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

1. Red Bluff
2014 finish: 21-9
Head coach: Ryland Sanders

The Spartans lost in the first round of the Division I playoffs last year, but they could go a lot farther in the postseason in 2015 thanks to the return of six starters. Walker Dodero, an all-section player as a junior, returns after batting .447 with 11 doubles, 25 RBIs and 4-2 pitching record. Red Bluff also returns Lane Pritchard, a junior who batted .385 as a sophomore on the varsity team. Also back are Sam Hendricks (.320), Eric Schreter (.320), junior Ryan Gamboa (.353) and Will MacDonald (.343). Schreter joins Dodero as one of the team's top two pitchers after posting a 5-2 record last year.

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

2. Pleasant Valley (Chico)
2014 finish: 25-3
Head coach: Fred Ludwig



After capturing first place in the Eastern Athletic League during the regular season, the Vikings fell to Chico in the Northern Section Division I championship game. The Vikings return their top two offensive players in senior Ryan Steindorf and sophomore Ryan Busby. Steindorf played in the outfield last season and batted .406 with 13 doubles. Busby played in the infield and batted .402 with a team-high 36 runs scored.

View last season's California baseball playoff brackets

3. Chico
2014 finish: 25-6
Head coach: Chip Carton

Veteran coach Chip Carton returns six of his top nine offensive performers from last year, led by junior Creed Smith (.369) and junior Lukas Bolen (.362). Carton can also count on junior Michael Farley (.294) and senior Miles Fishback (.322). Bolen went 7-0 to lead the pitching staff as a sophomore. Last year, Chico finished in second place in the Eastern Athletic League behind Pleasant Valley, but it defeated PV 10-8 in the section final.

View last season's California baseball stat leaders

4. Sutter
2014 finish: 27-2
Head coach: Mark Renfree



The Huskies have gone 56-5 over the past two seasons with a pair of Northern Section championships. There is still plenty of talent left as Randy Post, the section's top offensive football player during the fall, returns after batting .538 with seven home runs last year. Logan Wurm, who batted .398 last season, also returns along with Tyler Minton, who batted .371. Minton also heads the pitching staff after going 5-1 as a junior.

View the MaxPreps Northern Section baseball pro photo galleries

5. Anderson
2014 finish: 12-16
Head coach: Scott Edwards

The Cubs finished near the bottom of the league standings last year, but they return seven of the team's top offensive performers from last year along with every member of the pitching staff. Jeffrey Ahern leads the pitching staff after going 4-0 last year in five starts. Junior Drew Battles leads the offense after batting .471 as a sophomore. Payton Edwards, a sophomore, also returns. He batted .317 as a freshman on the varsity team last year.