Leading up to the start of the high school season, we will count down the Top 25 preseason teams every day as part of our comprehensive season coverage:

RHP/OF Carson Montgomery

Team: West Orange
Preseason Rank: 20
2016 Record: 26-4
FHSAA Class: 8A
Head Coach:Jesse Marlo
Playoff Run: Lost in Regional Final
Returning Starters: 11


TOP PLAYERS
Name, Position, Class (College Commitment)
Doug Nikhazy, LHP, 2018 (Ole Miss)
Ryan Jean, LHP, 2018 (North Florida)
Carson Montgomery, RHP/OF, 2020 (Florida State)
Noah Hughes, 1B, 2019 (BYU)
Andrew Coello, C, 2019

X-FACTOR
Doug Nikhazy.  A fourth year starter for West Orange, he is a true high school ace. He has experience and comes into 2018 after going 7-1 with a 0.85 ERA while striking out 69 in 51.2 innings pitched. He also batted .314 with 20 RBIs and 2 home runs in 2017. The Warriors will look to Nihazy to lead the way in 2018.

KEY PLAYERS LOST
SS Chris Seise (1st round Texas Rangers)
RHO Cole Beavin (ECU)

OUTLOOK
The West Orange Warriors are consistently one of the top teams not only in central Florida, but in the entire state. They will look to replace their top arm in Beavin and top bat in Seise from the 2017 club. West Orange also has a unique loss of players with a new school opening nearby in Windermere High School. Despite the losses, the Warriors return a strong core with both experience and talented young players. Led by veteran Doug Nikhazy who was the second leading pitcher in 2017 in wins and fourth in RBIs. The warrior will also look to talented young arm Carson Montgomery to step up and play a big role along with Ryan Jean on the mound. Offensively, they will look to a pair of underclassmen to step up in the middle of the order in Noah Hughes and Andrew Coello. West Orange returns 11 starters and has a lot of depth and talent which bring them in at No 20 in Preseason Power 25 countdown.

Make sure to follow @pbrflorida on Twitter for the most up-to-date coverage throughout the season.

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