Venice: No. 4 in the 2014 Xcellent 25 Preseason National Baseball Rankings

One thing is for certain: The Venice Indians will not repeat as the Florida Class 7A state champions.

That's because Craig Faulkner's crew has dropped down to Class 6A this year. But make no mistake, the Indians will be vying for a third-straight state championship.

Although Venice (29-3) has lost several top players, including standouts like pitcher Cooper Hammond and first baseman Nick Longhi, they also return some of the top players in the country in catcher Michael Rivera and shortstop Dalton Guthrie.

As a result, the Indians begin the season ranked No. 4 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 preseason national rankings. MaxPreps will conclude its countdown of the preseason rankings with a Top 100 on Feb. 21. See the Top 10 teams landing page here

Venice has been a mainstay at the top of the national rankings the past few seasons, finishing No. 4 in the final Xcellent 25 in 2013. While Faulkner will have to replace the majority of the innings on the mound, including those provided by last year's Florida Dairy Farmers Class 7A State Player of the Year in Hammond, he has several strong performers in Brandon Elmy and Ryan Miller.

Elmy won the state championship games in both 2012 and 2013 and has signed to play next year at Furman. Miller has signed to play catcher at Florida Atlantic, but has shown to be a surprise on the mound thanks to a 93 mph fastball.

The Indians also return several strong junior candidates in Kade Hunkapiller, a 6-foot-3 lefthander, junior righthander Colin Cristello and Cole Kragel, a 6-7 right-handed pitcher who throws 87 mph.

Those five will be throwing to one of the top catchers in the country in Rivera, who played for Team USA 18-U last summer and helped the team win a gold medal. He batted .528 as a junior and earned all-tournament and defensive honors in the World Cup tournament.

Guthrie, meanwhile, has been one of the top young infielders in the country since his freshman season. He is a potential Major League Baseball Draft choice in June after batting .298 last season.

The Indians have gotten off to a bit of a rough start, losing their season opener to Lakewood Ranch last week. However, it should be noted that Venice also started last season 1-1 after two games. It doesn't get any easier for Venice, which will play in the National High School Invitational for the second year in a row. Last season, the Indians went 3-1 in the tournament.

Venice will also participate in The Perfect Game Georgia/Florida Showdown. Last year, Venice won the event with victories over perennial Georgia powerhouses Parkview and Cartersville.

View a gallery of the Venice preseason photo shoot