Four Cavemen Collect All State Honors

kmarksteiner0
6 minutes ago
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By Don Eskins

Four Cavemen, headed by sophomore hurler Wade Cozart, have been named to the New Mexico High School Coaches Association’s 2026 Class 5A All-State Baseball Team.

Cozart was named to the All-State First Team as a pitcher. Selected for Second Team All-State honors were Jayden Carter as a catcher, EZ Lopez as an infielder, and Brock Wright as an outfielder.

Cozart posted an overall record of 9-1 during 2026 with an ERA of 1.186. He gave up 12 earned runs on 51 hits and 14 walks with 88 strikeouts. At the plate, he hit .307 with 24 RBIs and four home runs.

“Only a sophomore, Wade turned a lot of heads while he was on the mound this season,” said Cavemen head coach Mike McGaha. “So much so that he’s helped to put Carlsbad back on the New Mexico high school baseball map. A lot of teams will be looking out for us next year.”

But McGaha’s praise for this year’s All-State selections didn’t stop with Cozart.

“I can’t say enough about all four of these young men. They all played such an integral part of the success we enjoyed during 2026,” said McGaha. “One thing’s for sure, though, we’re going to miss Jayden a lot next year. He was an excellent leader for us behind the plate and one of the best catchers I’ve ever coached.

“As for EZ and Brock, we couldn’t be happier about them. As with Wade, both will be returning next year also,” said the CHS skipper. “Both played some great defense for us, and both carried big sticks.”

During 2026, Carter hit .376 with 28 RBIs, tops on the team. He also had two home runs. Lopez hit .359 with 20 RBIs and two home runs. Wright hit .372 with 26 RBIs. Going yard six times, he led the team in home runs.

The Cavemen collected an overall record of 19-11 during 2026 and, as District 4/5A champions, were perfect at 6-0. CHS battled their way during state tournament play all the way to the semifinals before losing to the second-seeded Cleveland Storm 11-2.

In the MaxPreps final season poll, CHS was ranked fifth in both Class 5A and statewide.

NMHSCA Class 5A All-State Selections

First Team: Wade Cozart, pitcher.

Second Team: Jayden Carter, catcher; EZ Lopez, infield; and Brock Wright, outfield.