The 6-foot, 185-pound senior left-handed pitcher and center fielder had led the Sartans to a 15-2 record, an undefeated regular season in their district and a No. 1 seed in the Class 4A postseason tournament at the time of his selection. Also the District 5-AAAA Player of the Year and a First Team All-District honoree as both a pitcher and an outfielder, Cornelius compiled a 5-0 record on the mound with a 0.80 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 44 innings. The two-year captain also posted a WHIP of 0.71, while opponents hit just .110 against him. Cornelius entered the postseason on a consecutive scoreless-inning streak of 13 and had pitched 30 no-walk innings through 17 games. At the plate, he posted a .463 batting average with five doubles, a triple and a home run, driving in 14 runs and scoring 19. Cornelius also stole seven bases and produced an OBP of .607 and an OPS of 1.314. He made the 2020 Arizona Fall Classic All-Tournament Team despite only recently having recovered from a bout with COVID-19.
Cornelius has maintained a 3.07 GPA in the classroom. He will attend Pima Community College this fall, where he will play baseball.
A tribal language translator, Shalako celebrant and habitat builder for the tribal community at the Pueblo of Zuni, Cornelius received the Native American Leadership Award at his school in 2021. He has volunteered locally on behalf of the Barrett House shelter for women and children facing homelessness, the New Mexico Roadrunner Food Bank, the Seed-to-Need farming and harvesting initiative combatting food insecurity, Rio Rancho Community Cleanup and he’s served as a counselor for the Baseball Miracles, Inc. camp for impoverished youth who are survivors of trauma. Also a first prize winner in his school’s art show, he spends his spare time customizing decorative sneaker apparel for children in need.
