ELLICOTT — Josh Cornett, a former Cortez resident and standout for several seasons at Montezuma-Cortez High School, is having an outstanding varsity baseball season for his senior year at Class 3A Ellicott High School.

The 12-6 Thunderhawks were scheduled to play Burlington Friday in the Regional finals at Spurgeon Field in Colorado Springs. If they won, they will play today in the semifinals and perhaps the finals. Cornett was slated to pitch.

"He is just having an outstanding season," former MCHS head baseball coach and now assistant at Ellicott Jeff Bollinger said by phone Friday morning.

He leads the state in strike outs with 164, more than double of any others in his class. He has allowed only 16 walks. He has a very, very good earned run average of .79 with an 8-1 record.

"He’s also been hitting the ball well," he added.

Cornett has a healthy .527 batting average with 32 runs batted in. He has slugged seven home runs, five triples, and numerous doubles and singles.

When not pitching, Cornett is either at shortstop or third base. Bollinger said he doesn’t let many balls through.

Cornett has signed a National Junior College Letter of Intent to attend Otero Junior College in La Junta this fall.