As we prepare for our 2014 high school preseason coverage, we are going to take a quick glance at teams from across the state.

Team: Napoleon
Class: DII
League: Northern Lakes League
Head Coach: Mark Stacey
2013 Overall Record: 8-20
2013 Conference Record: 2-12
Returning Starters: 7
Returning Pitchers: 2

TOP PLAYERS

Zach Willeman, RHP, 2014 ... One of the top players in Ohio, ranked seventh overall in the 2014 class. Committed to Kent State. Sits upper 80s with a filthy curve.
Zach Fielder, C, 2014 ... Relatively unknown prospect. Had a down spring, but made of for that in the summer where he crushed the ball. Big, strong, physical athlete.
Jacob Lerch, OF, 2014 ... Committed to Bluffton. Smooth left-handed swing, will probably be atop the lineup with his good speed.
Michael Gilliland, SS, 2015 ... Smooth fielding infielder, smooth swing, solid athlete.
Tyler Torrez, OF, 2014 ... Solid contact at the plate, played well this summer.
Wes Rickenburg, RHP, 2014 ... Committed to BGSU as preferred walk-on. Sits mid 80s with the fastball with solid offspeed.

YOUNG UP AND COMERS

Layne Schnitz-Paxton, RHP, 2016 ... Big upside. Fastball sat 83-85 mph and jumped up to 87 mph with good late life. Big time prospect that looks to be the next DI arm out of Napoleon.
Alex Monin, RHP/INF, 2015 ... Sits upper 70s on the hill. Older brother Austin goes to Ohio Dominican.

OUTLOOK:  

The Napoleon Wildcats may be coming off an 8-20 season a year ago, but that doesn't mean there aren't high expectations for the Wildcats in 2014. Napoleon could be a dark horse in the NLL and division II as the Wildcats boast a solid pitching staff, led by ace Zach Willeman (Kent State commit) who sits upper 80s with a filthy curve. Wes Rickenburg and Layne Schnitz-Paxton both sit mid 80s while Alex Monin rounds out the staff, sitting upper 70s. Napoleon's offense is lead by seniors Zach Fielder, Jacob Lerch (Bluffton commit) and Tyler Torrez. Michael Gilliland, a smooth fielding junior shortstop will look to have a big season. Willeman, Fielder, Torrez and Gilliland all know how to win as they were all big parts of the Napoleon River Bandits American Legion team who reached the world series in North Carolina, one of eight teams out of over 5,000 overall teams.

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COACHES PRE-SEASON QUESTIONNAIRE

We appreciate the strong response so far from high school coaches across the state assisting with our pre-season coverage. If you have not already done so you can fill out our coaches pre-season questionnaire online by clicking here.