Prairie View left-handed pitcher Favi Gaeta has started the 2025 season much like he has in each of his last two varsity seasons: with a plummeting ERA.

The senior’s latest gem on the mound came Tuesday, when he tossed six strong innings in a win over Riverdale Ridge. Finishing the last two seasons with a sub-2 ERA — a 1.65 mark over 72 1/3 innings in 2024 and 0.96 in 36.1 IP in 2023 — he’s started this spring 5-1, allowing just five earned runs (1.24 ERA) across 28 1/3 innings.

In this week’s look-in on big-school baseball, we’ll dip into a few strong starts from players across the state.

Class 5A

Carter Wilcox, Cherokee Trail

Impressive 2025 stat: 40 strikeouts in 20 innings.

Tallying 40 Ks across the 87 batters he’s faced this spring, Wilcox is fanning guys at a 46% clip.

On Tuesday, Cherokee Trail’s bullpen couldn’t hold a lead after Wilcox threw a one-hitter over five innings. With him out of the game, Arvada West rallied back from three runs down to force extra innings, then walked things off in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-3 victory.

The Cougars, following two one-run losses over the past week, are 8-4 this season.

Bradley Mallette, Rocky Mountain

Impressive 2025 stat: Leads the classification in slugging percentage (1.300).

After opening the season with a pair of home runs against Horizon, the junior hasn’t cooled down all that much.

He’s hitting .478 with 11 RBIs and four home runs for the Lobos, who are 6-2.

Dylan Coppock, Denver South

Impressive 2025 stat: Leads 5A in batting average (.667) and on-base percentage (.783).

In March, Coppock had hits in all six games for the Ravens, who dropped to 5-2 on the season following a 12-11 loss to Sand Creek on Wednesday.

Coming into the week, Coppock also had 11 stolen bases, including five in one game.

Class 4A

Cole Teltschik, Discovery Canyon

Impressive 2025 stat: Leads 4A in batting average (.824), RBIs (20) and slugging percentage (1.765).

Teltschik has hits in seven of eight games and home runs in his past two for the still-unbeaten Thunder (8-0).

On Tuesday, Andrew Torres threw 4 2/3 strong innings and Teltschik hit one of the team’s four homers in a 7-4 win over Pueblo East.

Torres is having a heck of 2025, too. He owns one of the best ERAs in 4A, allowing just four runs — one earned — in 16.2 innings. In the team’s March 8 opener, he threw an 11-stikeout, no-hitter to beat Montrose in five innings. If not for an error, it’d been a perfect game.

Caeden Herrera, Pueblo South

Impressive 2025 stat: Nine triples in 13 games.

After having just two triples across the first 46 varsity games of his career, Herrera is racking three-baggers up at a ridiculous rate early this spring.

With hits in 12 of 13 games, Herrera’s .649 batting average is among the best in the classification. He tripled in a loss to Widefield on Tuesday, then doubled for one of two hits in a win over Canon City on Wednesday.

Rodrigo Marquez and Romeo Diaz, Sierra

Impressive 2025 stat: First and second in 4A stolen bases.

Marquez has 24 stolen bases and Diaz 21, good for the two most in the classification.

In two games this week, Marquez has already swiped 13 bags and Diaz 11.

Unfortunately for Sierra (0-7), its aggression on the base paths hasn’t yet equated into any wins.