Fountain Hills baseball will look to advance past last season’s quarterfinals loss in 2026 with new leadership and roster overhaul after graduating seven seniors.
Among the key departures was Eli Johnson, who led the 16-7-1 team in home runs, stolen bases and fielding percentage.
First-year head coach Matt Ellett, who was hired in October 2025, says he sees the talent oozing from his young roster. Still, the Falcons return their top pair of all-conference pitchers in sophomore JJ Pena and junior Kainoa Brilhante, and just one senior. Brilhante made contributions off the mound by leading the team in batting average and total hits and said he’s excited to step into more of a leadership role and get back to the state tournament with a fun team.
