Sugar-Salem’s McInelly posts otherworldly numbers in leading Diggers to second banner in a row

SUGAR CITY — Dawson McInelly finished his storybook high school baseball career in style, posting numbers that were unmatched and largely unrivaled.

Sugar-Salem High School’s two-sport star led the state in home runs (14), slugging percentage (1.262) and pitching ERA (0.31). And just for good measure, McInelly was second among all varsity players across the state in on-base percentage (.643) and pitching wins (8).

Additionally, according to Digger head coach Brady Gardner, McInelly’s home run total and slugging percentage both rank him among the top 10 high school hitters in the nation.

Gardner has been around Idaho high school baseball for 25 years, and has done extensive research into the state’s prep history, and has not found any record of a player hitting as many as 14 homers in a season. This season, fellow Digger Will Chappell was second in the state with eight longballs.

“What he did this year was just amazing,” Gardner said of McInelly. … “He was ridiculous.”

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McInelly’s numbers read like a Babe Ruth fever dream.

In 27 games, he hit safely 45 times in 85 official at-bats, slashing .536/.643/1.262 (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage), while leading his team in RBIs (41). His 44 runs scored were second-most among all Digger hitters. He also stole 11 bases — second on the team to Chappell (19) — on 12 attempts.

The senior was the engine that drove one of the most potent offenses in the history of Idaho high school baseball.

“It was a crazy year,” Gardner said. “We hit 37 home runs as a team, and that’s an all-time state record.”

Among the many highlights to his epic campaign, McInelly became the first Idaho player to be named the Prep Baseball National High School Player of the Week, and his coaches and teammates are hopeful he has another massive accolade coming.

“That was a crazy week to observe. Like, crazy. Just so fun. Every at-bat, it was just like, ‘He’s gonna hit another one, he’s gonna hit another one.’ It was fun to see a kid locked in like that,” Gardner said, adding: “We’re really, really hoping that he wins Gatorade (Idaho) Player of the Year. Honestly, it shouldn’t even be a question.”

Gardner’s only concern is that McInelly’s performance will somehow be “discounted” due to it coming in the 4A classification. But, as the coach pointed out, McInelly did a fair amount of damage against top competition from upper classifications, including Burley and Mountain Home, who started senior Gonzaga commit Tre Morse who features a 93-mph fastball.

For all his offensive production though, Gardner is not certain which aspect of his season was more impressive: his hitting or his pitching.

McInelly, according to Gardner, did not allowed an earned run until the Marsh Valley Eagles pushed two across against him in the 4A Baseball State Championship semifinals. He stayed on the mound, however, to earn a complete game victory anyway.

He finished the year with a 0.31 ERA, to go with 69 strikeouts in 45-2/3 innings pitched.

“Plus, he’s just a great teammate,” Gardner added. “He motivates guys, he’s a great leader, he’s exceptional in the community. … He’s a great role model, for any kid coming up, on how to act when you’re just a phenom.”

Asked if he could possibly single out one performance, or one moment, from McInelly’s season that was, that stood out above all others, Gardner struggled before offering two options.

On the hill, McInelly’s last three pitching appearances resulted in complete game wins — two of which coming in the playoffs — against South Fremont, Homedale and Marsh Valley.

In the box, it was McInelly’s homer in the state championship game that will always hold a spot in his coach’s memory bank.

Melaleuca Field — the home of the Idaho Falls Chukars — is far from hitter-friendly. In fact, Gardner said, through the weekend batters were proving it difficult to get the ball near the warning track. But when his team needed a jolt, McInelly’s bat was loud as ever.

“To have him come through with a really clutch home run — we were down 4-3 in the early innings, and that helped us get the momentum back. That was so cool,” Gardner said.

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McInelly was also the East Idaho Sports football Player of the Year, leading the Diggers to a 4A state championship from his tailback position. Gardner, who doubles as the football team’s offensive coordinator, said that McInelly had options to play football at the next level, but it is the diamond that holds his heart.

So much so, in fact, that even through football season, with it early morning lifting sessions and evening practices, McInelly finds time for late-night batting cage work.

It is that drive and commitment that makes him great, according to Gardner.

“He is just a workhorse. He’s put so much time and effort into this, so it’s really cool to see it all come to fruition,” the coach said. … “Dawson has a drive that, as a kid, I’ve never seen. He has the physical tools to go along with it … he’s, obviously, very naturally gifted, but he puts in an incredible amount of work.

McInelly will spend his summer in Nicaragua on an LDS mission before landing on the Utah Tech campus, where he is signed to play baseball.

“What an amazing career,” Gardner said. … “I’m really, really excited to follow him — he’s an amazing player, but a better person. It’s definitely been a privilege to coach him.”