MaxPreps 2015 California Central Coast Section preseason baseball Fab 5, presented by the Army National Guard

1. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose)
2014 finish: 24-7
Head coach: William Hutton

The Monarchs tied Saint Francis for the West Catholic Athletic League championship last year, but fell to Bellarmine College Prep in the semifinals. Coach William Hutton returns 15 wins from last year, including senior Kris Bubic (8-2 record) and Tommy Hudson (2-0). Bubic and Hudson also lead the offense with Bubic batting .342 last year and Hudson batting .254. Senior Joe Cahn (.306) returns along with Brooks Allen (.216).

View last season's Central Section baseball rankings, presented by the Army National Guard

2. Saint Francis (Mountain View)
2014 finish: 26-5
Head coach: Mike Oakland



The Lancers have averaged 26 wins a season for the past six years and were the No. 3 seed for the Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs last year. However, Saint Francis lost to Bellarmine, a team it had defeated three times during the regular season, in the second round. The Lancers return only two wins from last year's pitching staff, but the offense returns junior Jeremy Ydens (.333 batting average) and Conor Thane (.268). The Lancers have lost a high number of starters in the past, but coach Mike Oakland always seems to find a way to put his team in contention for a section title.

View last season's California baseball playoff brackets

3. Valley Christian (San Jose)
2014 finish: 22-10
Head coach: John Diatte

The Warriors lost two of the South Bay's top two baseball talents in Bryson Brigman and Theron Kay, but there is still plenty of talent left for coach John Diatte. Keenan Brigman, Byron's brother, returns to man the infield. He batted .326 as a junior. Other returning starters include Kyle Marinconz (.309), Mark Quinby (.280) and Brian Tate (.245). Pitching will be a challenge, as the Warriors return only one victory from last year's staff.

View last season's California baseball stat leaders

4. Leigh (San Jose)
2014 finish: 24-7
Head coach: Nate Anderson



Leigh reached the semifinals of the Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs last year, but the Longhorns return three of the team's top four pitchers, including Justin Scanlon (7-2 record), Connor Barrnett (4-1) and Drew Reveno (3-0). Scanlon also led the offense last year, batting .367 with 23 RBIs. He's joined by first baseman Andrew Theron, who batted .264 with 20 RBIs.

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5. Serra (San Mateo)
2014 finish: 16-12
Head coach: Craig Gianinno

Serra had its lowest win total (16) in over 10 years, but that will likely change in 2015 thanks to the return of four of the team's top five pitchers from last year. Calvin Riley went 4-1 on the mound last year with 23 strikeouts and a 2.49 ERA in 25.1 innings pitched. The offense has three veterans returning in Christopher Papapietro, James Outman and junior Angelo Bortolin. Papapietro batted .351 last year while Outman batted .325 and Bortolin batted .365 with six home runs.