Back together again
Kevan Smith and Zach Duggan know how to stick together.
They played in the same Little League and were teammates on all-star baseball teams at that age. They were teammates at Seneca Valley High and with the University of Pittsburgh.
"We've been best friends since we were little kids," Smith said. "Their house is only a cartwheel away from ours."
Now they're teammates yet again with the Butler BlueSox.
But for how long?
Major League Baseball's amateur draft begins Monday and Smith, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound catcher, figures to be selected at some point.
"Yeah, I'm expecting to get a phone call, but you never know," he said. "Just about every team has shown interest, but maybe that call never comes."
Smith hit .361 for Pitt this spring, collecting five homers, 46 RBI and 18 doubles. He had nine hits in 12 at-bats during the Big East Tournament.
"Joe Leonard was the best player in the conference and he hit right in front of Kevan," Duggan said. "Joe took a lot of would-be RBI away from him."
Duggan, the Panthers' center fielder, hit .346 with two homers, 52 RBI and 25 stolen bases in 28 attempts. He had 12 doubles and five triples.
Yet at 5-feet-8, 170 pounds, he isn't considered a big prospect in the upcoming draft.
"It'd be awesome to get the opportunity to play professional baseball one day," Duggan said. "Maybe I'll get that chance, but I don't think it's coming now."
BlueSox manager Jason Wuerfel said body type separates Smith from Duggan.
"You look at Kevan's frame. ... He's a physical powerhouse and that's what everybody wants, especially behind the plate," Wuerfel said. "Zach is an outstanding talent, too, but everyone's looking for size and strength now."
Even if Smith is drafted, he may not leave the BlueSox immediately. He would have until mid-August to sign with the team that selects him and he does have other options.
Having just graduated from Pitt with a marketing degree, Smith could return for his final year of baseball eligibility while beginning work on his master's degree.
"It's nice to have choices," Smith said. "I could always go back into the draft next year."
But his baseball clock is ticking, Wuerfel pointed out.
"Fifth-year seniors drafted out of college don't have a lot of development time in pro ball," Wuerfel said. "They need to be at least in Class AA by the time they're 24 or they're probably going be released."
As a Coastal Carolina senior, Duggan's older brother, Dom, was drafted in the 32nd round by the San Francisco Giants. He was released this spring after spending three years in the Giants' system and is now playing for Lake Erie (Ohio) in the Frontier League."Dom's a little bigger physically than I am, yet people who have seen both of us say we play ball exactly the same way," the younger Duggan said.Pitt finished 38-18 and led the nation with a .363 batting average. Smith and Duggan were a big part of that.The Panthers were eliminated in the Big East Tournament, however, and didn't receive an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament."We may have had the best season in Pitt baseball history, but it was disappointing the way it ended," Smith said. "It left us with an empty feeling."The draft might ease that pain a bit."Kevan's going to get picked," Duggan said. "He's an outstanding catcher with all of the tools."Wuerfel agreed."I don't know how long we're going to have Kevan, but I'm happy he's here now," he said.Smith isn't worried about the draft and doesn't regret losing three years of his baseball career to football.He played quarterback for the Panthers, starting a few games as a redshirt freshman, before going back to baseball."It seemed God had it planned to work out this way," Smith said. "It was weird because as high school seniors, it looked like Zach was going football and I was going baseball in college. It wound up the opposite, then we became teammates again."I had a chance to play in football games at Notre Dame, Michigan State — unbelievable experiences I wouldn't trade for anything."
