The baseball program at Pueblo County, aiming for its third straight 20-win season, and perhaps more, is starting to pile up the wins this spring.

Among the six major high schools in Pueblo, the Hornets (11-2) are one of three that haven’t won a state title on the diamond. They were close last year but bowed out on the final day of the season to Class 4A champ Holy Family.

They look capable of a similar run this spring.

After consecutive losses to 4A No. 4 Lewis-Palmer and 5A No. 12 Pueblo West near the end of March, they’ve climbed all the way up to the second spot in the CHSAA 4A rankings. Amid five straight wins, their pitching has been stellar.

As we dive into big-school baseball this week, let’s take a look at three 5A and 4A teams trending in the right direction.

Class 4A

No. 2 Pueblo County: The Hornets’ pitching was pretty good last season, though it sputtered in their eventual elimination loss to Holy Family.

All the statistics say the group is much better in 2025.

Up from a collective 3.16 ERA in 2024, their 1.31 mark this spring has fueled an 11-2 start. On their current five-game winning streak, they’ve outscored teams 28-11.

In their latest — a 2-0 win over 4A No. 23 Pueblo East on Tuesday — they got a three-hit, complete-game shutout from senior Cole Barger. The right-hander is 3-1 with a 1.21 ERA across a team-most 29 innings.

No. 3 Air Academy: The Kadets (9-0-1) beat No. 1 Cheyenne Mountain, 7-6, to open a two-game set between two of 4A’s best on Tuesday. They’ll travel to face the Red-Tailed Hawks in the series’ finale on Thursday

Air Academy’s undefeated start has been highlighted by the play of senior Ayden Honeywood, who has a hit in all 10 games and has an average of .536. On Tuesday, he drove in his team-leading 15th run of the year.

No. 5 Mead: Despite an 11-1 loss to 5A No. 21 Legacy on Tuesday, the Mavericks (8-2) have not only looked like the best team the program has fielded in recent memory this spring — they’ve played the part of one of the best teams in all of 4A.

Before this week, they’d won six straight behind an offense averaging 9.2 runs per game. Charlie Baker has been among their biggest improvements. In 2024, he hit just .227 in eight varsity games. Yet through his first 10 games this season, he’s hitting .606 with 11 RBIs.

Class 5A

No. 7 Broomfield: The Eagles (8-2) haven’t won a game inside the 5A state tournament since their championship in 2022.

After losing their first two games as the No. 1 seed in the 2023 5A tournament, they fizzled out in regionals last year.

But the last two finishes to a season might be best explained as smoke and mirrors for a program that has been one of the best in the state since the school’s former sports star, Kale Gilmore, took over in 2022.

Hitting .328 as a team this spring, they’ve scored 8.5 runs per game.

Catcher Brendan Fritch, who will play at Davidson College next season, is 15 of 28 from the plate in his final high school season, with five doubles and a triple.

Fritch is also strong behind the plate for a pitching staff that features BYU commit Ethan Zufall, who has a 1.80 ERA in 11 2/3 innings this season. In Monday’s 14-2 win over No. 44 Boulder, Zufall struck out the side in a clean inning of work.

No. 10 Prairie View: The Thunderhawks (10-3) won two games in the 5A state playoffs last season, and they look more than capable of having another deep run in 2025.

Left-handed pitcher Favi Gaetz is one of Colorado baseball’s best kept secrets. With a sub-2 ERA in each of his last two seasons, the uncommitted senior is currently 5-1 with a 1.24 mark in 28 1/3 innings this spring. As part of it, he’s allowed a mere 14 hits while striking out 40 batters.

All three of Prairie View’s losses this season, meanwhile, have come against out-of-state teams.

No. 17 Cherokee Trail: The Cougars (9-4) have reached the 5A state tournament in each of the past three seasons. And they look plenty capable of extending that streak next month.

All four of their losses in 2025 have come by a single run. Two of them, meanwhile, including on the road against No. 5 Arvada West at the start of the month, were in extra innings.

So, with a good chance to win each of their first 13 games of the season, they now go into the bulk of their schedule inside the 5A/4A Centennial League led by a stingy ace in Carter Wilcox. The senior is 2-1 with a 1.12 ERA across 25 innings.

In a 5-2 win over Arapahoe on Tuesday, Wilcox threw five scoreless innings, striking out 14. His 54 Ks are the fourth-most in the state this spring.