Colin Kilgore, who died in a one-car accident on Saturday, was set to join the University of Memphis baseball team in the 2016 season.
Kilgore, 18, originally played second base at Christian Brothers High School, according to CBHS baseball coach Buster Kelso, but eventually gravitated to what he was good at — pitching.
“(Kilgore) was top two or three (pitchers) in the area,” Kelso said. “When he signed with the U of M, he was one of the top five pitchers in the state.”
Memphis baseball coach Daron Schoenrock issued the following statement regarding Kilgore’s death.
“All of us with The University of Memphis Baseball and Tiger Athletics were terribly saddened with the news of the passing of Colin Kilgore,” Schoenrock said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his parents, Bob and Anna.”
Kilgore was one of two Christian Brothers High School students who died in that one-car accident in Collierville at 11 p.m. Saturday.
The driver was identified as 17-year-old Christophe Keterson. Kilgore was his passenger.
According to the Collierville Police Department, the vehicle was traveling south on Reynolds from Shelby Drive when the car left the road striking a large tree on the east side of the road about one-fourth mile south of the intersection. The two teenagers in the car both suffered fatal wounds as a result of the crash.
Both students were involved in athletics at CBHS with Keterson a midfielder on the CBHS lacrosse team, and Kilgore a pitcher on the CBHS varsity baseball team.
Due to the his success for Christian Brothers, Kilgore signed a letter of intent in November to join the University of Memphis baseball team.
Kilgore was a 6-foot-1 right-handed pitcher, and posted a 3-1 record for CBHS in the 2014 season. He also struck-out 45 batters in 30 innings pitched, and for his career at Christian Brothers finished with a 1.17 career ERA with a 6-1 record, 70 strikeouts and seven shutouts in 50 career innings.
He helped lead the Purple Wave to a state championship in 2013 and a 33-7 record in 2014, along with a quarterfinal birth.
Schoenrock had nothing but praise for Kilgore when he signed his letter of intent in a November press release.
“Colin is a winner, a gifted pitcher who loves the competitive moment, and comes to us with high expectations to impact our pitching staff at a young age,” Schoenrock said. “We love the fact that he has experienced winning at a high level at Christian Brothers High School and understands what it takes to be successful.”
CBHS baseball coach Kelso said what made Kilgore such a good young man and teammate was his personality.
“He (Colin Kilgore) had a wonderful loving personality, and you need that in a dugout,” Kelso said. “He was a great teammate. He never let anything get to him. He would just live for the next day.”
Kelso said CBHS is proud of its connection with Tiger baseball, and they were looking forward to seeing Kilgore pitch at the U of M.
“We try to get three or four guys there every year if we can,” Kelso said. “I’m going to miss seeing him pitch for the blue and gray. I really am.”
