MaxPreps 2016 New Mexico preseason high school baseball Fab 5, presented by the Army National Guard

1. La Cueva (Albuquerque)
Head coach: Gerard Pineda
2014-15 record: 17-10

The Bears had 10 losses on their record, but eight of them were by forfeit. The other two came against eventual state champion Eldorado. La Cueva returns one of the state's top young pitchers in junior Jonathan Stroman, who earned second team all-state honors last year. The Bears also have one of the state's top hitters in all-state designated hitter Brian Fitzgerald. La Cueva is just two years removed from its last state championship and it has won eight state titles in the past 13 seasons.

See last season's New Mexico baseball computer rankings

2. Eldorado (Albuquerque)
Head coach: Jim Johns
2014-15 record: 22-8



The Eagles dominated the Class 6A playoffs, knocking off Volcano Vista 9-0 in the championship game. Eldorado also had a 10-1 win over LaCueva in the quarterfinals. The Eagles' top four hitters, all of whom earned all-state honors, have graduated, but the state's top player returns. Nathaniel Garley earned all-state first team honors at third base and pitcher and was named the state's Most Valuable Player. He batted .429 last year with three home runs and he had a 7-1 record on the mound.

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3. Cleveland (Rio Rancho)
Head coach: Shane Shallenberger
2014-15 record: 15-11

Cleveland lost in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs to Hobbs, but the Storm return the top three players from a team that finished tied for second in 6A District 1. First team all-state utility player Riley Peterson returns at catcher while all-state honorable mention outfielder Landry Hayes returns for his senior season. Chris Chapman, who made second team all-state as a designated hitter, will help in the infield.

See last season's New Mexico baseball playoff brackets

4. Sandia Prep (Albuquerque)
Head coach: Paul Huitt
2014-15 record: 29-1



Sandia Prep captured the Class 4A state championship last year with a 5-0 win over Ruidoso. Paul Huitt earned State Coach of the Year honors while four of his players earned all-state honors. Three of those players return, including junior outfielder/pitcher Joe Martinez, senior pitcher Harris McConnell and senior pitcher/first baseman Beau Williams. Martinez batted .372 last year and had seven saves. McConnell went 8-1 with a 1.40 ERA while Williams posted a 7-0 record with a 2.46 ERA.

See last season's New Mexico baseball stat leaders

5. Carlsbad
Head coach: Cody May
2014-15 record: 18-9

The Cavemen received the No. 4 seed for the Class 6A state playoffs last year, but lost in the first round to Sandia. Nevertheless, the 6A District 4 champions look to make a run at the championship. Carlsbad has one of the top batteries in the state in junior pitcher Trevor Rogers (6-foot-5, 190 pounds) and senior catcher Eric Hernandez. Rogers was a first team all-state pitcher as a sophomore while Hernandez earned second team all-state honors.