Oakton's Kagan Comes Back Strong in 2006
Senior sensation, Benji Kagan, is off to the fastest start of any pitcher in the Concorde District. Kagan has led the Oakton Cougars with a string of complete games, baffling opposing hitters with a combination of power and off-speed pitches. He rise to the top hasn’t been easy. After earning a spot on the varsity squad his sophomore season, Kagan suffered a season ending elbow injury in the second game of the season.
“He had really good promise,” says Coach Scott Rowland, “He showed great presence on the mound.
Kagan came back strong after rehabilitating his arm injury for nearly a year until his junior year began. That season Kagan earned a spot on a rotation that featured two of the best pitchers in the state, Bryan Kidwell and Evan Frederickson. Those two are mainly responsible for the development of his off-speed pitch, which has allowed him to dominate batters the entire season.
“He really needed to learn some new pitches,” says Coach Rowland, “Evan was recruited by the Twins and is playing for Virginia Tech, those two helped him learn the breaking ball.”
Through his high school career, Kagan, has developed into one of the leaders for this Cougar team, a lesson he learned by watching the seniors of the 2005 squad.
“He is always getting work in between starts, he’ll work in the bullpen if needed,” says Coach Rowland.” He’s always into the game, even when he’s not actually in the game.”
Kagan’s maturity as a player for Oakton has resulted in a stellar season to date. The first three innings of his opening day start against Yorktown he struck out four batters in the first three innings. Against a strong Herndon team he toughed out a close 6-5 victory striking out five Hornets’ hitters. He watched his strong armed closer, Eric Cantrell, save the day striking out the last two he faced. Coach Rowland first saw his development of the off-speed pitch against last year’s state qualifier Hanover High School from the Richmond area.
“It was his best game as a pitcher so far,” says Coach Rowland, “He had a perfect 2-0 lead going into the seventh inning, using primarily his breaking ball.”
One of Kagan’s finest games of the season saw him throw a complete game shutout, with an amazing 12 strikeouts against the Fairfax Rebels. In one of the most exciting games of the season in all of Northern Virginia, hard hitting Brandon Padula smashed a three run homer in the eighth inning leading the Cougars to a 4-3 win. Against the Robinson Rams Kagan led the team to a 10-2 victory, pitching six innings with eight strikeouts. The Cougar bats were rocking as Carmine Cafiero was 3-3 at the plate with 2 RBI and Padula hit his fourth homerun of the season.
If the rest of the district hadn’t taken notice to Kagan’s development they did now. Oakton has a steady combination of hitting and pitching, a combination that makes them a team that can match-up with any team in the state. In those first few starts Kagan controlled opposing sluggers with pin point control and a constant change of speeds on his pitches. While, his team has provided timely hits and steady power to get the Cougars off to a fast start.
Kagan’s worked hard to earn the success he is achieving now. He focuses on his studies as well as honors his commitments to athletics. He has college aspirations and may pitch in while earning his degree. His coaches have been contacted by universities, including Christopher Newport. Kagan will first lead his team to the districts with a good chance of advancing through the region to the state tournament. The Cougar’s are a force to be reckoned with in the Concorde District.
