Half Moon Bay Cougars

There's a new vibe at Half Moon Bay this year, a warning to the rest of the PAL Ocean Division, not to sleep on the Cougars this year.

"We haven't been the best at baseball in my two years here," says junior shortstop Riley Jackson, who might be the be the best public-school player on the Peninsula. "This year feels different. We're excited. We're going to have fun and we're going to make some noise."

The Cougars return six starters, including Jackson, who has verbally committed to Santa Clara is coming off a .354 season with three home runs and 13 RBIs. There were a lot of teams that opted not to pitch to him, which allowed him to draw a lot of walks and score 23 runs.

If Half Moon Bay can get a rebound year from third baseman Clark Colucci and another strong season from outfielder Cole Giannini, who hit .300 and drove in nine runs, they could be strong in the middle of the batting order.

"I like our team’s chance to compete for a league championship this year," said Half Moon Bay coach Brian Anderson, who said Terra Nova will enter 2026 as the favorite to win the PAL Ocean Division. "A lot of boys put in work over the summer, and we can surprise people."

The Cougars' offensive potential pairs well with a pitching staff that goes three deep with Kai Kung, Maverick Johnson and Colucci. Kung was the Cougars' workhorse last season, throwing 63 innings. He had a 2.78 earned-run average and a 4-4 record 57 strikeouts and four complete games.

"Kai will be a pitcher of the year candidate," Anderson said.

Sophomore Paxton Holden played one varsity contest last season, filling in for an injured Jackson, and collected two hits. He figures to find more plate appearances this season, while junior southpaw Alex Ryan, will get some innings with the varsity. Juniors Derek Rose and Tristan Castro also fit into Anderson's plans.

2026 Schedule

Feb. 27 Carlmont, 3:30 p.m.

March 4 Lowell, 3:30 p.m.

March 7 at The King's Academy, 11 a.m.

March 10 More, 3:30 p.m.

March 14 Willow Glen, noon

March 17 Sacred Heart Prep, 4 p.m.

March 19 at Sacred Heart Prep, 4 p.m.

March 21 at Cupertino, noon

March 24 Mills, 4 p.m.

March 26 at Mills, 4 p.m.

March 28 at Los Altos, noon

March 31 El Camino, 4 p.m.

April 2 at Menlo School, 4 p.m.

April 7 San Mateo, 4 p.m.

April 9 at San Mateo, 4 p.m.

April 10 Sequoia, 4 p.m.

Apri 21 at South San Francisco, 4 p.m.

April 23 South San Francisco, 4 p.m.

April 28 at Woodside, 4 p.m.

April 30 Woodside, 4 p.m.

May 2 Scotts Valley, noon

May 5 Aragon, 4 p.m.

May 7 at Aragon, 4 p.m.

May 9 Santa Cruz, 11 a.m.

May 12 at Terra Nova, 4 p.m.

May 14 Terra Nova, 4 p.m.