The preseason landscape is once again crowded with contenders, but the standard begins with Melissa. Head coach Cassie Crabtree’s Cardinals return to the diamond following a dominant 38-1 campaign that culminated in a 5A Division I state championship and 2025 MaxPreps National Champion honors. With back-to-back titles already secured, Melissa now turns its focus toward an elusive three-peat — and enters the spring as the team to beat.

The 6A ranks, however, are anything but quiet. Flower Mound, Forney and Denton Guyer each made extensive playoff runs last year, with Forney advancing all the way to the 6A Division II State Final. Keller, Marcus and Royse City add further depth to a classification that proved both balanced and battle-tested throughout 2025. Several of those programs navigated double-digit district win totals a year ago, underscoring just how competitive the road back to Austin will be.