MaxPreps 2016 Michigan preseason high school softball Fab 5, presented by the Army National Guard

1. St. Mary Catholic Central (Monroe)
Head coach: John Morningstar
2015 record: 37-6

Not only did the Kestrels go 7-0 in the state tournament to win the Division 3 state title — they did it without giving up a single run. That's thanks in large part to arguably the state's best pitcher, lefty Meghan Beaubien, who will return for her junior season. Beaubien, a Michigan commit, averaged 16 strikeouts per game and even slugged a two-run homer in the state title game which the team won (you guessed it), 2-0.

See last season's Michigan softball computer rankings

2. Caledonia
Head coach: Tom Kaechele
2015 record: 34-5

Caledonia lost to Warren Regina — seemingly a team of destiny — in the Division 1 final. The Fighting Scots will be formidable once again this season, however, led by Sammie Gehrls, one of the top players in the state. Gehrls was 20-2 in the circle and blasted 14 home runs as a freshman in 2015.

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3. Regina (Warren)
Head coach: Diane Laffey
2015 record: 27-16

Not often does a team that starts 3-11 end up winning the state title, but that's exactly what Laffey and the Saddlelites pulled off in a dream 2015 season. Regina will lose a lot of firepower to graduation but there's no doubt that Laffey — the state's all time leader in softball coaching wins — will have her team ready come playoff time.

See last season's Michigan softball playoff brackets

4. Mercy (Farmington Hills)
Head coach: Alec Lesko
2015 record: 27-4

Mercy fell to Caledonia, 5-2, in the Division 1 semifinals, which ended the career of one of the state's all-time greats, Alex Sobczak, now a freshman at Michigan. Sobczak will leave a huge hole after pounding 40 career home runs with a .524 career average, but the Marlins will have plenty of talent ready to step up and have a great 2016 campaign. All-state junior Sophia VanAcker will likely take the reigns at the plate.

See last season's Michigan softball stat leaders

5. Plymouth (Canton)
Head coach: Lauren Delapaz
2015 record: 30-5

Delapaz led the Wildcats to their first ever regional championship last season, and Plymouth is ready to build on that momentum. All-state selections Mikayela Marciniak and Brittney Miller graduated, but the team has plenty of experienced players ready to step up. Taking over in the circle will likely be sophomore Jennifer Bressler, who showed signs of brilliance last season as a freshman.