Monmouth College Athletics

The slugger who led one of Monmouth's best-ever teams in home runs and RBI was also called one of its leaders in heart and soul.

In 2002, catcher Taylor Thiel earned second team Midwest Region honors as the Fighting Scots won a then-record 26 games and finished one victory shy of reaching the College World Series.

Thiel belted 11 long balls, which remains the school record 20 years later. His 18 career homers rank No. 2 all-time. Behind the plate, he caught Hall of Fame pitchers Ryan Johnson and Joe Larkins. The latter hurler was his teammate at nearby Galesburg High School.

For his efforts, Thiel was named the Midwest Conference's Player of the Year, earning his third consecutive All-MWC honor. Monmouth won at least 20 games in each of his three seasons.

Iowa State University's loss was Monmouth's gain, as the former two-sport GHS star came back to western Illinois after one year with the Cyclones.