When a new head coach enters the fold, it can be hard to tell what kind of team will emerge. 

In the case of the Cottonwood Colts baseball team though, that change resulted in their best record in three seasons under the new guy, Travis Steed. 

“Fundamentals are extremely important and they can make or break a winning team,” said Steed, who implemented some changes in the Colts baseball program upon his hire last summer. 

There were other changes, too. 

Angel Mavarez made the switch from second base to catcher this season and it proved to be a big help all the way around. It only took Mavarez a few games to get going, and by the time the season was over, the senior hit .418, second-best on the Colts. 

Mavarez played in 24 games for Cottonwood, and finished with a .500 on-base percentage, also second on the team. The senior hit 25 RBI, good for the best total among Cottonwood’s players. 

Always a sure-handed fielder, Mavarez improved his ball-handling percentage .22, from .971 as a junior to .993 this season. What was even more impressive is that the senior had 138 putouts out of 140 total chances committing just one error. 

For his efforts, Mavarez was named an All-State Honorable Mention. The senior was the only Colt to be named to an All-State team. 

Two other seniors, however, received a commitment to play college baseball as the summer got underway. 

Isaiah Cosby was a three-year starter at the school, hitting .382 with 39 RBI in 144 at bats. The Cottonwood senior ranked in the top three in nine of 10 hitting categories for his team as a senior, leading the Colts in hits (32), home runs (2), doubles (8) and triples (3). He had a .505 on-base percentage and a .633 slugging percentage for Cottonwood. 

Cosby also had a .953 percentage as a fielder, throwing out 36 of 43 batters and assisting on five more. 

On June 21, the outfielder, who held a 3.0 grade point average, committed to Yakima College in Washington. Yakima has a tradition that dates back decades in JUCO baseball. 

The other committed Colt is Dominick Fuchuck, who played just one season on the Cottonwood varsity and yet may have been the guy who made the most of his opportunity. 

Called “passionate” by coach Steed, this Colt senior played at both third base and in the outfield this season for Cottonwood, and brought top entertainment on every play. 

Not only that, Fuchuck was a capable hitter. His .348 batting average ranked in the top five Colts, and in just 64 at bats showed he has plenty of power, hitting five doubles and 15 RBI. 

In the state playoffs, Fuchuck shined, hitting .571 with a whopping .625 on-base percentage and a .714 slugging percentage for the Colts. 

Fuchuck also had a .935 fielding percentage and threw out 29 of the 31 batters faced. He was an Honorable Mention All-Region for the Colts, and earned his first varsity letter. 

Colleges took notice of Fuchuck’s versatility and on June 10, he committed to study and continue playing baseball at Eastern University in Frederick, Massachusetts. He’d previously received an offer to play baseball at Cairn University in Pennsylvania.