Madison Central claims state title over Brandon
Madison Central has been in pursuit of another baseball state title ever since its historic 2021 season, and on Saturday night, the Jaguars accomplished that goal, defeating Brandon 5-1 in game three of the MHSAA 7A State Championship.
The driving factor behind Saturday’s title win was the pitching performance that Madison Central strung together, giving up only one run and two hits between Boggan Foster and Cameron McCain.
Foster made the start on the mound and pitched one inning, before the game entered a nearly four-hour rain delay. Even after the rain delay, Foster came back and pitched 2 ⅓ innings of one-hit ball. McCain was masterful in relief, pitching 3 ⅔ innings and giving up only one hit as well.
“Boggan (Foster) is one of those guys that never lets anything get to him and what better guy to have out there during a rain delay,” Madison Central Head Coach Patrick Robey said. “And Cam (McCain) has just been lights out for us out of the bullpen all year.”
On the offensive side, State Championship MVP Addison Jayroe was a crucial element in the win, starting things off with a two-run homerun in the first inning and adding a double two his total on the night.
“That was definitely the best ball that I’ve ever hit in my life,” Jayroe said. “Right out of the gate, I knew we had it. It was very stressful, but I knew we were the better team.”
It has been a long journey for Madison Central this season and since their 2021 national and state championship season, but the Jaguars have been “checking off the boxes” towards a state title all year long. Those boxes include 25-plus wins, winning a district title, winning North State, and finally winning a state title.
“It’s a big group, but they have bought in from the start,” Robey said. “Checking off those boxes is not an easy thing to do, there are a lot of good schools and a lot of good coaches and players that never get to experience this.”
This state title was Robey’s third in nine years as the head coach of the Madison Central baseball program, but this year’s championship will have an even bigger meaning to him. His son, senior Walker Robey, was a major contributor in the starting lineup for the Jaguars this season and now caps off his high school playing career by winning a state title alongside his father.
“I saw that happen in the East Union game earlier and just thought, what if?” Patrick Robey said. “God, he’s worked so hard and it’s different when you’re the coach’s kid. What a winner he is, he’s deserved the success he’s had.”
This year’s state title is the fifth overall state championship for Madison Central and continues to establish the program as one of the state’s powerhouses.
“This group was leaders in their own way, not just the seniors, but the underclassmen too,” Robey said. “Being selfless is kind of a lost art these days, but that is a pretty selfless group of young men in that dugout.”