Sean Ray got an early birthday present.

Showing off the speed that made him a 1,400-yard rusher on the football field at Slippery Rock High School, Ray translated that quick burst to the baseball diamond Saturday at the American Legion Region 7 all-star showcase at Penn State University's Beaver Stadium.

Ray did enough to advance to the All-West game at PNC Park July 8 - which is also his 17th birthday.

"That's a heck of a birthday present there," Ray said.

The Prospect second baseman felt what caught the eye of the judges and scouts at the all-star event was his base-stealing speed.

Ray stole second base against a left-handed pitcher who tried to pick him off.

"I think that impressed them," Ray said. "He threw over to first, but I beat the throw to second. I think they noticed my speed then."

Ray, who was only a sophomore last season on the Slippery Rock baseball team, didn't expect to advance this far.

He breezed through the Butler County all-star event and then again at Somerset in the second round. But he expected he might get tripped up again at the third stop like he did last year.

"I definitely was surprised," said Ray, who was one of 20 players to advance from a throng of 80 players at the tryout. "There were so many talented baseball players there."

Two of them, Josh Smith of Karns City and Ryan Hays, also of Prospect, didn't make the cut, even though Ray thought they should have.

"From what I saw, they both did very well," Ray said. "I thought Ryan did a great job with the other outfielders. I don't know why he wasn't picked."

But Ray is happy he was. He gets to play on the field at PNC Park on his birthday. Now if only he can keep his contact lenses in.

He wasn't able to Saturday, which made hitting a very difficult chore.

"It was kind of rough," Ray said, chuckling. "The ball sometimes just snuck up on me. I couldn't see much very well."

Prospect manager Mark White can see Ray's talent pretty clearly, though.

"He's a very well rounded player," White said. "He has good foot speed, a good bat and his glove is exceptional. That's what helps him advance."

And Ray is his own worst critic. He said he doesn't feel he is having a good legion season.

He did, though, have a stellar high school season with the Rockets despite position changes and a constantly shuffling lineup around him.

Midway through the season, he moved from shortstop to third base and was also hitting in the heart of Slippery Rock's order as a sophomore.

For Prospect, Ray is playing second base - a position where he feels the most at ease.

"I'm not playing up to my potential right now (for the Legion team)," Ray said. "I had a better varsity season. I'm still trying to improve my game."

Ray, though, was grateful for the experience he received during the high school season.

The Rockets had a rocky year, winning some big games and suffering costly losses late that eliminated them from playoff contention.

Despite being a sophomore, Ray was one of the leaders and will be asked to provide an even bigger role in that department next year on a team that still will be very young.

"We had kids jumping around from position to position," Ray said. "We had a young team and lost a lot of seniors. We didn't do so well at times, but we're going to keep improving."

Apparently there are some people who see some all-star material in Ray despite his struggles this season.

He'll get to play at PNC Park to prove it.

"It feels great," Ray said. "I think it's going to be a great experience for me. I want to thank Dess Schnur. He left me a nice message congratulating me and I am really appreciative of it. They all take American Legion baseball up here seriously. We have a really good league."