
Seth Beer and Lambert are back as the top team in Georgia this season.
File photo by Steve Hampton
MaxPreps 2015 Georgia Baseball Fab 5 presented by the Army National Guard
1. Lambert (Suwanee)2014 finish: 36-2
Head coach: Drew Ferrer
The Longhorns won the Class 6A state championship last season and return nearly everyone from that team, except for the coach, Jamie Corr, who took a college coaching job in Florida. Ferrer inherits a squad that includes MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year
Seth Beer, who has already committed to Clemson. He led Lambert with a .589 batting average, 10 home runs and 21 doubles last season. He also had a 6-0 pitching record.
J.D. Dutka is also back after posting an 11-1 record last year while
Tucker Maxwell (.404) and
Kyle McCann (.404) return for their junior seasons. Maxwell has committed to the University of Georgia while Dutka has committed to Florida Southwestern. Another player to watch is Auburn recruit
Jeremy Johnson, who batted .360.
View last season's Georgia baseball rankings, presented by the Army National Guard2. Parkview (Lilburn)2014 finish: 28-7
Head coach: Chan Brown
Brown returns six of his team's top nine offensive performers and nine wins from the pitching staff of a team that reached the Class 6A state semifinals before falling to eventual champion Lambert. Among the top returning players include
Daino Deas, a second baseman committed to Auburn;
Trevor Brown, a shortstop committed to Kennesaw State;
Ryne Inman, a right-handed pitcher committed to Georgia State, and
David Draper, an outfielder headed to Emory University. The Panthers will miss pitcher Mac Marshall and first baseman Isiah Gilliam, both of whom were high MLB Draft picks last June.
View last season's Georgia baseball playoff brackets3. Kennesaw Mountain (Kennesaw)2014 finish: 25-7
Head coach: George Hansen
Kennesaw Mountain has five players headed to Division I colleges next year in centerfielder
Reggie Pruitt (Vanderbilt), catcher
Tyler Stephenson (Georgia Tech), pitcher
Ryley Gilliam (Clemson), pitcher
Zach Goodman (Clemson) and third baseman
Cole Buffington (The Citadel). Pruitt batted .480 last year while Stephenson batted .447 with 31 RBIs. Both Pruitt and Stephenson are expected to be high draft picks in the Major League Baseball Draft in June.
View last season's Georgia baseball stat leaders4. Gainesville2014 finish: 27-8
Head coach: Jeremy Kemp
The Red Elephants lost one of the nation's top players in Michael Gettys, who was taken early in last year's Major League Baseball Draft. However, several top pitchers return, including
Caleb Whitenton (4-0 on the mound),
Michael Curry (4-1) and
Sam Carpenter (2-1). Whitenton and Curry were also among the team's top batters, along with
Brandon Sewell (.310) and
Luke Maddox (.364).
View the MaxPreps Georgia baseball pro photo galleries5. Buford2014 finish: 30-5
Head coach: Tony Wolfe
Buford returns 29 wins from last year's pitching staff, led by
Kevin Coulter (10-1), who has signed with Mercer, and
Jake Higginbotham (9-0), who has signed with Clemson. Wolfe has five other returning starters, all of whom have signed with Division I schools: catcher
Joey Bart (Georgia Tech), pitcher
Keyton Gibson (Georgia Tech), pitcher
Conner Bennett (West Virginia), junior outfielder
Nick Wilhite (Georgia Tech) and junior shortstop
Austin Wilhite (Georgia Tech).