MaxPreps 2015 North Dakota preseason baseball Fab 5, presented by the Army National Guard

1. Dickinson
2014 finish: 24-7
Head coach: Pete Dobitz

Dickinson finished first in the Western Dakota Association last year before falling to Bismarck and Red River and finishing fourth at the state tournament. The Midgets should stand tall again in 2015, however, as all-state pitcher Luke Herauf returns along with all-state catcher Mark Erickson.

View last season's North Dakota baseball rankings, presented by the Army National Guard

2. Bismarck
2014 finish: 22-10
Head coach: Jim Patton



The Demons finished third in conference play last year, but they managed to battle through the state playoffs with wins over Dickinson in the semifinals and Grand Forks Central in the championship game. The Demons had a strong group of seniors last year with Ty Oakland (OF/P), one of the few starting underclassmen.

View last season's North Dakota baseball playoff brackets

3. Red River (Grand Forks)
2014 finish: 19-4
Head coach: Mark Varriano

Red River finished tied for first with Fargo North in the Eastern Dakota Conference last year and reached the semifinals of the Class A state playoffs. The Roughriders return one of the league's top hitters in all-conference selection Jayce Turner. He batted .392 as a junior. Meanwhile senior pitcher Colin Hennessy returns after earning all-conference honors as a junior.

View last season's North Dakota baseball stat leaders

4. Grand Forks Central
2014 finish: 10-12
Head coach: Kyle Beckstead

The Knights came on strong during the postseason as they reached the state finals before falling to Bismarck. Central returns one of the state's top players in all-conference outfielder Zachary Walz.

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5. Century (Bismarck)
2014 finish: 21-14
Head coach: Mike Gustavsson and Kent Schweigert 



Century finished sixth at the state tournament in 2014, but still managed to win 21 games. Aside from a nine-win season in 2013, Century has averaged 20 wins a year for the past seven years. One of the more intriguing players expected to return for Century is Cyril Nagurski. The senior left fielder and pitcher is the great grandson of NFL Hall of Famer Bronco Nagurski.