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Champs Rewarded

Lynx trio on top NCC?team, 7 in all honored

WCHS sophomore pitcher Tyler Olson goes to work during a game this season. Following an 11-1 campaign, he was a unanimous first-team all-NCC pick. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

WEBSTER CITY — A second outright North Central Conference championship in the past three seasons brought the Webster City baseball team seven all-league accolades.

Voted on by the nine NCC head coaches, the teams were released last week.

WCHS, which finished the season at 20-10 and 12-2 in the conference, collected three first-team nods, one second-team honor and three third-team awards. The Lynx, conference runner-up Humboldt and third-place finisher Clear Lake all had three players on the top team.

Senior pitcher, infielder and outfielder Dylan Steen was a unanimous first-team choice as — predictably enough — a utility player. Sophomore pitcher Tyler Olson was also on the first-team ballot of every head coach, while older brother Caleb Olson joined the first team as an outfielder.

WCHS designated hitter Sean Carver was placed on the second team. Freshman catcher Devon Stoakes, eighth-grade infielder Ty McKinney and eighth-grade outfielder CJ Hisler were all third-team selections.

Dylan Steen points towards the dugout following a double against Humboldt in a Class 3A District 3 semifinal. The Lynx senior was a unanimous first-team all-NCC selection this season. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Other unanimous first-team picks were Clear Lake pitcher Mac Adams and infielder Erik McHenry, as well as Humboldt infielder Owen Newton.

Steen, a returning first-team member, did a little — or a lot — of everything for the Lynx. He was the league’s top hitter with a .495 batting average, one home run, 27 RBIs, 20 runs scored and 20 stolen bases without ever getting thrown out. On the mound, Steen went 6-3 with a 1.71 ERA and 78 strikeouts. He also played shortstop, third base, first base and center field when he wasn’t on the bump.

No player in the league had a breakout season like Tyler Olson, who quickly moved to the top of the WCHS rotation following an early-season no-hitter against Greene County. On the season, the right-hander put together an 11-1 record and a 0.68 ERA in 712⁄3 innings of work. He allowed just seven earned runs all season and struck out 102 batters.

At the plate, Tyler Olson batted .384 with 17 RBIs at the top of the Lynx order.

Caleb Olson owned one of the top gloves in the conference in center field and also did plenty of damage at the plate. He hit .292 with a home run and 35 RBIs, the third-most in the conference.

WCHS senior center fielder Caleb Olson makes a lunging catch on the run during the Lynx Class 3A District 3 final against Ballard. Olson was recently named to the all-NCC first team. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Carver made a name for himself at the plate as the Lynx designated hitter. He hit at a .338 clip with one home run — a three-run shot in the team’s NCC-clinching road win over Humboldt — and 18 RBIs.

WCHS was the only team to have a freshman or younger honored with Stoakes, Hisler and McKinney.

Hisler, the team’s starting left fielder, cranked out a .317 average with 15 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. McKinney hit .276 with 13 RBIs, while Stoakes turned in a .241 average while catching the league’s most dominant pitching staff.

All-NCC Teams

First Team

Pitcher — *Tyler Olson, soph, Webster City; *Mac Adams, sr, Clear Lake; Jacob Thurm, jr, Humboldt.

Catcher — Nate Rapp, sr, Clarion-Goldfield-Dows.

Infield — *Owen Newton, sr, Humboldt; *Erik McHenry, jr, Clear Lake; Joey Busse, sr, Humboldt; Drew Uhlenhopp, jr, Hampton-Dumont/CAL.

Outfield — Caleb Olson, sr, Webster City; Chase Stuver, sr, Clear Lake; Tyler Stein, jr, Clarion-Goldfield-Dows.

Utility/DH — *Dylan Steen, sr, Webster City; Spencer Holmes, sr, Algona.

*Denotes unanimous selection

Second Team

Pitcher — Andrew Formanek, soph, Clear Lake; Cameron Rindone, soph, Algona; Peyton Scott, soph, St. Edmond.

Catcher — Jack McEvoy, sr, St. Edmond.

Infield — Noah Carlson, sr, Algona; Matt Grein, sr, Algona; AJ Stevenson, sr, Clear Lake; Reed Abbas, soph, Clarion-Goldfield-Dows.

Outfield — Michael Brightly, sr, Humboldt; Carson Devine, sr, Algona; Hudson Gargano, sr, Humboldt.

Utility/DH — Sean Carver, soph, Webster City; Austin Warnke, soph, Clear Lake; Cade Witzke, soph, Humboldt.

Third Team

Devon Stoakes, fr, Webster City; CJ Hisler, 8th grade, Webster City; Ty McKinney, 8th grade, Webster City; Brier Boyd, sr, Clarion-Goldfield-Dows; Dustin Miller, sr, Hampton-Dumont/CAL; Sawyer Savery, sr, Humboldt; Noah Carlson, jr, St. Edmond; Dylan Madden, soph, Iowa Falls-Alden.

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