy Echazarreta (High Point) with a pitch, but in a rare occurrence, Echazarreta was caught stealing by a great throw from Colgan catcher Brody Pickette (Shenandoah). The throw was well timed, because Tuft immediately doubled up the left-centerfield gap. After an intentional walk to Bryce Eldridge (Alabama), Knox got a pop out on the infield to escape the inning with no further damage. Madison led after three by a score of 2-0.

The fourth went quickly, Triantos struck out the side in order and Knox also fired a quick perfect inning. Both Triantos and Knox did a great job taking advantage of what was a consistently wide zone all game, showing the ability to consistently locate 6-8 inches off the plate in that low and away spot. Triantos again went three-up, three-down in the top of the fifth, making him perfect through five. 

In the bottom of the sixth, Knox got a strikeout to open the inning, and then Colgan went to the pen before Triantos came up, bringing in from centerfield sophomore righty Brett Renfrow (Virginia Tech). Renfrow walked Triantos and then struck out Echzarreta before drilling Tuft in the back to put two on and two out for Eldridge. A wild pitch advanced both runners and Colgan opted to intentionally walk Eldridge to load the bases. The strategy paid off when Renfrow ended the inning with a strikeout, and through five Madison was still holding a 2-0 lead.

In the top of the sixth, Triantos was again perfect, snaring a liner back at him off of Pickette's bat and then getting a pair of pop outs. Renfrow worked a scoreless bottom of the sixth, and the game headed to the seventh with a Perfect Game and a State Championship on the line with Madison clinging to a 2-0 lead.

Triantos got a groundout to open the top of the seventh, but then left a center cut fastball up to Renfrow, who broke up the Perfect Game with a home run to centerfield, cutting the score to 2-1 with the heart of the Colgan lineup still to come. A Colgan comeback was ultimately not to be, Triantos bore down and got a pair of strikeouts to end the game and lock up Madison's fifth State Championship in program history.

Triantos was, and has been all year, the story, going 7 IP, 1 R, 1 H, with 12 K and 0 BB while also going 2-2 with a HR, 2 R, and a BB at the plate. Tuft was 2-2 with a 2B, HBP, and an RBI. Knox was outstanding and shut down and offense that really hasn't been at all this season. His final line was 4.1 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 5 K, 1 BB. Renfrow struck out 4 in 1.2 IP of scoreless relief while also going 1-3 with a HR.

 

 

 

Charles Colgan 

 

 

 

 

Connor Knox RHP / 1B / Colgan, VA / 2022

 

 

 

Brett Renfrow OF / RHP / Charles Colgan, VA / 2023

Renfrow is a Virginia Tech commit. Big physical 6-2 frame with power present at the plate. On the mound in relief, sat 89-92, touching 93 once. He throws from a high three-quarters arm slot with a very long loose quick arm action and some effort to his delivery. Creates angle and gets some boring action on his fastball. Throws a sharp hard power 12/6 curveball with good armspeed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

James Madison

 

 

James Triantos SS / RHP / James Madison, VA / 2021

 

 

 

Colin Tuft C / OF / James Madison, VA / 2021

 

 

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