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2015 Team Preview: West Branch

March 11, 2015

By Dylan Hefflinger and PBR Staff
Ohio Editor in Chief/NW Scout

From now until the start of the 2015 season, Prep Baseball Report Ohio will bring you in-depth team previews throughout the entire state. If your coach has not filled out the survey please have him do so through this link.

Along with the team previews, the 2015 Team Rankings will be releasing sometime late February and we hope to bring a Q&A session to discuss the rankings. To view the final regular season rankings of 2014 please click here. To view the preseason rankings from 2014 please click here.

Also, we will be releasing the preseason All-State Teams sometime in early March. To view the 2014 preseason All-State Teams please click here.

Please head over to JJHuddle to discuss the team previews.

Interested in attending a PBR Ohio event? Check out our schedule by clicking here.

2015 Team Preview: West Branch

School Name: West Branch
Coaches Name: Shawn Alazaus
2014 Record: 17-12
Conference: Northeastern Buckeye
Conference Record: 11-3/ T-1st
Division Level: II

Postseason Accomplishments:

  • Regional twice

Key Players Lost From 2014:

  • Jeff Vizzuso, RHP
  • Jake Evanoff, RHP, Hiram

Number of Returning Starters/Pitchers: 5/1

Strengths of Team:

  • Catching/defense
  • Pitching – good but inexperienced

Weaknesses of Team:

  • Inexperience bottom of the order
  • Need to improve overall offensively

Top Prospects in Class of 2015:

  • Kip DeShields, RHP, 2015, 6'5, 220, L/R, Division I arm and size
  • Jake Smith, C, 2015, 5'11, 195, R/R, signed with Malone
  • Jerian Thomas, SS, 2015, 5'11, 170, R/R, tremendous athlete, excels in all three sports, football, basketball, baseball

Top Prospects in Class of 2016:

  • Hunter Steele, utility/RHP, 5'10, 175, L/R, good be good player for us, works hard

Top Prospects in Class of 2017:

  • Rylee Wallace, CF/RHP, 5'9, 190, R/R, father played professionally for Pittsburgh Pirates, has great arm, could develop into prospect

Top Prospects in Class of 2018:

  • Brant Alazaus, LHP, 5'10, 130, high 70's as a frosh, father played professionally for New York Yankees organization - could develop into a future prospect
  • TJ DeShields, OF/RHP, 6'1, 175, L/R, going to be a big kid, has potential to be a future prospect
  • Seth Schroeder, C/2B, 5'5,120, S/R, very good skill for freshman, if he develops physically could be a prospect

Notable College/MLB Alumni:

  • Evan Campbell – Kent State University

Top Headlines for the Buckeye State