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: West Branch HS
Class: DII
League: Northeastern Buckeye Conference
Head Coach: Shawn Alazaus
2013 Overall Record: 12-15
2013 Conference Record: 8-6
Returning Starters: 7
Returning Pitchers: 5

TOP PLAYERS

Jake Evanoff, RHP, 2014, 5'9, 160, R-R
Jerian Thomas, SS, 2015, 5'10, 170, R-R
Chipper Tuel, OF/3B, 2015, 5'10, 175, S-R
Jake Smith, c, 2015, 5-9,190, R-R
Kip DeShields, RHP/1B,2015, 6-4,215, L-R
Jeff Vizzuso, RHP, 2014, 6-2,210, R-R

OUTLOOK:

West Branch is coming off of a 12-15 season. However, they posted an 8-6 conference record and are looking to contend for the conference title this year. They are returning a lot of experience, including seven starters and five pitchers. Players that look to contribute a great deal this season include senior pitcher Jake Evanoff, junior SS Jerian Thomas, junior OF/3B Chipper Tuel, junior catcher Jake Smith, junior P/1B Kip DeShields, and senior pitcher Jeff Vizzuso. They have great experience and a hungry group of upperclassman. Look for West Branch to be a top competitor in the Northeastern Buckeye Conference this season.

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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.