MaxPreps 2015 Missouri preseason softball Fab 5, presented by the Army National Guard

1. Kennett
2014 record: 25-2, Class 1 state champion
Head coach: Kevin McCaig

Following a tough 4-1 Class 1 semifinal win over Scott City last spring, Kennett scored three runs in the top of the first inning and rolled to a 15-5 win over Crest Ridge in the lone Show Me State spring softball classification's state championship game. While the Indians lost four talented seniors from a year ago, first team all-staters Hannah Criswell (So.) and Logan Vaughan (Sr.) are back for 2014 Coach of the Year Kevin McCaig.

View last season's Missouri softball rankings, presented by the Army National Guard

2. Scott City
2014 record: 18-6, Class 1 state consolation champion
Head coach: Kaitlin Zink

Last year's consolation champions were the only team to put a scare into the defending champs during postseason play, falling 4-1 in the semifinals. After losing to Kennett twice a year ago, the Rams feel like this could be their year with the return of first-team all state infielder Lyndsie Robert (Sr.) and all-district players Bella Bowers (Jr.), Liz Hensley (Sr.) and Valerie Bahr (Jr.) coming back for Zink.

View last season's Missouri softball playoff brackets

3. Crest Ridge (Centerview)
2014 record: 21-2, Class 1 state runner-up
Head coach: Mark Amos

Amos guided his club into the championship game a year ago, where it ran into the buzzsaw Indians, losing 15-5. However, returning all-state catcher and infielder Jamie Windholz (Jr.) and Kelsie Seaman (Sr.) had an offseason to make improvements. Kaylee Schmidli (Jr.), Timber Erisman (So.) and Makayla Sivils (Sr.) also return this spring.

View last season's Missouri softball stat leaders

4. West County (Leadwood)
2014 record: 17-3, lost in Class 1 quarterfinals
Head coach: CJ Wright

Even though the Bulldogs never made it past the Class 1 quarterfinals a year ago, it could be argued that they were the third-best team in the state tournament after West County fell to Scott City in the round of eight by a 5-3 count. Coach Wright returns nine starters from a year ago, including all-district and all-state seniors Bailey Marks, Hannah Hollock, Hannah Beck, Mickenzie Carlyon and Kathrine Barnett. Beck led the Bulldogs a year ago with a .661 batting average, while Barnett led the way running the basepaths after stealing 25 bases a year ago. Returning pitchers Hollock and Rikkilyn Wright combined for an 18-3 record a year ago.

View the MaxPreps Missouri softball pro photo galleries

5. Mt. Vernon
2014 record: 20-5, Lost to Scott City in the Class 1 consolation championship
Head coach: Matt Schubert

Schubert lost three players to graduation, a couple of them decided not to play this spring, and yet another moved away. But he does return eight starters from last year's fourth-place team. Back to try and carry Schubert's third-year program to the softball promised land are second team all-state selections Kaitlyn Foulk (Jr.), Maddie Brown (Jr.) and Hailea Schubert (So.). Brown and Morgan Hull (So.) put together solid seasons in the pitching circle a year ago, posting earned run averages of 2.38 and 2.05, respectively. Schubert threw out 11 of 19 base stealers from behind the plate and Foulk leads returning players with a .507 batting average from a year ago.