By Dylan Hefflinger
PBR Senior Writer and Northwest scout

At the Top Prospect Games in June, Napoleon RHP Zach Willeman put his name on the recruiting landscape. At the TPG, the righty sat 86-88 with an easy delivery that doesn't require much effort, while mixing in a 12/6 action curve at 76-78 mph.

The 6-foot-2, 175-pound RHP continued to showcase his talent, while improving and seeing a bump in his velocity throughout the summer, posting a 1.86 ERA in 95 2/3 innings (including three complete games) for the Napoleon River Bandits (an American Legion team that has had some talented pitchers come through the program including MLB players/prospects Chad Billingsley, Jon Niese, Chris Carpenter, Luke Hagerty, Chad Reineke, Tyler Burgoon, Matt Bischoff, Justin Hancock and Ajay Meyer). The right-hander struck out 124 batters and walked 53. Willeman was an integral part of the River Bandits' success, helping his squad become one of eight out of more than 400 across the country to make it to the American Legion World Series.

Academically, the talented RHP holds a 4.0 GPA while having a 24 on the ACT.

What schools are you deciding between? What do you like about each school? How is your relationship with the coaching staffs at each school?

As of now, I am deciding between Toledo, Kent State, Miami, Indiana, Cincinnati, Ohio State, and Penn State!

Each of these schools have great baseball programs that can make me a better pitcher and also each one has been in contact with me each week.

What schools have you visited? Are you taking any visits soon?

I have visited Toledo, and the rest of the visits will happen the rest of the month of September and some of the month of October.

Do you have a leader right now?

No leader as of right now!

You are the top prospect left on the board in Ohio (12th overall) right now. Many schools are waiting on you before offering other kids. Do you feel pressure from that situation?

I do feel somewhat pressured, but at the same time I know that I am going to pick the college that is best for me!

Talk about the four pitches you have, when you like to use them, the confidence you have in each pitch, etc...

2-seam FB - I like to use it when I'm ahead in the count, but I am not afraid to use it on the first pitch. It runs both ways depending on the way I grip it. I can run the ball into or away from rightys and leftys.

4-seam FB - I use this pitch to start counts. I have finally gained control and confidence of my fastball. It sometimes has rise to it.

Curveball - I have great confidence in this pitch. This is mainly my strikeout pitch, and I am confident enough to throw this pitch down 2-0 and even on a 3-2 count. 

Changeup - My changeup has finally developed. I changed my grip early in the summer and have gained lots of confidence in it. During the Legion tournament, the changeup was one of my strikeout pitches. According to Joe Keween (catcher from Defiance High School, who is one of the top defensive catchers in the state. DHS had a team ERA of 0.69 during the spring), my summer catcher, my changeup drops and the different spin each time gives the ball a different motion every time. 

How would you describe the success of your legion season and the trip to the American Legion World Series?

The success our legion team had this summer was unbelievable! I was a pitcher only and I couldn't wait for every 5th day so I could pitch. Being only the second Napoleon legion team to make it to the World Series was amazing. The thing that makes it better is 7 of the 9 starters are back for next year. The journey was great this summer and hopefully we can continue that next summer.

Now go in depth a bit about the experience you had with the River Bandits (playing in Alaska, Nebraska, Minnesota) and what you learned while playing against better competition.

River Bandits this summer is by far the best summer team I have ever played on. Traveling to Minnesota and Omaha in June helped me realize what college baseball will be like. Being able to watch a couple CWS games in Omaha was even better. The other big trip we took was to Alaska. Many people were like "Why are you going to play baseball in Alaska?" Well, actually, Alaska was a wonderful experience. The weather was perfect for baseball and the people we met were so nice. If I have another opportunity to play baseball up there I will probably take the offer. Finally, the tourney run was amazing. We made a lot of people proud and it truly brought everyone together as a community to support the Bandits. Playing in North Carolina against the toughest competition showed me what I need to improve on and how to pitch against the toughest teams. 

What do you wish to improve on from your junior to your senior year?

I have high expectations for my senior year. Walks was a definite killer last year and that is definitely one thing I want to improve on. With that comes lower pitch counts which will help me put out batters sooner. Also, I want to increase my velocity a couple mph. I am sitting 88-90 touching 92 and by next year I want to be sitting 90-93 touching 95.