In the wonderful world of sports nicknames, Tyler Johnson shouldn't have to worry about being branded "slick" or "dandy."

Johnson, a Bismarck High junior, isn't much of a glory hunter. Look at his athletic selections:Wrestler, baseball catcher and football defensive back.

Much more a grunt than a dude.

To be sure, Johnson is a talented grunt. He's a two-time state wrestling champion and an all-state defensive back.

Plus, he's a key building block on the BHSbaseball team that's in the hunt for a state tournament berth. The Demons and seven other teams vie for four state tourney spots in the three-day West Region tournament that begins today in Dickinson.

"We're a young team … and through the middle of the year we've kind of proven ourselves a little bit," Johnson said. "But it's the end that counts."

Bismarck failed to qualify for the state tournament last spring and ranked sixth in the preseason regional coaches' poll.

The Demons paid no heed, winning seven of their first 10 games and putting up a 21-11 record to place third in the region.

Still, for the season to be a success, Johnson said BHSmust be playing, and winning, next week.

"I'd say placing pretty high at the WDAand making some noise at state," Johnson said as he defined a good season. "The No. 1 thing is getting into the state tourney, but you always want to place as high as you can because of the seeds at state."

For the Demons to keep winning in tournament play, Johnson is going to have to be heard from. He bats third in the lineup, leads the team with 15 RBIs and is hitting .320.

That's a hard-earned .320. Johnson put up a .383 mark last spring, but said the transition from metal to wood bats has been a difficult one.

"It's a lot different from metal," Johnson said. "There's not that much of a sweet spot compared to metal. If you're going to get a base hit, you have to hit it well. There's a lot less room for error."

Not that Johnson is bemoaning the loss of 63 points from his batting average. He doesn't miss the "ping" of the metal bats one bit.

"It (wood bat baseball) makes it more interesting to watch. … Ilike it.There's a lot more small ball and you have to execute stuff."

With the increased emphasis on small ball, Johnson's value behind the plate has been enhanced. With wood bats scaling back offense, one-run strategies such as the bunt, steal and hit-and-run have been encouraged.

Johnson is the hired gun who's kept theft on the basepaths under control. He's cut down nine of the 12 men who have tried to run on him.

"Now it's a lot harder to advance people by hitting. If you can steal a base you have a runner in scoring position," Johnson said. "So throwing people out is more important this year."

Like many catchers, Johnson ended up behind the plate because nobody else wanted the job. That was when he was 9 years old.

"It started in the fourth grade in the majors in Little League," he recalled. "… Iwas playing with a bunch of sixth graders and nobody wanted to catch."

Johnson volunteered and has been mostly a catcher since. He'll still venture to the mound on occasion or play a game in the outfield, but he sees himself as a catcher.

"Ilike it. I like being part of every pitch," he said. "I like being in control of the game and trying to pick people off base."

That's not to say Johnson is a mop-up man when he pitches. In limited duty he's proven himself effective. As a sophomore he was 1-1 with a 1.05 ERAin 19 1-3 innings. This year he's 2-2 with a 0.76 ERAin 18 1-3 innings.

"I wouldn't consider myself a starting pitcher.I'm probably more of a reliever … but Ilike to pitch," he said.

At 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds, Johnson has the body of a wrestler. That's fine, because wrestling is his favorite sport."It's individual. It's all on you and Ilike that," he said.

Whatever sport, if Johnson wasn't in it to win he wouldn't bother. "I just like to compete," he said, "… but I've got to have fun with them, too.Otherwise I'd get burned out."

3 NOTES:Minot is the defending regional tournament champion. The Magicians have won the tourney the past two years and are the top-seeded team this spring. … Minot boasts the West Region's top pitcher and hitter. Senior right-hander Shane Gathman hasn't allowed a run this season, giving him an 0.00 ERAin 25 innings. RyanBollinger, the Magicians' sophomore DH, tops the region with a .449 batting average. … Jamestown sophomore Ben Walker leads in pitching victories with six. Minot's Jordan Martinson and Gathman, Bismarck's Jon Hausauer and Williston's Trevor Sorenson all have five victories. Sorenson tops the region in strikeouts with 38, two ahead of Minot's Ethan Sundheim and St. Mary's Matt Loomis. … Hausauer is second in the ERArace at 0.16. … Behind Bollinger in the batting race come ShawnEgge of Williston at .438 and Zac Elgie of Minot at .427. Dustin Wenzel of Century is hitting .457 but has batted only 35 times. … Elgie and Cole Frenzel of Dickinson are the long ball leaders with three homers each. … Elgie is the top dog in RBIs with 35, two more than teammate Kory Houston.