Division III baseball of 2016 hardly resembles D-III baseball of 2015.

The one-year realignment has brought many teams down from Division I and Division II. Of the top 16 teams in the final power-rankings -- 11 competed in D-I or D-II last year. The only schools in the current top 16 who competed in D-III last year are Sahuarita, Snowflake, Lee Williams, Holbrook and Rio Rico.

Five of the seven section champs landed in the top-10 in the power rankings -- Nogales, Alhambra, San Luis, Mingus and Casa Grande. The other two section champs are North Canyon and Lee Williams.

Those facts aside, here's a brief look at the top 10 teams heading to state tournament that opens on Friday April 29:

No. 1 Nogales -- The Apaches (24-6)  have been steady throughout the season. Coach OJ Favela has received huge contributions from four players at the plate, on the mound or both. Kevin Jimenez leads in hitting with a .389 average and  20 RBI and Ralph Padilla (.349, 15 RBI) has been solid. Both Angel Chavez (.362 avg., team-high 21 RBI) and Edgar Ambriz (.360 avg) have done well pitching. Chavez sports a 5-1 record and 1.95 ERA. Ambriz, working mostly in relief and as a closer, is 6-2, 2.01 ERA. Starting pitcher Angel Zuniga is 5-0 with a 1.11 ERA. Nogales lost in the first round at state last year in D-II.

No. 2 Alhambra -- The Lions (22-4-1) were the No. 17 seed in last year's D-I state tournament. They bowed out in the first round last year. Coach Chris Hoth, averaging 18 wins season since he took over the program in 2011, has a senior-oriented team. Senior Aldo Fernandez and  junior Jesus Aldaz are formidable starters. -- Fernandez is 6-2, 1.02 ERA and hs 68 Ks in 48 innings. Aldaz is 5-0, 0.36 ERA. Top hitters are David Avitia (.530 avg., team-high 33 RBI);  Fernandez (.420 avg., 21 RBI), Javier Hernandez (.390 avg. 17 RBI) and Miguel Medina (.392 avg., 22 RBI). 

No. 3 San Luis -- The Sidewinders (20-5) qualified for the D-II state tournament last year and reached the second round before losing. They split with Kofa the final week, good enough to secure the section title. A trio of juniors have paced San Luis -- Ramon Miranda, Gabriel Ponce and Jesus Pulido. They've been equally adept hitting and pitching. Miranda is the staff ace with an 8-1 record and 1.34 ERA. He's batting .409 with 18 RBI. Pulido is primarily a reliever. He's 1-1, 1.50 ERA and is batting .377 with 20 RBI. Ponce also is a starter and is 4-0 with a 1.97 ERA. He leads the team in average (.471) and RBI (29). Senior Ricardo Leon is hitting .365 and is second on the team in RBI with 24.

No. 4 Sahuarita -- The Mustangs (22-6) have held their own in D-III despite the influx of teams moving down from D-I and D-II. They won Section II and feature a nice balance of hitting an pitching. Senior Kevin Morales is a dual threat. He leads the team in batting (.525) and has a respectable 21 RBI. On the mound he is 3-0 with a 1.73 ERA and has closed games. The team's power source is sophomore Saul Escarrega, hitting .402 with 7 HRs and 41 RBI. Senior Sergio Santa Cruz checks in at .400 with 26 RBI and junior Rigo Leon is batting .419 with a team-high 34 runs scored. The 1-2 punch in starting pitching rests with sophomore Ian Mejia (7-0, 2.27 ERA) and senior southpaw Austin Bryan (6-0, 1.30 ERA). Bryan has 64 Ks in 54 innings. Sahuarita reached the D-III quarters last year, losing to eventual champ Northwest Christian.

