Butler senior Tyler Aaron, 17, is shown serving as a public address announcer during a Butler County Community College volleyball match this past season.He is preparing for his career goal of becoming a play-by-play announcer. Submitted Photo

BUTLER TWP — Simply put, Tyler Aaron loves to talk. And he loves sports.

“But I’m not much of an athlete,” the 17-year-old Butler senior said.

He still wants to be part of the sports world and is exploring every avenue to make that happen. He does marketing work with the Butler BlueSox. He works a camera for Lawrence County SportsNet. He filmed Butler High School football games and does a podcast talking about the Pittsburgh Penguins.

His latest venture is serving as public address announcer for Butler County Community College volleyball and basketball games.

“My ultimate goal is to be a play-by-play announcer for either a hockey or baseball team,” Tyler said. “I just want to get my name out there.”

So when BC3 had an open house last April seeking athletes, Tyler showed up — as a non-athlete.

“He expressed interest in doing our p.a, announcing,” BC3 athletic director Rob Snyder said. “You never know how committed or serious someone is when they come forward about doing something like that.

“We took his number down, Jen Smith (the college’s assistant director of student life for athletics) called him back a few months later and he was still interested. So we gave him a shot.”

He hasn’t disappointed.

“I always show up for the game prepared,” Tyler said. “I study information on the visiting team at home before leaving for the gym. I make sure I have all of the pronunciations down.

“It’s fun hearing my voice and I like providing information to the spectators.”

He likes it so much, in fact, that’s he’s widened his future career goals.

“I could get into being a p.a,. announcer at a large venue,” Tyler said. “Doing it at PNC Park? I would love that.”

But first things first. Tyler plans to major in broadcasting in college. He is considering Slippery Rock University, Clarion, Indiana (Pa.) and Waynesburg right now.

Tyler is the third high school student to take over p.a. announcing duties for the Pioneers, but the first in a while.

“I’ve done it the past couple of years,” Snyder said. “I didn’t mind it, but it did tie up time and if somebody else needed my help about something, I wouldn’t be able to help them. Now I can.

“Tyler’s doing a great job. He has a good voice and he speaks with confidence. We’re thrilled to have him here.”

Torey O’Donnell, BC3’s associate director of student life, said of Tyler in a press release: “Broadening his options and gaining more experience is a great opportunity for him and one that you probably wouldn’t have at a different institution. But because we are BC3, the community’s college, we are able to give students and individuals in the community that opportunity.”

Charles Freeman, assistant athletic director for the college, said Tyler “is here all the time. He’s dependable and you can see how much he wants to break into this field.”

Tyler has little doubt where his future career endeavors lie.

“I’ll be working in the sports industry,” he said. “I love staying busy and gaining experience in different areas of the business.

“I love to talk and I talk about sports all of the time. It’s a no-brainer for me.”