MaxPreps 2015 Mississippi Baseball Fab 5 presented by the Army National Guard
1. DeSoto Central (Southaven)2014 finish: 28-10
Head coach: Mark Monaghan
The Jaguars fell to Oak Grove in last year's Class 6A state championship game, but they start the season as the No. 1 team in the state. DeSoto Central has, quite possibly, the state's top all-around athlete in
Austin Riley, an all-state football player who could also go high in this year's Major League Baseball Draft. He batted .465 with nine home runs last year and also had an 8-3 record with a 1.51 ERA. The pitching staff also returns
Keegan James (6-2) while the offense returns
Brant Blaylock (.372) and
Colin Coates (.310).
View last season's Mississippi baseball rankings, presented by the Army National Guard2. Jackson Prep2014 finish: 33-4
Head coach: Chuck Box
Jackson Prep does not play in the Mississippi High Schools Activities Association, but it did win the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools AAA Division I state championship last year. Besides returning five offensive starters, the Patriots return every pitching win from last year, including
Noah Hughes (11-1),
Parker Caracci (7-1) and
Nick Elrod (6-0). Top returning hitters include infielder
Gene Wood (.596, 6 home runs), outfielder
Jake Mangum (.446) and outfielder
Trace Lovertich (.360).
View last season's Mississippi baseball playoff brackets3. Brandon2014 finish: 25-9
Head coach: Stacy Hester
Brandon reached the Class 6A semifinals, falling to eventual champion Oak Grove in two games. Eight of the top nine offensive players return from that team, led by
Jackson Mitchell (.427, 3 home runs),
Erick Hoaard (.360, 9), and
Hunter Wilson (.303, 6). The pitching staff also returns mostly intact with
Zach Taylor (8-3 record) and junior
Chad Butcher (8-2) the top returning throwers.
View last season's Mississippi baseball stat leaders4. Oak Grove (Hattiesburg)2014 finish: 27-6
Head coach: Chris McCardle
Winners of two state titles in the past three seasons, Oak Grove defeated DeSoto Central in three games in last year's final. Although Oak Grove lost one of the state's top players in Kirk McCarty, it returns five starters from last year's group, including Southern Miss signee
Matthew Guidry at shortstop,
J.C. Keys in the outfield and
Ryan Cullop. The top returning pitcher is sophomore sensation
Drew Boyd.
Laken Wilson and
Daniel Moore should provide speed on defense at second base and in the outfield respectively.
View the MaxPreps Mississippi baseball pro photo galleries5. Purvis2014 finish: 25-10
Head coach: Tony Farlow
The Tornadoes fell to West Lauderdale in the Class 4A state finals, but they return six of the team's top eight hitters from last year and 21 pitching wins.
Jacob Williams is the top returning pitcher as he went 9-2 last year with a 1.23 ERA.
Will Curtis returns after batting .369 with four home runs while
Nathan Roseberry (.276) and
Johnny Ford (.414) each had three home runs.