Midgets named to all-West Region team

• Taylor Thiel

Press Photo by Royal McGregor Dickinson senior Taylor Thiel rips a base hit against Mandan on May 12 at the Southside Municipal Ballpark. Thiel, James Kary and Brady Dutchak were named to the West Region all-conference team.

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The Dickinson High baseball ended its season as the Class A state consolation champions.

However, the awards for three players weren’t over.

Taylor Thiel, Brady Dutchak and James Kary were all named to the West Region all-conference baseball team on Monday.

The Midgets were picked sixth to finish in the West at the start of the season. Dickinson proved the critics wrong, being crowned West Region champions.

Thiel, who is the lone senior of the bunch, supplied a healthy dose of run support at the plate. The senior drove in the game-winning walk-off run during the consolation championship game to defeat Bismarck St. Mary’s 4-3.

The senior had a batting average of .372 during the regular season. He led the team in RBIs with 24 and added eight doubles and one home run. Thiel tallied a .444 average during the state tournament starting at first base in all three games.

Dutchak handled the pitching staff to a 3.47 earned run average and an 18-11 record during the regular season. The sophomore catcher supplied a .314 average and two triples. Dutchak’s bat got hot at the right time — at the end of the season.

Kary, who is a junior that travels from Beach to Dickinson for practice and games, supplied a 6-1 record during the regular season. He followed that up with a 1-0 record at the state tournament. Kary held teams to a 2.53 ERA throughout his 14 regular season appearances and was better in the playoffs with a 1.17 ERA.

The junior also had a .267 average at the plate with five doubles, one home run and 16 RBIs. When he wasn’t pitching, he was either playing first or third base.

Dickinson three selections for the West Region all-conference team is tied for the most. The other two schools that each had three players named were Bismarck Century and Mandan.

West Region all-conference baseball team: Andrew Dill Bismarck High; Alex Bray Bismarck Century; Hunter Walsh Bismarck Century; James Kost Bismarck Century; Taylor Thiel Dickinson; Brady Dutchak Dickinson; James Kary Dickinson; Brady Anderson Jamestown; Daniel Fischer Jamestown; Jacob Stilwell Jamestown; Dwight Mack Mandan; Aaron Janz Mandan; Parker Harm Mandan; Austin Berntson Minot; Brock Krueger Minot; Preston Tescher Bismarck St. Mary’s; Trent Bohan Bismarck St. Mary’s; Cory Vinger Williston.

Tags: high school baseball, dickinson midgets, taylor thiel, brady dutchak, james kary, sports