Prep Baseball Report

Preseason Preview: Westfield HS



By Thad Satre
Prep Baseball Report, Indiana

Ryan Bunnell and the Westfield Shamrocks look to build off of a 17-13 season in 2012. The Shamrocks return five starters and two pitchers. Westfield finished in the middle of the pack in one of the toughest conferences in the state going 8-10 in the Hoosier Crossroads. 

Westfield will be led by a group of players that saw a lot of varsity time early on in their high school careers. Senior Nathan Manworren is one of the seniors that will be counted on in 2013. The outfielder hit .287 with a .451 OBP last year and is developing into a solid top of the order player. Juniors Jake Deitz (SS) and Alec Nelson (3B/2B) will bring back experience and defense to the Shamrock infield, both starting most of their sophomore year. 

Sophomore Bailey Partlow will be behind the plate and should hit in the middle of the order. Luke Dietz logged 28.1 innings with a 4.2 ERA on the mound as a sophomore in 2012, and will be one of the Shamrock’s top arms. 

Bunnell will turn to some other young players to fill in the spots left by the 2012 graduates. Sophomore Jacob Robinson (1B/3B/P) started the last 1/3 of the season in 2012 and should be a factor at one of the corner infield spots, as well as on the mound. Sophomore OF/RHP Chris Ayers, ranked 16th in Indiana’s 2015 class, should also have a big impact on the Shamrocks in 2013. He was up to 86 mph on the mound at a January PBR event. Junior catcher Jackson Freed also could see some quality innings for Westfield.