The Heart of the Artichokes: Ty Gavin Building a Winner in Scottsdale

Pueblo Native Has Found Quick Success in One of Junior College Baseball’s Toughest Conferences

Long before he was leading one of Arizona’s historical junior college baseball programs, Ty Gavin was a young athlete growing up in Pueblo, Colorado, where sports are cemented into the identity of the community. In a city fueled by cross-town rivalries and hometown pride, competition becomes a part of who you are.

That competitive spirit helped shape Gavin into the coach and leader he is today.

After becoming a volunteer assistant in the Fall of 2022 for the Scottsdale Artichokes baseball team, Gavin quickly moved up the ranks becoming Head Coach the following fall of 2023. Now entering his fourth season as skipper of the “Chokes,” Gavin has established himself as one of the rising coaches in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC)--a conference widely regarded as one of the most competitive junior college baseball leagues in the country. 

The 2026 season marked a major step forward for Scottsdale under Gavin’s leadership. The Artichokes finished as the No. 2 seed in the conference and earned the right to host a playoff series for the first time since 2013–an accomplishment that reflects the strides the program has made in a short amount of time.

For Gavin, the journey to Scottsdale began with the game he grew up loving. 

“My dad,” Gavin said when asked what first got him into baseball. “He played in college and coached me and my brother growing up.”

After a playing career at Northeastern Junior College followed by two years at Adams State, Gavin knew he wanted to remain connected to the sport.

Coaching was the next step.

“I wanted to stay around the game and found it rewarding when you could help other people succeed in a game that is full of failure,” Gavin said. “A bad day on the baseball field is still better than a good day anywhere else.”

Finding a Home in Scottsdale

Although skyrocketing from a volunteer assistant to the program’s next head coach is not an everyday occurrence, Gavin knew Scottsdale Community College was a special place right from the start. 

After his first season in the desert, he noted that the professionalism of the players was what stood out to him immediately.

“The level of professionalism that the kids had towards the game,” Gavin said. “They always wanted to improve, wanted to be coached, and wanted to compete against top players and teams.”

Those traits made Gavin believe Scottsdale could become more than just a coaching stop. 

Over time, the relationships he built with players and staff transformed Scottsdale into something more meaningful.

“The relationships that form make you want to build the program up to be as successful as possible so you can see the players and coaches you care about benefit from that.”

That sense of ‘family’ has the Artichokes rolling in the right direction.

The Artichokes are Blooming

In one of the nation’s toughest junior college baseball conferences, success requires far more than talented players.

Gavin credits the foundation of Scottsdale’s success to people and preparation.

“Having great kids and a great coaching staff, as well as outworking people,” said Gavin.

Scottsdale’s core values as a team this past season were accountability, toughness, discipline, and a team first mindset. Those principles were not just talked about, but expected to be on display every practice when the student-athletes step on campus in the fall. They even appeared on daily practice plans, serving as discussion points during team breakdowns. 

But Gavin believes those values should carry beyond the chalked lines. He challenges his players not only to understand them on the field, but to apply them in everyday life. 

The goal is to build better players–but more importantly, better people.

In a state loaded with elite baseball talent, Gavin begins with character when looking to recruit a player to his program.

When asked what he looks for in a young player Gavin said, “Good person, good student, and athletic is where we typically start with a kid.”

Only after those three boxes are checked Scottsdale evaluates physical tools, projectability, and roster fit.

That approach has helped build a roster year in and year out capable of competing with the best programs in the ACCAC.

For the Pueblo native who bet on himself and pursued a coaching path far from home, Scottsdale has become proof that belief, culture, and relentless work can build something special. 

At the heart of Scottsdale baseball is a coach whose roots still run deep in Pueblo.