The Foothill baseball team has cracked the top 10 in MaxPreps’ latest California state rankings.
The Cougars (9-1) started the week as the No. 23 ranked team in the state, but after two wins against No. 24 Chico on Tuesday, March 24, Foothill jumped all the way up to No. 9.
The Cougars hit the ground running, winning each of their first nine games before suffering their first loss of the season to Chico on Thursday.
The pitching has been dominant, and the team boasts a 1.83 ERA overall. Juniors Kayden Williams and Colton Douglas and senior Blake Schwerdt — the Cougars’ three starters — have allowed just 10 earned runs through 58.1 combined innings pitched.
The trio has also dealt 65 of the team’s 75 strikeouts. Douglas leads the way with 26 of them.
Williams, however, is one of the few pitchers in the Redding-area who can touch mid 80s with his heater. The junior also mixes in a curveball, changeup and slider.
Schwerdt, who defends the corners when he’s not on the mound, leads Foothill with a .391 batting average in 23 at bats. He’s slashing an impressive .391/.559/.652 with four extra base hits, five walks and has only struck out three times in 34 plate appearances.
But Schwerdt is one of seven Cougars hitting over .300. Junior infielder Johnny Morales (31 ABs) and senior first baseman/designated hitter Will Baker (13 ABs) have also been hitting above .380.
The Cougars don’t hit for power. They’ve recorded just 20 extra base hits with one homer, but they get on base in clutch situations. They also know how to run the bases when the ball is put into play.
It’s a stark contrast to the team’s performance a year ago.
The Cougars finished with an 11-16 overall record in 2025 and fifth in the Eastern Athletic League. Now, Foothill has nearly matched its win total from a year ago, and they don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
The Cougars will next play in the Fresno High School Easter Baseball Classic from March 30-April 1. They’ll face four teams in three days, starting with Hoover at 1 p.m. on Monday, March 30.
Foothill’s next local game is against Enterprise at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 7, as part of the Jim Morely Classic at Enterprise High School.
Brett Abrams is a sports reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. He covers high school and local sports in the Redding area. Reach out to Brett with any sports tips or news on X (formerly Twitter) @brabrams_ or by email at Brett.Abrams@Redding.com. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Foothill baseball cracks top 10 in California rankings
Reporting by Brett Abrams, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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