MaxPreps 2016 West Virginia preseason high school baseball Fab 5, presented by the Army National Guard

1. Jefferson (Shenandoah Junction)
Head coach: John Lowery
2015 record: 37-2

Coach John Lowery went over 1,200 career wins at Jefferson, finishing the season with 1,203 wins and the school's 11th state championship. Lowery ranks No. 3 in the nation in all-time wins with 1,222. His team returns some key players from last year, including first team all-state infielder Paul Witt and second team all-state utility player Charlie Barnholt.

See last season's West Virginia baseball computer rankings

2. Bridgeport
Head coach: Robert Shields
2015 record: 37-3

The Indians won the Class AA state championship and have averaged over 34 wins a season for the past five years. Hunter Haddix, a senior pitcher, was one of three returning Bridgeport players to earn all-state honors last year. Haddix earned first team recognition while pitcher Jared Cleghorn and infielder Dante Bonamico were both second team. Coach Robert Shields was recently inducted into the West Virginia Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame.



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3. South Charleston
Head coach: Ken Samms
2015 record: 26-7

The Black Eagles did not advance to the state tournament last year, but they do return a number of players who earned all-state recognition. Trevor Sampson made the all-state first team as a utility player while senior Jared Hill was given special honorable mention. Senior pitcher Jacob Marler also received special honorable mention all-state honors.

See last season's West Virginia baseball playoff brackets

4. Ripley
Head coach: Shane Casto
2015 record: 28-7

The Vikings return two all-state players from a team that won 28 games in 2015. Chris Jordan was first team all-state as an infielder and he batted .479 with 31 RBIs, 11 doubles and three home runs. Meanwhile, junior catcher Anthony Jarvis made the second team after batting .488 with 51 RBIs, 11 doubles and six home runs.

See last season's West Virginia baseball stat leaders



5. Nitro
Head coach: Stephen Pritchard
2015 record: 25-10

The Wildcats return a trio of pitchers who combined for 16 wins last year, including all-state sophomore Levi Kelly (4-3), and seniors Eddie Flores (5-1) and Jacob Bradley (8-1). Nitro also returns its top hitter in outfielder Matt Harrison, who hit 10 home runs as a junior.