High school baseball is on the horizon in Lexington County and the state’s baseball coaches association recently released its preseason top-10 rankings for all five SCHSL classifications. 

Six local teams made the cut and will be looking to move up the poll once the season begins. 

In the two 5A polls, Lexington, Dutch Fork and Chapin showed up in the rankings.  

The Wildcats are the defending state champions and begin this season with high expectations, sitting second in the 5A Division I poll. The only team above Lexington is the defending 4A champions, James Island, who moved up a classification during the offseason realignment. 

Sitting seven spots below Lexington at No. 9 is Dutch Fork. The Silver Foxes won their regional bracket in the 5A tournament last season before losing to Lexington in the first round of the Upper State bracket. 

The Silver Foxes and Lexington were the only two local 5A teams to make it out of the regional brackets last season. However, neither team won the region. 

Chapin is the third local 5A team in the poll, ranked No. 4 in the Division II poll. The Eagles are the defending region champions but were eliminated in the second round of its regional bracket by West Ashley. 

While Lexington is the highest-ranked of the three in the preseason, both Chapin and Dutch Fork can quickly prove they are just as good. 

Outside of 5A, Gilbert and Airport earned a spot in the 4A poll, and Batesburg-Leesville is ranked in the 2A poll. 

Gilbert sits at No. 4 in its first season playing up in 4A. The Indians were bumped up from 3A during the offseason. The team won its region last season but failed to make it out of its regional bracket, losing to Beaufort in the championship game. 

Airport ranks ninth in the 4A poll. The Eagles were also a region champion last year but got bounced early in the playoffs. The team lost in the second round after losing games to Indian Land and Greer. 

Airport and Gilbert are in the same region this season and will be joined by another reigning region champion and 2A title runner-up Gray Collegiate. The War Eagles are not ranked in the 4A poll. 

Batesburg-Leesville is seventh and the only Lexington County team in the 2A poll. The Panthers lost to Saluda in its district bracket semifinals last season. 

Practice started this week for all of the teams around Lexington County. The first scrimmages are scheduled to begin at the end of February, and the regular season starts March 10. 

Full baseball coaches rankings

5A Division I 

1. James Island 
2. Lexington 
3. Dorman
4. Ashley Ridge
5. Summerville
6. Byrnes
7. Stratford
8. Blythewood
9. Dutch Fork
10. Boiling Springs and JL Mann 

5A Division II 

1. TL Hanna
2. Catawba Ridge
3. Fort Mill
4. Chapin
5. North Myrtle Beach
6. Berkeley
7. Lugoff-Elgin
8. Lucy Beckham
9. Nation Ford
10. St. James and Indian Land 

4A 

1. Laurens
2. AC Flora
3. Daniel
4. Gilbert
5. Fountain Inn
6. Bishop England
7. Camden
8. Seneca
9. Airport
10. Hartsville and Blue Ridge Class 

3A 

1. Powdersville
2. Hanahan
3. Southside Christian
4. Oceanside Collegiate
5. Fox Creek
6. Loris

7. Woodruff
8. Aynor
9. Pendleton
10. Waccamaw 

2A 

1. Mid-Carolina
2. Cheraw
3. Clinton
4. Strom Thurmond
5. Andrew Jackson
6. Central
7. Batesburg-Leesville
8. Philip Simmons
9. Barnwell
10. Landrum 

1A 

1. Latta
2. Abbeville
3. Lake View
4. McBee
5. Green Sea Floyds
6. Lewisville
7. Dixie
8. Johnsonville
9. Bamberg-Ehrhardt
10. Hannah-Pamplico