Seneca Valley graduate Dom Duggan, center, is congratulated by a Zelienople teammate after hitting a home run in an Eagle County League playoff game in 2004. It was during that summer that Duggan secured his enrollment at Coastal Carolina University, where he attracted attention from pro baseball scouts. He was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 2007 and played four seasons in the professional ranks. Duggan will be inducted into the Seneca Valley Sports Hall of Fame in September.

This is the second in a series of six articles profiling the Seneca Valley Sports Hall of Fame's Class of 2018.SCOTTSDALE, Ariz — Many kids dream of it. Dom Duggan lived it.A 2003 graduate of Seneca Valley High School, Duggan was a baseball star at the scholastic and collegiate level before playing four years in the professional ranks. Three of those years were spent in the San Francisco Giants' organization.Duggan also starred in football and basketball while at Seneca Valley and will be honored with induction into the district's sports hall of fame Sept. 15.“When I look back at what I was able to accomplish and what it took to get there, it all stemmed from my time at Seneca Valley,” he said. “I'm really humbled by this.”Duggan became a starter on SV's baseball team as a sophomore, becoming a mainstay in centerfield and in the leadoff spot in the Raiders' batting order while earning all-section honors.Though the better part of two decades has passed since Duggan donned a Raiders' uniform, SV baseball coach Eric Semega remembers well the impact he had on the program.“He once broke his shoulder in a playoff game and continued to play,” said Semega. “That shows you the competitive spirit he had, which is still top five all-time at Seneca since I've been here.“His speed was unmatched and he wanted to be there for all the right reasons. He was the ultimate team player and is well-deserving of the hall of fame.”Following high school, Duggan first enrolled at John Carroll University, a Division III school, and excelled immediately.“I was named All-Region and All-American as a freshman,” Duggan said. “The summer after my freshman year, I came back home and was playing in the Eagle County League for Zelienople. Scott Grinder (a former pro scout) was at one of my games and he told me he had some contacts and could try to see if bigger schools would give me a shot.“He made a few phone calls and because of him, I got an opportunity at Coastal Carolina University. I was taking a risk, going from a Division III school to a Division I school, but it turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made.”And it did not take long for him to realize that. Duggan earned a starting job in centerfield as a sophomore and batted .348 with 48 runs scored, helping the team to a record number of wins and a conference title in 2005.He then was thrown a curveball during his junior season.“I was running full speed for a ball and ran right into the wall and severely sprained my ankle,” said Duggan. “I missed significant time because of that.”The injury trimmed his number of starts to 27 and played a major role in his batting average dropping to .252. But his numbers received a boost in an unlikely place.In the summer of 2006, Duggan found himself playing the outfield for the Anchorage Bucs in the Alaska Baseball League.He hit over .300 with 15 doubles. The experience, according to Duggan, “got me back on track.“That time of the year, the sun doesn't set up there until late at night,” he added. “And it rises very early in the morning. Fortunately, the host family I was staying with gave me a room in their basement. I was able to get some sleep.“It was a great experience for me. So many of the players in the league at that time ended up getting drafted. It was a good gauge for me to see where I stood with my peers.”Duggan returned to college for one final season and, as the team's No. 2 hitter, batted .325 and led the Chanticleers with 63 runs scored while starting all 63 games.The effort helped Coastal Carolina reach the regional final of the NCAA tournament before losing to Clemson.Duggan's baseball career was not over, however. He realized his dream of playing pro ball that June when San Francisco came calling.“It had always been a dream of mine to play professional baseball. I come from a family of athletes and there was always the expectation of what's next.“The day of the draft, it was one of the most nerve-wracking days of my life,” Duggan said. “I saw other guys being taken and my emotions were all over the place.”The Giants selected Duggan in the 32nd round.“It was a pretty surreal feeling and I was super-excited,” he saidDuggan was first sent to the Arizona Rookie League, where he laid a solid foundation by batting .292, scoring 36 runs and stealing 14 bases in 49 games.“Not knowing what to expect, I was fairly pleased and felt good coming out of that season,” he said.Duggan got as high as Advanced Class A in San Jose over the next two years. With the Class A Augusta GreenJackets in 2009, his average dipped to .220 and the Giants released him the following spring.He joined an independent team, Lake Erie of the Frontier League in 2010. He stole 48 bases for the Crushers and was credited with nine assists from the outfield in 96 games, but the season took its toll on Duggan.“After the season, I had surgery to repair a torn labrum and partially-torn rotator cuff,” he said.Over the following winter, while Duggan was in the midst of his rehab, he made the difficult decision to call it a career.“I actually feel fortunate that injuries pushed me in that direction,” he said. “I don't know if I would have been able to make that decision if I was healthy. It's always tough to know when to say when.”Now that he has had several years to reflect on his career, Duggan sees it in a different light.“The minor-league life is a grind,” he said. “Twenty-five day stretches with one day off and long bus rides. You're playing for one team one day and could be in a different state the next playing for another. You are constantly playing in front of people who hold your future in their hands.“You're so focused on the task at hand that it can be tough to enjoy it. I have much more of an appreciation for it now looking back on it all. I miss everything being on the line, my teammates and I pushing toward a common goal.”Duggan lives in Arizona with his wife, Kim-Marie, and their two daughters, Nora and Evelyn. He hopes to make it back for his induction.“Seneca Valley has a long list of accomplished student athletes,” he said. “For me to be considered, it is certainly a great honor.”