TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Though he's never been to Butler, Jason Wuerfel can't wait to get there.

Why the eagerness? Because a chance to manage a franchise in the Prospect League awaits him.

"I fell short in my efforts to become a major-league baseball player," Wuerfel said. "Now, I can help other guys succeed where I failed.

"You don't know how badly I want to do that."

Wuerfel, 28, will be the manager of the Butler BlueSox this summer, giving up his position as hitting coach for the Traverse City (Mich.) Beach Bums of the Frontier League.

The Wuerfel family owns the Beach Bums franchise and was the driving force behind construction of their ballpark, known as Wuerfel Park.

"My family bought the Traverse City franchise in the summer of 2005," Wuerfel said. "I served as acting vice president of the franchise and helped out with the new stadium.

"I got involved with developing the logo, merchandising, ticketing, worked in baseball operations. But, eventually, I had to get back in uniform."

That's because Wuerfel is a baseball guy first, a business guy second.

He enjoyed serving as hitting coach for the Beach Bums, but the BlueSox opportunity outweighed it.

"Working with the Beach Bums and the family business was a nice job, a safe job," Wuerfel said. "But when an opportunity arose for me to branch out, to blaze my own path, it was appealing.

The independence and pride factor played a role in my decision, too."

Wuerfel had hoped to be on his own as a professional ballplayer.

He graduated from Glen Lake High School in Michigan in 1999, where he was an all-state catcher in baseball and all-state punter-kicker in football.

He averaged 42 yards per punt as a senior and kicked a 45-yard field goal in a game. He booted a 65-yarder in practice.

"That was with a stiff wind at my back," he said, chuckling as he spoke. "I was actually leaning toward football as my college sport. Central Michigan University was offering me a scholarship.

"On national signing day, they ran out of scholarship money for kickers. I was upset at having that scholarship pulled out from under me. The University of Michigan offered me a chance to play baseball and I took it."

Wuerfel was a solid defensive catcher with the Wolverines who could hit to all fields, but he was stuck behind three catchers who are now in pro ball.

David Parrish, son of longtime major league catcher Lance Parrish, was a first-round selection by the New York Yankees and had a brief stint in the big leagues. Jake Fox is hitting .400 at Class AAA in the Chicago Cubs organization and Jeff Kunkel is at Class AA in the Detroit Tigers system.

"Maybe I didn't get my share of at bats, but I wouldn't have gotten the quality of coaching and networking I enjoyed had I not gone to Michigan, either," Wuerfel said.

He graduated from college in December of his final year, put off the job market and attended every professional baseball tryout he could.

He wound up in spring training with Elmira of the Can-Am League, broke his nose and got released. He played for the Mid-Missouri Mavericks, a Frontier League team managed by former Baltimore Orioles outfielder Jim Gentile.

Released from that organization as well, Wuerfel played for the Ohio Vaqlley Redcoats, was released again and called it quits.

"It's so hard giving up on something you're so passionate about," Wuerfel said. "That's how I feel about baseball.

"Now, I can provide a role of guidance to some of the BlueSox players that maybe I didn't receive when I was in their position."

Wuerfel said that Frontier League teams don't have the finances to scout talent and that leagues like the Prospect League will help the independent minor league circuit in the near future.

"You're talking about roughly 200 players in the Prospect League, with many of the league's markets — Richmond, Chillicothe, Slippery Rock and Lorain among them, — having former Frontier League franchises," he said.

"If guys in our league don't get drafted, they'll definitely get scouted. This league will provide opportunities that didn't exist for players before."