MaxPreps 2016 Northern Section preseason high school baseball Fab 5, presented by the Army National Guard

1. Red Bluff
Head coach: Ryland Sanders
2015 record: 27-8

The Spartans captured the Northern Section Division I championship with a 9-1 win over Enterprise and they have five starters returning from that team, including Northern Section MVP Lane Pritchard. As a junior, Pritchard batted .435 with 17 doubles and he also went 4-0 on the mound. Red Bluff also returns pitcher Wesley Clawson (4-0), all-section catcher Ryan Gamboa (.333), infielder Bryce Sinclair (.349) and junior pitcher Kolby Button (5-1).

See last season's Northern Section baseball computer rankings



2. Foothill (Palo Cedro)
Head coach: Todd Buck
2015 record: 21-10-1

The Cougars finished in a tie for second place in league play last year, but they return six starters and 19 total wins from last year's pitching staff. The pitching trio of juniors Max Holtzclaw (6-1) and Bryan Harvey (5-4) and senior Dominic Tating (3-1) provided 14 of those victories. Senior Jordan Taylor is the top returning hitter with a .358 batting average.

See Northern Section baseball pro photo galleries

3. Chico
Head coach: Chip Carton
2015 record: 15-12-1

Look for the Panthers to be much improved this year thanks to seven returning starters and six pitchers who had at least one win last year. Lukas Bolen is the top returning pitcher after going 5-3 last year. He was 7-0 as a sophomore. The outfield is a strength for the Panthers with seniors Creed Smith (.337) and Michael Farley (.351) returning. Senior first baseman Justin Beth is also one of the top returning hitters with a .318 average.

See last season's Northern Section baseball playoff brackets



4. Winters
Head coach: Jeff Ingles
2015 record: 23-8-1

The Warriors captured the Division III section championship last year with Ingles winning Northern Section Coach of the Year honors. He has won more games than any other Northern Section coach and is closing in on win No. 500 (497-184-7). The Warriors return seven starters, including sophomore Anthony Carrion, who sported an 8-1 pitching record as a freshman last year. Top returning hitters include junior Greg Creamer (.410), sophomore Sammy Gonzalez (.398) and senior Ivan Martinez (.412).

See last season's Northern Section baseball stat leaders

5. Sutter
Head coach: Stewart Peterson
2015 record: 28-6

The Huskies have won four straight Division II section championships and they could be poised to win a fifth. Besides returning catcher Logan Wurm, who batted .460 with 13 doubles, Sutter also returns pitcher Brendon Nelson, who went 10-1 as a junior. Daniel Hale, who batted .385 last year, returns in the infield.