Grayson County High School’s Gage Napier has officially signed to play baseball at Kentucky Wesleyan.
The decision was made official during a ceremony at the high school on Tuesday evening.
“It just felt like home,” Napier told K105. “I really liked what the coaches value, making us better people, not just players, just better men.”
The senior has blossomed into one of the area’s best pitchers. Last season, he had a 7-3 record with a 1.34 ERA to go along with a team-high 85 strikeouts.
He made an immediate impact for the Cougars as a seventh grader. He entered a rivalry game against Edmonson County and was stellar in his first appearance. From that point on, he has been a mainstay in the rotation.
“I’ve known him since he was probably nine years old, growing up through Little League and travel ball,” Grayson County head coach Jody Nutt said. “I knew then he was a special kid, not just because of the ability, but he was up here when everybody else was trying to figure things out.”
While Napier’s baseball talent takes most of the headlines, it is the person he is off the field that most coaches will mention first.
“He was a rare breed, maturity-wise, and he’s always been probably one of the most mature kids of his age,” Nutt added. “That is a testament to his parents and his upbringing.”
Napier’s journey in baseball has taken him everywhere for different camps and games, and he knows his parents, Ashley and Greg, have a big role in making all of those happen.
“Without them, it wouldn’t be possible,” he said. “I mean, all the sacrifices they’ve made for me and all the trips they’ve taken me, I am just really grateful for it.”
During these moments, it is common to reflect on those long trips and how they may all seem worth it now, even if at the time, it might have been a struggle.
“There’s a lot of travel time involved in that travel, and it does come full circle,” Greg Napier told K105. “This is why you do it. At that time, you don’t see it. You see the early mornings and complaining, and this and that, and it all goes away today.”
There were multiple schools interested in him as a pitcher, but one word was common in talking with attendees about Kentucky Wesleyan: home.
“It was close to home, it felt like home,” Greg added. “It’s an hour away, and talking to the coach, and they just felt like home. It felt like a good spot.”
While Gage is looking forward to the next chapter, he still has unfinished goals for this coming season, as the Cougars look for their fourth straight 12th District title.
“Just finishing out the year with my guys,” Gage said about the upcoming season. “It’s just the last year I’ll be around everybody, and I’m just looking forward to a great year.”
Kentucky Wesleyan is an NCAA Division II baseball team located in Owensboro. They are coached by Todd Lillpop, who will be entering his 25th season in 2026.
By Sam Gormley, Play-By-Play Announcer/Local Sports
Reach Sam at sam@k105.com
