Dustin Armbruster

Sometimes it takes one day to help find your path. For Hays High senior Nicole Dinkel, it was one really good day in 2015. Dinkel participated in a softball showcase and had a day where she did everything well and seemed to hit every pitch sent her way. That was enough to catch the attention of the coaches at Cloud County Community College in Concordia, Kansas.

Tuesday, just a few hours before taking the diamond versus Colby, Dinkel signed her national letter of intent to play for the Thunderbirds. Another deciding factor for choosing Cloud County was the school’s strong biology programs which Dinkel plans on entering.

Nicole Dinkel

First year head coach Erin Wagner said that while not a vocal leader Dinkel does lead with her work ethic, always taking extra reps and showing up to the voluntary workouts and practices.

Coach Erin Wagner

Dinkel is a career .342 hitter with 49 hits, but is having one over her best seasons to date batting 13-30 for a .433 average. She is one of only three hitters on the team to record a home run this season and has tallied four in her career. Dinkel also leads the team in steals (12), walks (6), hit-by-pitch (3), tied for the team lead in runs (11) and has struck out second fewest times this year (2).