No. 5 Mingus -- The Marauders (21-7) completed their regular season on April 21. They were up and down early, but closed with a flourish winning six of their last seven and triumphed in their final nine power-ranking games. Last week they dealt Alhambra a 3-1 loss. Mingus, led by longtime coach Bob Young, has a youthful squad. Pitchng and defense are its strengths. Sophomore left-hander Jordan Huey is 5-0 with a 2.20 ERA. Senior pitcher Zach Abrigo  is 7-1 with 1.94 ERA and junior Mitchell Lindsay is 3-0, 1.38 ERA. Offensively the leaders are junior catcher Gus Henley, (.512 avg., 3 HR, 37 RBI and  sophomore third baseman Tyler Kelly (.477 avg. 31 RBI). Mngus reached the elite 8 of D-II last year before losiing twice in double elimination.

No. 6 Trevor Browne -- The Bruins (22-4) have played well this season in posting a 20-4 record. Its offense has put up some runs led by Genner Cervantes (.526, 37 runs scored, 27 RBI), Ismael Alvarado ( 30 runs scored, 24 RBI), and Ivan Cervantes (29 runs scored). Coach Deston Cummings is still looking for more consistency from his defense and pitching staff. Alvarado is 5-1 with a 2.65 ERA and Sergio Heguerrty is 4-0, 1.42 ERA .Cervantes (4-1, 3.75 ERA) and Heguerrty are averaging better than a strikeout and inning.  A light schedule is a concern as postseason arrives.

No. 7 Kofa -- The Kings (15-9) have trended positively in the last couple weeks winning eight of their last 10 games and challenging San Luis for the Section IV title. Kofa is not exposive offensively, but doesn't give up much either. Top pitcher is Cameron Sharp, who is 4-1 with a 1.29 ERA. Sharp has 34 Ks in 33 innings. Richie Preciado (3-0, 0.76 ERA) and Robert Martinez (3-3, 3.63) keep the Kings in games. Top run-producers for coach Richy Leon's team are Enrique Porhcas (.407, 13 RBI) and Kevin Avila (.342, 18 RBI). Kofa did not reach the D-II playoffs last year.

No. 8 Casa Grande -- The Cougars (15-12)  rode a roller coaster early in the season, but became more consistent in terms of wins and losses when they got into section (7-1) and division play (currently 11-2). They recently clinched the Section VII title. Pitching is the feam's forte (a 2.97 ERA overall).  The  staff is led by Gil Luna, a dominanating hurler  in D-III.  He sports a 5-3 record in nine starts and one inning of relief.  Luna has thrown 58 innings, whiffed 126 batters, with 32 walks, 23 hits and 15 runs (11 earned). He's fanned 19 batters in a game twice this season. Offensively, the Cougars have been inconsistent. Jacob Martinez (.339) and Josh West (.323) are the leading hitters. Casa Grande picked up a confidence-building win a week prior to state with a 5-2 win over San Luis.

No. 9 Holbrook -- The Roadrunners (18-8) didn't qualify for state last year, but have rectified that with a fine season. Holbrook is led by senior Nick Robinson. Robinson is batting .493 with 2 HR and 31 RBI. He also serves often as closer with six saves and nearly a strikeout an inning  in relief. Topping the batting average chart is junior Cade Maestas. Maestas sports a .554 average with 46 RBI. Senior Michael O'Brien is hitting .343. Starting pitching is strong led by Trevor Barton (7-2, 2.00 ERA). Tristan Baldonado is 5-4 and has 52 Ks in 37 innings.

No. 10 Maricopa -- The Rams (15-12) finished behind Casa Grande in their section and lost a 1-0 decision to the Cougars late in the season. They led offensively by catcher Christian Garcia, who is hitting .377, 19 RBI and 5 2Bs.. Kevin Borboa is hitting .512 with 4 2B. Marcos Cano is hitting .356 with 19 RBI, 3 2Bs and 2 HRs. On the mound the leader is Tyler Rapp, who is 5-1 with a 2.27 ERA. Rapp has 31 Ks in 37 innings. Carter Paine is 4-3 with a 2.81 ERA with  39 Ks in 42 innings.