The play did not seem vital, a simple infield hit allowing Langley sophomore Foster Dunigan to cross home plate last Friday against Madison.
But you have to excuse the Warhawks if their reaction was akin to shock. After all, it had been some time since someone actually scored against them.
Five different Madison pitchers had a hand in a 34-inning scoreless streak that stretched over six games and 17 days before finally ending with the 3-2 win at Langley.
It brings to mind the Warhawks’ pitching staff from the legendary 2002 Group AAA state championship team that finished 29-0. That group also recorded nine regular season shutouts.
But there is one major difference.
Three experienced seniors anchored the 2002 staff, which allowed 38 runs all season. This season, only one of Madison’s current pitchers is a senior.
“We took as much as we could out of last year and used it as motivation during the offseason,” said Madison junior pitcher Jason Farley, a starter during a trying 10-11 season last spring when the Warhawks missed the Northern Region tournament for the first time in coach Mark Gjormand’s 10 years. “But we’ve also had a lot of guys step into new roles. That’s been the biggest thing.”
Farley is 8-1 for the second-ranked Warhawks (19-1) and has allowed just three earned runs — all of them in the first inning of a 4-2 loss to McLean on April 25 when the 34-inning scoreless streak began. The 6-foot-3 junior has drawn interest from top Division I programs including Auburn and Florida. But he is hardly alone on a staff with an ERA of 1.11.
“I can’t say yet if they’re as good as the kids in 2002,” Gjormand said. “But I know with seven guys we can count on that I’ve got a lot more of them.”
Sophomore Jesse Jeter (3-0) has established himself as the No. 2 starter down the stretch with a 0.67 ERA against Liberty District competition. Another first-year varsity player, junior Sam Gilbert (5-0, 0.42 ERA), has excelled in relief, allowing only two earned runs.
The lone senior, Kevin Ashcraft (2-0, 2.25 ERA), beat national power Miami Senior (Fla.) in the championship game of the prestigious Hanahan Invitational Tournament in Charleston, S.C. over spring break. Ashcraft hurt his shoulder during practice earlier this month, however, and is out indefinitely. Sophomore Matt Zepp and junior Brad Wimmer have allowed just two earned runs between them in 10 innings of work.
And Madison’s staff isn’t even at full strength. Senior Mark Riffee (Virginia) would have been a co-No. 1 with Farley, but he suffered an arm injury last summer and has only played outfield. Sterling Sams, a 6-4, 210-pound junior, has also been limited to playing the field, although he could return to the mound in the postseason.
Helping hands
» One constant for Madison coach Mark Gjormand over the years has been pitching coach/third base coach Justin Counts. A 1992 Marshall graduate, Counts was a catcher and two-year captain at Virginia, where he helped the Cavaliers win the Atlantic Coast Conference championship in 1996. He has been the pitching coach at Madison for seven years.
“Coach Counts played at a high level and he knows what it takes to be successful there,” said junior pitcher Jason Farley. “We always feel like we’re prepared for what’s to come.”
» In eight games since returning from spring break, Madison’s pitching staff has not allowed a run in 50 of 53 innings.
» Farley was the Co-Player of the Year in the Liberty District along with McLean pitcher/first baseman Shane Mills.
