Even in Sunday’s 7-3 loss, there was a bright spot in the game for the Hornets. A bright spot that has been there all season. That would be senior starting pitcher, Steve Cuckovich.

Cuckovich threw 5 2-3 innings; giving up three earned runs, walking three and striking out six. So far this year, Cuckovich is 2-0 in four starts with a 2.61 ERA and two no-decisions. He has pitched 20 1-3 innings, giving up 19 hits, walking 11 and striking out 23 batters.

By far, Cuckovich is enjoying his most productive season to date with the Hornets. But his success hasn’t come easy.

“It’s been a lot of hard work,” Cuckovich said. “I’m very happy to be pitching the way I am right now. The experiences I have gone through have made me more comfortable out there.”

The experiences Cuckovich speaks of are from 1999, when he was the only freshman on an upperclassmen-heavy team to receive significant playing time. He also had to fight for the opportunity to become a starting pitcher in his sophomore and junior years.

Cuckovich’s ERA was 5.60 after his first two seasons and batters were hitting .301 off of him during that same stretch.

These experiences were a complete 180-degree turn from Cuckovich’s way of life when he was a Falcon back at Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento.

At Christian Brothers, Cuckovich was the stereotypical “big man on campus.” He was a two-sport star in baseball and football and was also a dedicated student-athlete.

While playing football, Cuckovich was the starting quarterback of a Falcon team that went to the playoffs his senior year. Although team success came in a playoff appearance, personal success was never fully completed.

In the late 1990s the Falcons ran a run-heavy offense that didn’t rely on the quarterback to carry the offensive load on his shoulders. Nonetheless, football was still a possibility for Cuckovich at Sac State.

“(Then Head Football) Coach Volek had recruited me to play,” Cuckovich said. “But then baseball just started working out for me. I still wonder sometimes though.”

Baseball worked out for Cuckovich his entire four-year career at Christian Brothers. He played varsity for three years and was an All-City selection his senior year.

Possessing both power and precision on the mound and being a force at the plate as well, Cuckovich was one of the most complete players that had passed through Christian Brothers in quite some time.

Now, Cuckovich is trying to parlay the success he had his senior year of high school into his senior season as a Hornet.

“Every year is different, but this year’s team reminds me of the team we had my freshman year,” Cuckovich said. “This is as good a team as any year I have been here. We just need to start winning more.”

One reason why Cuckovich feels chemistry is as good as he has ever seen it is due to another guy who is looking to have a successful freshman year, just as he did. It’s Cuckovich’s younger brother, Mel.

Mel also enjoyed athletic success at Christian Brothers and Steve is just ecstatic to have his little brother out there with him.

“It’s great,” said the elder Cuckovich. “We’re each other’s biggest fan and we got each other’s backs out there.”

Mel so far has done quite well so far in his first year with the Hornets. He has appeared in two games, both in relief duty, and has not given up an earned run in four innings.

With his brother as a teammate and the start of a successful year already on track, the oldest of the Cuckovich brothers is trying to leave his mark so that there may be an opportunity on the next level.

“I would love to keep going on,” said Cuckovich, who is also majoring in graphic design. “I just got to keep pitching strong and if it happens, it happens.”

Just for the sake of argument, let’s say Cuckovich made it to the big leagues. What would his dream scenario be?

“Pitching for the Yankees. The Yankees are my team,” Cuckovich said. “But if I did have a chance to go, I’d pitch anywhere. Even Montreal, I wouldn’t care.”

Click here to send private feedback about this article to the State Hornet’s staff.