SENATOBIA – When a team is listed in the NJCAA's annual preseason rankings, the target is automatically drawn on the backs of that program entering the season.

It's a feeling that Northwest and head coach Mark Carson knows all too well.

As a consistent postseason contender, the Northwest baseball program is accustomed to beginning the season ranked or in the very least, receiving votes. Fresh off a program-best No. 7 preseason ranking just two seasons ago, the Rangers were slotted at No. 15 entering a promising 2020 campaign.

To the NJCAA's credit, the preseason rank is an accurate one. Coming off a 2019 season that yielded a 33-14 overall record, 20-8 mark in the MACJC and an NJCAA Region 23 Tournament appearance, the Rangers return a promising core of players at nearly every position, including some that have yielded national attention.

One group that has caught the attention of scouts and coaches alike is pitching. Despite losing a solid midweek starter in Carson Stinnett and a reliever in Reed Harding (both to Memphis), the Rangers bring back two of their top arms to anchor the starting rotation.

One of two starters to watch includes Arlington, Tenn. native and former Ole Miss signee Dalton Fowler. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound lefty started 13 games on the mound, recording a 6-2 record and a 3.76 ERA while striking out 88 batters against 43 walks. Rated as one of the top 200 draft prospects by MLB Pipeline, Fowler garnered First Team All-MACJC recognition before being drafted in the 27th round by the New York Mets over the summer.

Now, Fowler is back in Senatobia as a University of Oklahoma signee under the watchful eyes of Division I coaches and MLB scouts alike. With a year of college experience under his belt, expect to see more growth from the sophomore this season.

Returning with Fowler to the starting rotation is fellow All-MACJC first teamer and Oxford native Parker Stinnett. After quietly rising to the role of the Rangers' No. 1 starter, Stinnett compiled a 7-3 record and 2.74 ERA while recording 82 strikeouts. He also pitched four complete games and held opposing batters to a .181 average, catching the eye of several Division I programs before settling on Mississippi State in November.

Additionally, Northwest is expected to have the most pitching depth since Carson took over the reins as head coach in 2006. The Rangers will seek the added benefits of a healthy Reed Logsdon, Delta State transfer Landon Zizmann, sophomore Trent Bunting, relievers Colton Peel and Jackson Smith and a large crop of freshmen.

At the plate, the Rangers lose two powerful punches in Hayden Leatherwood and Ben Van Cleve, after both joined Ole Miss following their respective careers in Senatobia. Van Cleve finished as the team's leading hitter last season, batting .375 with 13 doubles, 14 home runs and 47 RBIs, while Leatherwood ended his sophomore season as the team's fourth-leading hitter at .333 with 12 doubles, a triple, seven home runs and 24 RBIs.

While both players will be hard to replace in the everyday lineup, Northwest welcomes back several heavy hitters to the lineup, led by outfielder and second-leading hitter Brayland Skinner. The former Lake Cormorant product hit .369 with five doubles, a triple, three homers and 16 RBIs last season, while holding down the duties in centerfield with a .974 fielding percentage.

Other heavy hitters returning to the lineup this season include outfielder Hammer Franks and infield trio Kelton Hall, Peyton Mills and Tucker Richmond. A late slump dropped Franks' batting average to .281 by the end of the season but at his peak, the Mooreville native served as one of the most consistent pieces of the Rangers' lineup, hitting .341 by mid-April. 

In addition to 11 home runs and 46 RBIs, Franks also fielded .963 from right field while making seven appearances on the mound in relief, finishing 1-1 with 11 strikeouts.

Despite playing in just 24 games, Richmond still finished as the team's third leading hitter at .344 with three triples and 10 RBIs. Mills finished fifth at .284 with five doubles, two triples, five home runs and 23 RBIs and Hall ended the year just outside the top five, hitting .271 with three doubles, six home runs and 20 RBIs.

Behind the plate, Northwest loses a consistent force in Tanner Booth but return veteran catchers Garrett Riggs and Cade Spratlin. Of the two returners, Riggs saw the most action, earning a .982 fielding percentage in 17 games.

Overall, Carson welcomes 14 newcomers to the Rangers' roster, highlighted by Zizmann, Collierville, Tenn. product Ty Leatherwood, East Union duo Cade Bell and Joel Wilkinson, Calhoun City infielder McGreger Lee and DeSoto Central product Dylan Hale, just to name a few.

As far as figuring out which freshmen will become consistent members of the starting lineup, Northwest has some time to figure that out before the conference opener on March 14 at No. 6 Jones College. The Rangers will welcome Southwest Tennessee on Feb. 11 for opening day before hosting Muskegon (Mich.), Columbia State (Tenn.), Wallace State-Hanceville (Ala.) and Olive-Harvey College (Ill.). Additionally, the Rangers will also travel to Baton Rouge on Feb. 22 and host a round-robin with Coahoma and Mississippi Delta on March 6 to close out the non-conference portion of the schedule.

Aside from visits to Jones and East Central, the bulk of the Rangers' road schedule is light with most of the preseason ranked teams coming to Jim Miles Field this season, including a three-game homestand in April against 17th-ranked Hinds, No. 7 Itawamba and No. 20 Meridian. Fifth-ranked Pearl River and consistent threat Mississippi Gulf Coast will also travel to Senatobia this season.

Northwest's home opener on Tuesday, Feb. 11 against Southwest Tennessee is set for a 2/5 p.m. doubleheader. Catch all the action live on nwccrangers.com/watch with live stats provided through nwccrangers.com.