By John Cackowski
State Director

On 12-1-15 we will begin our Top 50 preseason ranking countdown. Like any preseason ranking for any sport, last year our list created a lot of fun conversations, debate, and opinions among players, coaches, and families.

What makes our list unique is it combines all classifications (1A through 5A), and leading up to the start of the high school season, we will count down the top 50 preseason teams every day as part of our comprehensive season coverage.

Factors that are considered when creating the Top 50 List are the following:

- How many current players are returning that are in PBR Colorado rankings
- How many returning college commits that are starters are returning
- How many overall players committed or non-committed are returning
- How many starting pitchers are returning
- Success the previous season
- History of success in the program

Let's take a look back at our 2015 Preseason Rankings and see how close the Prep Baseball Report staff for Colorado did.

To see the 2015 Top 50 Preseason Rankings and write-ups Click Here

What we got right in 2015

- 42 of our Top 50 teams last year made the district playoffs (84%)

- 19 out of the Top 20 teams last year made the playoffs (95%)

- 5 of our Top 8 overall teams hosted a district site (Eaton, Cherry Creek, Legend, Mountain Vista, Pine Creek)

- 9 of our Top 12 overall teams played in a District Championship Game (Green Mountain, Eaton, Cherry Creek, Regis, Fairview, Mountain Vista, Pine Creek, Grandview, Wheat Ridge)

- 4 out of our Top 8 5A teams hosted a district site (Cherry Creek, Legend, Mountain Vista, Pine Creek)

- 5 of our Top 8 5A teams made the Final 8 (Cherry Creek, Regis, Mountain Vista, Pine Creek, Grandview)

- 5 of our Top 8 4A teams made the Final 8 (Green Mountain, Wheat Ridge, Windsor, Evergreen, Lewis Palmer)

- 12 of our Top 20 overall teams made the Final 8 (Green Mountain, Eaton, Cherry Creek, Regis, Mountain Vista, Pine Creek, Wheat Ridge, Chatfield, Windsor, Monarch)

- Our top 2A team in the overall Top 50 Resurrection Christian (No. 36 overall) played in the 2A State Championship game

- Our Top Overall 3A Team in the Top 50 Eaton won the 3A State Championship Game

- Our Top Overall 4A Team in the Top 50 Green Mountain High School won the 4A State Championship Game

What we got wrong in 2015

- Erie was a 4A Final 8 Team and was not in Top 50 overall Rankings

- Dakota Ridge was a Top 15 overall Top 50 team and did not make playoffs

- Only one of the four 3A teams in our overall Top 50 made the 3A Final 8

- Fruita Monument was the overall 5th seed in the 5A District playoffs and hosted a district site but was our 49th team overall in the Top 50.

- 5A Teams Cherokee Trail and Smoky Hill had good springs and made a district Championship team but were left out of overall Top 50.

- At the 5A level in the district playoffs, Cherokee Trail was an 11 seed but was left out of the overall Top 50