St. Mary Catholic Central has one of the best pitchers in the state, and will be the team to beat in 2016.
2016 Michigan Preseason Softball Fab 5, presented by the Army National Guard
1. St. Mary Catholic Central (Monroe)Head coach: John Morningstar
2015 record: 37-6
Not
only did the Kestrels go 7-0 in the state tournament to win the
Division 3 state title — they did it without giving up a single run.
That's thanks in large part to arguably the state's best pitcher, lefty
Meghan Beaubien, who will return for her junior season. Beaubien, a
Michigan commit, averaged 16 strikeouts per game and even slugged a
two-run homer in the state title game which the team won (you guessed
it), 2-0.
See last season's Michigan softball computer rankings2. CaledoniaHead coach: Tom Kaechele
2015 record: 34-5
Caledonia
lost to Warren Regina — seemingly a team of destiny — in the Division 1
final. The Fighting Scots will be formidable once again this season, however,
led by
Sammie Gehrls, one of the top players in the state. Gehrls was
20-2 in the circle and blasted 14 home runs as a freshman in 2015.
See Michigan softball photo galleries3. Regina (Warren)Head coach: Diane Laffey
2015 record: 27-16
Not
often does a team that starts 3-11 end up winning the state title, but
that's exactly what Laffey and the Saddlelites pulled off in a dream
2015 season. Regina will lose a lot of firepower to graduation but
there's no doubt that Laffey — the state's all time leader in softball
coaching wins — will have her team ready come playoff time.
See last season's Michigan softball playoff brackets4. Mercy (Farmington Hills)Head coach: Alec Lesko
2015 record: 27-4
Mercy fell to Caledonia, 5-2, in the Division 1 semifinals, which ended the career of one of the state's all-time greats, Alex Sobczak, now a freshman at Michigan. Sobczak will leave a huge hole after pounding 40 career home runs with a .524 career average, but the Marlins will have plenty of talent ready to step up and have a great 2016 campaign. All-state junior
Sophia VanAcker will likely take the reigns at the plate.
See last season's Michigan softball stat leaders5. Plymouth (Canton)Head coach: Lauren Delapaz
2015 record: 30-5
Delapaz led the Wildcats to their first ever regional championship last season, and Plymouth is ready to build on that momentum. All-state selections Mikayela Marciniak and Brittney Miller graduated, but the team has plenty of experienced players ready to step up. Taking over in the circle will likely be sophomore
Jennifer Bressler, who showed signs of brilliance last season as a freshman.
