With the season at the halfway point, this is usually the time that Cottonwood softball turns its attention to next season. 

Not this year. 

The Colts have broken through that barrier under head coach Natalie Wonnacott. After years of difficulty in winning even a single game, Cottonwood has now won five of the 11 games it has played going into spring break and is a serious threat to make the state tournament. 

Cottonwood is also 3-4 in Region 10, the first time in years the Colts have been in the top half of the standings at this point in the season. 

The signs were there that this team was due in region play when the Colts put up 28 runs March 10, but fell 38-28 to a good Park City squad. On March 20, that potential was realized when Cottonwood blasted Judge Memorial 15-0, just two days after it stunned Corner Canyon out of 6A in a nonleague game, 13-12. 

In that four-inning win over Judge, Samanntha Rodriguez nuked a two-run home run over the right field wall and went three-for-four at the plate, and senior captain Tialer Mounts batted 1.000 with three RBI to lift Cottonwood. On the circle, senior Savannah Staheli went the distance for the Colts, allowing three and striking out seven. 

Against Corner Canyon on March 18, the Colts posted nine runs in the first two innings at home, and then needed a four-run seventh to pull off a narrow one-run win. Staheli again pitched the whole way, giving up 12 hits and fanning 11 batters. Rodriguez belted a home run and had four RBI, while juniors Jane Wonnacott and Breeya Busey each collected two hits. 

When did momentum shift for Cottonwood softball? 

Things seemed to change after the Colts pasted Summit Academy 23-4 in the season opener. With Staheli in the fold as the Colts ace after having transferred to Cottonwood last summer, that has allowed the other girls—which include one recent college softball commit in Mounts to New Hampshire’s Keene State College—to focus more on their work in the field and at the plate. 

That is important, considering that the Colts lost their last ace Gretta Lewis to graduation. 

Since the point Staheli assumed that throne on the pitching circle, the Colts have been thriving. Save for a few tough setbacks against legitimate state title contenders in Murray, Juan Diego Catholic and Morgan, Cottonwood has been a team to watch. 

The Colts bounced right back from those losses to beat Jordan 4-0 March 27 behind a one-hit, 16-strikeout outing from Staheli, in which junior Piper Wilking had two RBI and sophomore Cecilla Alonso scored twice. 

On March 31, the Colts thumped Highland 16-1 as they were absolute terrors on the base paths, stealing 13 bases. Staheli struck out 10 earning the win in a game that was called for the 10-run rule after four innings. 

That’s where Cottonwood stand as the school heads into spring break. 

For the Colts, they’re getting a lot of help from the senior Staheli, who is 5-0 on the circle and also leads the team at the plate with a .409 batting average. 

Two underclassmen are also standing out at the plate. Wilking—Cottonwood’s No. 2 pitcher who has two appearances—is hitting .357 with one home run and 10 RBI, while fellow junior Rodriguez is also at .357 for the season, knocking in two home runs and 11 RBI. 

Wonnacott is batting .318 and has driven in eight runs, while Mounts (.292) leads the Colts in runs scored (17), RBI (12) and plate appearances (42). Also, Busey leads the Colts in doubles with three and has added 11 RBI. 

For the first time in many years, Cottonwood was ranked in the top 24 at press time and if the season were to end today, the Colts would be going to the state tournament at No. 24.