Seven area teams are among those receiving votes in the preseason poll by the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association.
The St. Elizabeth Hornets, the defending Class 1 state champion, will start the 2020 season in the No. 1 spot in the rankings.
The Fatima Comets, who finished second in the Class 3 state tournament last year, is the No. 1 team in the rankings this season. Defending Class 3 state champion Blair Oaks moved up to Class 4 this season and is receiving votes in that class.
The Helias Crusaders, who tied for third in the Class 4 state tournament last season, is No. 3 in the preseason rankings in the class.
Three area teams mentioned in the Class 2 rankings.
The Russellville Indians are ranked No. 5, while the Eugene Eagles and the Vienna Eagles are both receiving votes.
Joining St. Elizabeth and Fatima as No. 1 in their respective classes are Willard (Class 5), Borgia (Class 4) and Skyline (Class 2).
For the complete rankings in all five classes, see page C2 of today's print edition of the News Tribune.
The season was scheduled to start for some teams as early as this Friday. But with schools out of session for at least the next two weeks due to health concerns, the start of the season remains unknown.
The Missouri State High School Activities Association said in a release earlier this week it still plans to host championships in spring sports, pending further developments. The current days on the association's calendar for district baseball tournaments are May 15-23.