BUTLER TWP — They are either setting up their careers or have already begun them.

Dalton Koebler is in the Marine Reserves. Kevin Clapper is in the Army.

David Tompkins is an intensive care nurse at Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh, Tom Bruce lives and works in Raleigh, N.C.

Spencer Murray is a sociology major at Indiana (Pa.) University, Chris Cotton is studying health care management at Robert Morris University.

Alex Ziegler has one more year of baseball eligibility at California (Pa.) University, Matt Baranchak is recovering from Tommy John surgery and hopes to pitch for a college team next spring.

All of these Butler graduates aren’t as far apart as one might think. They will forever share a common bond — as members of the 2006 Pennsylvania state champion Butler Township Little League team that came within a whisker of reaching the Little League World Series in Williamsport.

The bulk of this 12-person team — a roster that included recent Houston Astros draftee Colin McKee — got together for a 10-year reunion recently at Alameda Park.

“Such a strong group of kids that never got tired of playing baseball,” their coach, John Baranchak, recalled. “We were together from June 15 to August 15, at times practicing for four and a half hours in 90-degree heat.

“No one ever complained. Everyone got to know everyone else’s families, we were together so much. It’s strange ... They were a bunch of 12-year-olds then and now I’m out here drinking beer with them. They’re grown men.”

Jim Murray was an assistant coach for that 2006 team that won 14 tournament games. Their state title victory was the first in 60 years of Little League baseball in Butler County.

“It’s an unbelievable memory that refreshes for me every summer when I see the current crop of kids out there in those uniforms,” Murray said. “The memory of that season comes back instantaneously.

“That team was all about friendship and perspective. Egos never came into play. Those guys are still like this. They’ve stayed in pretty steady touch all this time.

“These guys will share that memory with their own kids, even grandkids 20, 30 years from now,” Murray added.

Koebler and Matt Baranchak combined to win 13 tournament games during Butler Township’s postseason run. Koebler played third base when he wasn’t pitching.

“The bond between all of us is still pretty strong,” Koebler said. “We knew we had talented players, but it was the cohesion that won for us.

“Colin McKee was the youngest guy on the team. Even back then, he was the hardest worker. He never stopped fighting to improve and look where it got him (18th-round selection of the Astros earlier this month). To a man, we’re thrilled for him.”

When not serving in the Marine reserves, Koebler is majoring in finance at the University of Pittsburgh.

Baranchak says he remembers “all of the time with the guys” more than the games themselves.

“We were just kids who enjoyed playing baseball and spending time together,” he said.

Spencer Murray, the team’s second baseman and leadoff hitter, refers to 2006 as “the best summer of my life.”

“Just young kids playing baseball and having fun,” he said. “No matter where we traveled that summer, no matter what field we were on or who we were up against, it was still a game and we loved to play it.

“If there was any pressure, we never felt it. We just thought it was cool staying in hotel rooms.”

Right fielder Tompkins does recall a diving catch he made for the final out of the state championship game, preserving a 7-5 win over Lehigh Valley.

“I remember running toward the ball and lunging ... It was a weird feeling, but I knew I was going to catch it,” Tompkins said.

Ziegler remembers staying in a hotel in Bristol, Conn., at the regional — playing a game called Island Ball with his teammates in the room.

“We tossed a ball around to each other on our beds and if you missed it, you were out. It was an elimination thing,” Ziegler said. “And it was a blast. We could have done that all day.

“It gives me goose bumps, thinking back to that time. We’re not just lifelong friends. We’re family. We’re that close.”

First baseman/left fielder Chris Cotton said he feels “a sense of honor” in being part of a team that made county history.

“I appreciate what we did a lot more now. I think we all do,” Cotton said.

Other players on the team were Michael Connelly, Cody West, Dante Dorcy and Bruce.

Bruce was the team’s catcher and felt privileged to play that position.

“From my vantage point, I saw all of the plays we made,” Bruce said. “That was a blessing for me.

“That season was almost magical. I know we’ll always stay in touch. Whenever I’m back in town, I check to see who’s around and we meet up. This bond is too strong to ever be broken.”