Illinois Baseball Hires New Pitching Coach Dillon Napoleon

It has been a rough stretch for Illinois' pitching. The Illini have failed to post a team ERA under 5.00 in each of the past five seasons, but Napoleon has the track record to seemingly give the program a chance to break that trend.

Napoleon was named the 2025 Conference USA Assistant Coach of the Year after leading one of the top pitching staffs in C-USA over the past three seasons. The Hilltoppers ranked near the top in every major category, and posted a 3.50 ERA in 2025 – which not only led C-USA by more than a run but was the also the fourth-lowest mark in the nation.

Napoleon had four pitchers selected in the MLB Draft and one free-agent signee during his stretch at WKU. He has also served as an assistant coach at Iowa Western Community College, Northwestern and Berry College.

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