CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Dillon Napoleon has been named Illinois' pitching coach, head coach Dan Hartleb announced Friday. Napoleon joins the Fighting Illini after three seasons as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky, serving in the same role.
"I'm honored to join the University of Illinois baseball program and to work under the leadership of coach Hartleb," Napoleon said. "The opportunity to contribute to such a respected program and be part of an outstanding, well-established coaching staff is truly exciting. My family and I are thrilled to become part of the Fighting Illini community. I look forward to helping develop a pitching staff that competes at the highest level, with toughness, discipline and a relentless drive to win on and off the field."
"We are extremely excited to have Dillon join our Illini family and coaching staff," Hartleb said. "For years I have admired how Dillon has carried and presented himself dating back to his time in the Big Ten as an assistant at Northwestern. He has proven to be a tireless recruiter and his pitching staffs' numbers speak for themselves. His ability to build strong relationships and drive skill development has been instrumental in his teams' successes and the individual achievements of his pitchers. Beyond baseball, he is a person of high integrity with great family values. Our coaching staff is looking forward to working together with Dillon to help our players perform at a championship level. We are excited to welcome Dillon, his wife, Bethany, and their family to Champaign."
Napoleon, a native of Wilmette, Ill., who was recently named the 2025 Conference USA Assistant Coach of the Year, led one of the top pitching staffs in C-USA over the past three seasons, with the Hilltoppers ranking near the top of every major category.
WKU 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 entire country. The Hilltoppers also recorded 513 strikeouts during the campaign, the most in a single season in program history, breaking the previous record of 490, which was set in 2024 under Napoleon's tutelage. Since 2023, WKU's 55 saves are the most in the conference during that span and they boasted a top three ERA in each season.
Napoleon has had four pitchers selected in the MLB Draft and one sign a free agent contract out of WKU. In 2023, RHP CJ Weins was selected in the sixth round of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Boston Red Sox while LHP Cam Tullar signed with the Los Angeles Angels. Three pitchers were selected in the 2024 MLB Draft beginning with LHP Jacob Bimbi going in the 11th round to the Pittsburgh Pirates, followed by RHP Mason Burns heading to the St. Louis Cardinals in the 14th round and RHP Grant Burleson getting selected in the 18th round by the Houston Astros.
Before coming to WKU, Napoleon spent three seasons as the pitching coach at Iowa Western Community College. During that time, the Reivers sent 30 pitchers to NCAA Division I schools and saw six pitchers earn ICCAC All-Region honors. Iowa Western pitchers also took home back-to-back ICCAC Player of the Year awards in 2021 and 2022. In both of those years, Iowa Western's pitching staff ranked top five among all NJCAA Division I programs in ERA, while the 2022 staff also racked up a program-record 620 strikeouts. Napoleon mentored three MLB draft selections during his time at Iowa Western, with pitchers Tanner Kohlhepp (Detroit Tigers, 5th Round) and Jack Neely (New York Yankees, 11th Round) being selected in the 2021 MLB Draft, and Tyer Chadwick (Cincinnati Reds, 19th Round) in the 2022 MLB Draft.
 Prior to his stint at Iowa Western, Napoleon spent two seasons at Northwestern University, where he served as the Wildcats' assistant coach, camp coordinator and video coordinator. Napoleon assisted in the development of three MLB draftees at Northwestern, as the program saw Nick Paciorek (New York Yankees, 7th Round), Alex Erro (Boston Red Sox, 17th Round) and Jack Dunn (Washington Nationals, 20th Round) all taken in the 2019 MLB Draft.
 Before working at Northwestern, Napoleon spent five seasons at Berry College while serving as the pitching coach, strength and conditioning coach and video coordinator. In the same 2019 MLB Draft that featured three Northwestern selections, Napoleon also saw former Berry College student-athlete Dylan Beasley taken in the 32nd round by the Washington Nationals.
 As a student-athlete, Napoleon began his collegiate career at Heartland Community College, where he compiled a 19-1 record on the mound over two seasons while earning NJCAA All-American honors and being named the Midwest Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year as a sophomore. Napoleon then transferred to UAB, becoming the first player in program history to be named the Conference USA Newcomer of the Year while also earning Second Team All-Conference USA honors.
 Napoleon earned an associate degree from Heartland Community College in 2010 and a bachelor's degree in communication management from UAB in 2012 before receiving a master's degree in Sports Leadership from Concordia-Chicago in 2018.
 Napoleon and his wife, Bethany, have five daughters: Evelyn, Cora, Margot, Bonnie and Lucy.
